Ruth Ahern Email & Phone Number

Brisbane, Qld, Au

Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory Of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hong Kong

•Global management of contracts including negotiation, approval, execution, legal review & administration•Collaborating with all parts of the business & management & executive level•Customer & vendor contract evaluation, prequalification & ongoing change management•Global claims leadership including complex, strategic & legal matters & insurance claims•Capex business case & investment evaluations for new warehouses & bonded facilities•Enabling profitable new & strategic business growth with enhanced financial acumen & due diligence•Dispute negotiation & resolution including legal proceedings & commercial settlements

At Toll Global Forwarding I am responsible for the negotiation and execution of all customer and vendor contracts, assessing and mitigating risks, whilst working to grow profitable business with our customers.• Contract negotiation and execution high value strategic customers• Risk analysis and mitigation of all high risk terms• International freight conventions and carriage documents• Dispute resolution, mediation, claims management and settlement• Subcontractor pre-qualification and agreement management• Non-disclosure agreements• Contract extensions and variations• Business review/ deep dive analysis• Working with internal, external and customer lawyers globally• Capital expenditure approvals • Negotiation and approval of property and equipment leases for execution• Claims mitigation and resolution

Managing Toll Customised Solutions' largest Parts customer I was responsible for the delivery of operational excellence and meeting our customer’s evolving requirements. This national business operation covered national commercials and operations from warehousing (3 DCs) to multi-modal time critical and time certain transportation requirements. With a focus on continuous improvement I worked collaboratively to develop strategic customer relationships and supply chain optimisation, supported by customised performance KPIs. Commercially the task involved P&L responsibility, contract negotiation and ongoing change management.

Melbourne

In this role I was responsible for developing and deploying best practice commercial, legal and financial standards for quoting, winning, budgeting, financial reporting and operating profitable businesses. Key functions included business strategy, growth and performance delivery whilst minimising risk exposure of new contracted work. Through the commercial/legal management of all new/existing business opportunities I managed the negotiation and ongoing contract and lease management requirements in line with corporate governance and corporate hurdle thresh-holds. Financial management included budgeting, reporting(e.g. DSOs, variance, cost analysis/deep dives), forecasting , balance sheet reviews, accounts payable/receivable, vendor/creditor management, capex, cost modelling and bid approvals.

As National Customer and Asia Support Manager I worked to maintain and grow all existing customer accounts leading Account Managers and supporting the Asian management and business development teams.• Developing new and existing strategic customer relationships• Contract negotiations and execution• Monitoring the commercial performance of contracts in line with agreed scope• Managing annual economic reviews and budget preparation for existing contracts• Recruitment, training and performance management of staff

Laverton North, Melbourne

Through leadership of the Business Development Team I was responsible for business growth. Influencing and formulating the strategy and structure to move away from servicing traditional automotive customers into associated industries was an integral part of my role.• Developing existing and new customer opportunities for new business growth• Implementing a sales strategy to move the busines away from its traditional automotive OE customers to be a provider of parts logistics for a diverse range of suppliers for the mining, agricultural, industrial, rail and infrastructure sectors.• Provision of quality proposals with ongoing pricing and costing integrity• People development, leadership and succession planning• New business budget preparation based on pipeline/forecasting

Laverton North, Melbourne

My purpose in this role was to grow the business safely and profitably and to lead my team to consistently meet the tight deadlines associated with new business development.• Managing and developing the business development processes, initiating and completing all steps required to win and retain profitable business.• Meeting customer requests for solutions within the constraints given • Tender management and preparation including full engineering of complex warehousing, sequencing and transport solutions, cost modelling, proposal and presentation development and submission to customers

Archerfield, Brisbane

In this role I managed key projects aimed at enhancing Toll’s single integrated solution or “One Toll” offering for our customers. • Designing and implementing processes for the management of group wide opportunities • Strategic tender and proposal submissions• Account management• Solution design, proposal preparation and presentation• Compliance, corporate governance, costing analysis and rate comparison• Customer negotiations• Commercial/legal management for all tenders and contract negotiation post award

Brisbane

Working with the National Sales and Marketing Manager I focused on data analysis, sales reporting and cost modelling. • Market research• Sales reporting and analysis• Customer tracking and database management• weekly spend reports for major customers• Pricing changes and up-rate schedule maintenance

Science, Biotechnology

Activities and Societies: AIESEC

Company Directors Course

Australian Business Law Fundamentals

Managing Contract Claims, Variations And Disputes Masterclass

Supply Chain And Logistics Management Executive Development Program

Master Of Laws - Llm

Masters in Applied Law (Commercial major)

Master Of Laws - Llm, Commercial Law