Robert Ball Email & Phone Number

Arvada, Co, Us

Leveraged expert knowledge while offering project and program execution consulting services, encompassing EPMO, PMO, and M&A support, delivering measurable results. Identified business challenges, navigated complex organizational change management processes, and implemented strategic initiatives to meet short- and long-term objectives.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us

Collaborated with business stakeholders to assess objectives, resource demands, and project purposes, enabling streamlined processes and optimized resource management to attain desired results. Consolidated global projects into a single portfolio, providing enhanced visibility and enabling improved demand management for significant business development.

Wayzata, Minnesota, Us

Headed a team of seven Direct Reports, including the Director of Defect Management, Director for Test Automation, Director of Test Execution, Director for Data Strategy, and Environment Manager. Led negotiations and discussions with SAP/HP, Accenture, and Cargill leadership to determine QA requirements, resulting in successful partnerships and alignment while overseeing all aspects of coaching, mentoring, blocking/ tackling, standard budgeting, and hiring.Highlights of accomplishments in this role include:• Led the execution of quality assurance for a multi-phase, global SAP Deployment, with a department budget of $70M and a team of 300 individuals across the globe.• Contributed to a successful $24M software purchase through exceptional negotiation skills, resulting in substantial cost savings and securing a quality assurance tool solution for all of Cargill. Successfully negotiated software licensing terms, eliminating annual fees of $2M and allowing for broader utilization of the software within the organization.• Spearheaded efforts to optimize system quality, reducing the cost of quality by up to 15% while improving quality results by up to 20% for each successive deployment cycle.• Reduced the rate of defects per test cycle by 30% and deployment costs by 5% through the coordination of innovative testing strategies and processes according to the scale of the project, attaining a 25% of cost reduction for system maintenance due to an applied strategic approach.• Oversaw the development and management of over 4K automated testing assets and 9K unique manual testing assets, along with associated data and environments.

Wayzata, Minnesota, Us

Appointed to establish a data standardization organization within the IT department, aiming at creating a global data model for 72 business units. Led and coached a team of three direct reports, including the Director of Enterprise Architecture, Director of Process Improvement, and Senior Manager – Data Strategy, leveraging leadership skills to drive change and implement transformational initiatives.Highlights of accomplishments in this role include:• Developed and executed a global data model, expediting the ERP selection process and reducing the proposed time by 20% due to the availability of baseline information compared to the typical selection timeline.• Directed the global Data Operations Team for Food Ingredients and Systems IT, providing strategic guidance and driving the effective management, ownership, and valuation of data across 23 business units.• Pioneered the establishment of the "Data Owner" role, performing in tandem with existing Process and Application Owner positions, assuring seamless continuity and alignment within the data environment.

Wayzata, Minnesota, Us

Utilized established corporate entities to incorporate an innovative review process for "Mega" projects, ensuring consistent monitoring of progress, conducting continuation assessments, and generating precise investment projections. Implemented process and data standards to create an executable toolset that was adopted universally for ALL project types (IT, NPD, Construction, and Business Process) across all 72 business units.Highlights of accomplishments in this role include:• Administered the information technology, construction, and new product development project portfolios, ensuring seamless coordination and visibility at all corporate levels, resulting in the standardization of over 10K potential annual project investments.• Increased operational efficiency by up to 15% by providing executive support and spearheading a comprehensive development initiative, equipping over 5K employees across 32 countries on 4 continents with standardized knowledge and skills to enhance project management capabilities.• Revamped portfolio management approach, transforming lengthy decision timelines from months to days, accelerating revenue recognition by up to 10%, and streamlining informed decision-making.• Demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in orchestrating collaboration and alignment within one of the largest private organizations worldwide, driving organizational change at a scale of 140K individuals.

Wayzata, Minnesota, Us

Leader in the global shared services Information Technology teamStreamlined the flow of operations within three months by revitalizing the largest Business Unit, Food Ingredients, and Systems through the identification and resolution of core operational issues. Consolidated the portfolio to ensure efficient execution, instilling confidence in the business regarding project delivery capabilities.Highlights of accomplishments in this role include:• Onboarded and nurtured exceptional talent within the organization, mentoring high-performing individuals, including a CEO of a thriving 45-person global consulting company and multiple Sr. Managers, Directors, and Vice Presidents.• Improved resource focus and project success ratios through ideal resource allocation, reducing concurrent project load from over 200 active projects to 65 projects.• Enabled role alignment for Project Managers and Business Analysts by optimizing the utilization of resources and reducing the number of acting Project Managers from 85 to 29 through the employment of a key Project Manager Program and focused business analyst effort. • Introduced a robust "financial portfolio management" process, facilitating decision-makers with a clear, fact-based, and logical view of risk and potential returns for all strategic efforts.• Offered consultation and guidance to key organizations within Cargill, promoting the adoption of essential PMO processes and procedures for significant business advancement which led to the initiation of the successful Global Portfolio and Project Management effort.

Eden Prairie, Mn, Us

Member of the IT executive team with responsibilities for the development, implementation and execution of IT Portfolio Management with P&L responsibilities as well as overall IT budget management in conjunction with the IT Program Office. Also responsible for corporate and IT Governance aligned with Sarbanes-Oxley 404 compliance.

Irving, Texas, Us

Director of Strategic IT Initiatives (Direct report to the CIO) Member of the global information technology leadership team responsible for the design and development of companywide IT initiatives and processes integrated with overall corporate strategy. Chief of Staff – Shared Services (Direct report to the CEO) Member of the global shared services leadership team directly responsible for the development of strategic initiatives with respect to the current and future direction of the shared services organization. Results of the effort were a 25% reduction in global administrative costs during the first year and projected 5% improvement annually.SAP Implementation – Project Manager Procure to Pay (MM Admin FOCUS)Managed execution and process development for the global SAP R/3 materials management development and deployment team. Project Manager and Research ManagerDirected and managed engineering project teams and managers at sites nationwide and abroad

Bachelor Of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Mba, Finance And Strategy