Promoted to newly created strategic leadership role – and Executive Leadership Team membership – responsible for corporate FP&A, global Commercial Finance and Supply Chain Finance. Also served on corporate Real Estate Committee. Served as interim CFO for three months while CFO was on leave.•Led business and financial case development to win board approval for $50 million investment in start-up manufacturing operation in the Czech Republic. Also responsible for key planning and execution role.•Played key role, partnering with Wholesale leaders, in major new partnership with and sub-brand development for Walmart, CVS and other food-drug-mass channel partners.•With Newell Rubbermaid’s 2016 acquisition of Yankee Candle parent Jarden Corp., led accelerated integration of sales and planning systems and cycles

Promoted to newly created strategic leadership role – and Executive Leadership Team membership – responsible for corporate FP&A, global Commercial Finance and Supply Chain Finance. Also served on corporate Real Estate Committee. Served as interim CFO for three months while CFO was on leave.•Led business and financial case development to win board approval for $50+ million investment in start-up manufacturing operation in the Czech Republic. Also responsible for key planning and execution role.•Played key role, partnering with Wholesale leaders, in major new partnership with and sub-brand development for Walmart, CVS and other food-drug-mass channel partners.•With Newell Rubbermaid’s 2016 acquisition of Yankee Candle parent Jarden Corp., led accelerated integration of sales and planning systems and cycles

Tapped by CEO to bring more financial rigor and strategic decision-making to financial management of company’s $500 million retail division (500 company-owned mall stores, 50 outlet stores, e-commerce and fundraising businesses), as well as the brand, innovation, merchandising and marketing departments. Oversaw financial managers for each channel and was key decision maker, division-wide, on all promotional and operating expenditures. Responsible for budgeting, accounting and financial reporting.•Partnered with marketing and operations leaders (in absence of president) on day-to-day division decision-making, which drove an 11% comparable store sales increase through innovative marketing and promotional initiatives. Over tenure in position, contributed to $65 million revenue increase.•Introduced a formal sales planning model, including more sophisticated financial forecasting, weekly gross margin analysis and reporting at the product and store level.•Reduced annual in-store graphics expense by $350,000 through cost-saving efficiencies.•Participated in management presentations to prospective company buyers, leading to successful $1.7 billion 2013 acquisition by consumer products goods holding company, Jarden Corporation.

As company moved to distribution channel-based divisional structure, took role as key business partner to president, and financial management leader, of $275 million Wholesale Division (20,000 locations across diverse retail partners including Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Kohl’s, Cracker Barrel and Hallmark). Operational responsibilities included customer/product planning, order management, customer service and systems.•Partnered with division president and sales, marketing leaders on distribution channel growth strategy designed to protect premium brand for existing retailers while expanding distribution beyond traditional channels. Worked through changes in retail partner mix – new distribution partners and Linen ‘N Things bankruptcy.•To support scale-up of business from small gift shop to major retailer market – including new partners Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl’s and Target – brought on new analysts, developed new collaborative forecasting with partners to maximize sales, minimize markdowns and boost customer service.•Implemented Salesforce.com across all channels, improving sales lead management productivity, customer relations management, workforce automation, and customized trade spend tracking. Also designed company’s first gross margin forecasting model to support channel and product class planning.•As Project manager, drove entrepreneurial initiative to ramp up Yankee Candle’s Canadian business from small distributor to owned store network, adding over $2 million of sales in first full year.

Lead finance partner to division President (future CEO) to model and negotiate company’s first acquisition, GBI Marketing, for $15 million, in the process creating Yankee’s $50+ million Fundraising business. Also partnered with executive leadership on Aroma Naturals and Illuminations acquisitions.

Partnered with CFO in S1 filing for Yankee Candle’s successful New York Stock Exchange IPO (July 1999), yielding $225 million. Led finance team in implementation of Lawson ERP and financial software platform.