Richard James

Richard James Email and Phone Number

Vice President, Finance Integration and Transformation @ Bunge
Sarasota, FL, US
Richard James's Location
United States, United States
About Richard James

Experienced finance professional with twenty-plus years’ experience serving globally diverse and entrepreneurial companies across four world financial centers; London, Toronto, New York, and Geneva. Significant merger and acquisition, capital markets, strategic finance, and process improvement expertise. Ability to manage and motivate teams and communicate effectively at all organizational levels. Board level experience. Graduated on the Dean’s List of the MBA program at Columbia Business School, while maintaining full-time professional responsibilities. UK Chartered Accountant (FCA), Canadian Chartered Public Accountant (CPA, CA), US Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), all with first-time exam passes. US permanent resident.

Richard James's Current Company Details
Bunge

Bunge

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Vice President, Finance Integration and Transformation
Sarasota, FL, US
Website:
bunge.com
Employees:
23300
Richard James Work Experience Details
  • Bunge
    Vice President, Finance Integration And Transformation
    Bunge
    Sarasota, Fl, Us
  • Bunge
    Vice President, Finance Integration / Transformation
    Bunge Jun 2023 - Present
    Chesterfield, Missouri, Us
    - Leading finance integration planning activities for Bunge's recently-announced merger with Viterra Limited; https://investors.bunge.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2023/13-06-2023-132455177
  • Bunge
    Vice President, Finance - Food Solutions
    Bunge Dec 2022 - Mar 2024
    Chesterfield, Missouri, Us
    - Led finance activities for Bunge’s Food Solutions business, a global producer of sustainable plant-based specialty oils and fats for the food manufacturing industry- Developed and deployed corporate strategy as part of the Food Solutions business executive leadership team - Oversaw annual operating and capital budgets and related reporting- Monitored business performance (joint P&L responsibility) and implemented actions to improve profitability, as needed - Presented financial results and related analysis to Executive leadership- Managed investment appraisals for a range of capital projects and other growth opportunities, then oversaw deployment of capital to maximize returns- Advised on M&A activities, including deal structure, supervised due diligence activities, valued investments, drafted purchase agreements, quantified synergies, and oversaw purchase price allocation work- Integrated acquired businesses and restructured underperforming existing businesses- Attracted, developed and retained a capable, motivated, diverse global organization with the variety of backgrounds and skillsets needed to address a constantly changing business environment- Monitored global ESG developments and shaped corporate strategy to deliver products and solutions in a sustainable way, while minimizing climate-related risks- Board level experience on several joint venture investments, both with private and major US-listed third-party investors
  • Bunge
    Corporate Controller
    Bunge Jul 2019 - Dec 2022
    Chesterfield, Missouri, Us
    - Oversaw all external financial reporting activities, including quarterly earnings press releases, investor presentations, Annual Reports on Forms 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, etc.- Led global consolidation activities, comprising over two-hundred legal entities and multiple functional currencies- Partnered with Legal, Investor Relations, Treasury, HR, and other corporate functions, then led the preparation and filing of proxy statements, Forms 8-K, registration statements and other required SEC filings- Presented financial, regulatory, ESG and other updates to Bunge’s Audit Committee of the board of directors- Led Controlling activities under a global restructuring, including the design and reorganization of Bunge’s global reporting structures, encompassing several thousand global business units- Advised Executive management on a range of strategic transactions, including capital allocation, investments (M&A and capex) and divestments- Oversaw all aspects of Bunge’s internal control framework and related testing in accordance with COSO and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act requirements- Directed the Policies team in developing and cascading a comprehensive, robust set of governing policies- Coordinated regional Controlling people and processes, to achieve global alignment/standardization of financial processes and underlying data structures- Led the design and implementation of a new global reporting system, OneStream- Managed relationships with internal and external auditors, and monitored the overall audit process to ensure audit findings were adequately remediated- Attracted and developed a capable, motivated global Controlling organization
  • Bunge
    Europe And Asia Controller
    Bunge Mar 2015 - Jun 2019
    Chesterfield, Missouri, Us
    - Led all controlling and accounting activities for Bunge’s largest geographical region- Partnered with Commercial management to provide financial advice and tools to better facilitate their decision-making and analysis- Reviewed and critiqued business models and project applications to support major capital investments- Advised on capital structures (various debt and equity instruments, structures), FX hedging, and other treasury transactions- Translated regional targets received from head office into measurable objectives, then reviewed, evaluated and challenged business plans from local markets- Oversaw cross functional project teams to implement robust, scalable financial processes and related IT systems - Migrated decentralized, regional financial processes to more efficient, centralized shared service centers- Drove the roll-out of regional ERP systems (SAP)- Participated in the business planning and forecasting cycle, under a zero-based-budget process, and helped ensure financial projections are properly reported in line with global requirements.- Owned the region’s SOX-compliant internal control environment, and worked with IT to ensure business systems provided timely and accurate risk exposures, financial reports, and business analysis- Researched and developed technical memoranda on complex accounting issues (commodity/FX derivatives and hedging, pensions, business combinations, etc.), in accordance with US GAAP- Managed relationships with external auditors, internal auditors, actuaries, and other external consultants- Coached and developed a strong regional Controlling team (10 direct reports and over 100 total regional staff)
  • Bunge
    Director, Global Internal Audit
    Bunge Mar 2012 - Feb 2015
    Chesterfield, Missouri, Us
    - Directed planning, execution, and reporting activities across a range of financial, operational and compliance projects, unlocking significant improvement opportunities and increasing returns on capital- Designed data analytical techniques to unlock trends in key performance indicators and pricing patterns that improved results and better safeguarded assets- Conducted post-merger/acquisition reviews to capture synergies and elevate acquiree performance- Directed enterprise-wide risk assessment processes and developed resulting annual audit plans- Managed relationships between Internal Audit, Executive Management, Risk Committee, Legal, and other key personnel, as well as with external auditors and third-party accounting/tax service providers- Prepared and delivered Audit Committee communications and other executive presentations- Developed the department’s global budget, performance metrics, and associated monitoring processes - Developed audit methodologies in compliance with Standards issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)- Led a self-assessment of Internal Audit’s compliance with IIA Standards, with independent validation by the IIA, resulting in the company’s first ever IIA accreditation- Completed Bunge’s Leadership Development Program, a one-year executive education program developed with Washington University, St. Louis, for select Bunge leaders
  • Bunge Chevron Ag Renewables
    Board Member
    Bunge Chevron Ag Renewables May 2022 - Present
  • Merit Functional Foods
    Board Member
    Merit Functional Foods Nov 2020 - Jan 2023
  • Ey
    Manager, Assurance Services
    Ey Oct 2008 - Mar 2012
    London, Gb
    - Managed all aspects of financial statement audits for Canadian, US and European listed companies- Audited periodic SEC filings, including forms 10-K, 10-Q and 20-F (and their Canadian equivalents), as well as prospectuses and other offering documents associated with capital market transactions, including IPOs- Audited financial models supporting multibillion dollar capital investments and M&A transactions- Developed and delivered presentations to company executives at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and other forums on industry “hot topics”- Presented audit and consulting engagement conclusions and recommendations to client audit committees and executives- Assisted corporations in deploying customized ERP systems (SAP) across multiple geographies, currencies and regulatory frameworks- Twice selected as one of fifty out of several thousand US managers to share leadership insights with over 2,000 summer interns, as a director of EY’s annual International Intern Leadership Conference- Led campus recruiting activities at the largest university in Canada- Managed, counseled and mentored teams of up to twelve staff
  • Ey
    Senior Staff Accountant
    Ey Jul 2006 - Sep 2008
    London, Gb
  • Arnold Hill & Co Llp
    Trainee Accountant/Auditor
    Arnold Hill & Co Llp Jul 2003 - Jul 2006
    London, Gb
    - Performed focused financial statement analysis and evaluated earnings quality for a range of entrepreneurial public and private entities on behalf of individual and corporate investors - Executed financial and tax due diligence procedures on behalf of clients undertaking mergers, acquisitions and other business combinations- Managed and maintained the personal accounts of high net worth individuals with billions of dollars in net assets- Prepared financial statements for issue to shareholders under UK GAAP from underlying books of record- Performed detailed UK corporation tax computations and developed corresponding tax note disclosures- Assisted clients with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) inspections- Conducted “client money” audits of law firms and surveyors under rules issued by the UK Law Society and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), respectively

Richard James Education Details

  • Columbia Business School
    Columbia Business School
    General
  • Royal Holloway, University Of London
    Royal Holloway, University Of London
    Biology

Frequently Asked Questions about Richard James

What company does Richard James work for?

Richard James works for Bunge

What is Richard James's role at the current company?

Richard James's current role is Vice President, Finance Integration and Transformation.

What schools did Richard James attend?

Richard James attended Columbia Business School, Royal Holloway, University Of London.

Who are Richard James's colleagues?

Richard James's colleagues are Ewerton Nascimento, Willdenes Sousa, Muthukrishnan B, Marcilde Bunge, Sergio A., Ítalo Samuel Saraiva, Renato Moraes Rodrigues.

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