Steven Wahls Email and Phone Number

• General Accounting Center of Excellence (COE) leader.• Leading six direct reports and 20+ indirect team members located in Lake Forest, IL, Dublin, OH and Panama City, Panama.• Building out and implementing the North American operating model for general accounting, including the standardization of processes, reporting and internal controls.• Creating global policies for general accounting processes to ensure consistent and adequate compliance with US GAAP requirements. • Expanding, revamping all general accounting activities, including reporting and closing requirements and further automation of general accounting activities. • Ensuring accurate, timely and verifiable financial results. • Serving as main point of contact for advisory support for all Finance and Business teams across Grainger (global) and liaison with external auditors.

• Established and led the Shared Controllership Services function in Panama. • Led a team of seven direct managers and 30+ indirect team members.• Reported directly to Corporate Controller in Lake Forest, IL.• Responsible for the full accounting cycle for four of Grainger's LATAM business units ($70M annual revenue). • Oversaw the accounting and financial reporting and analysis for Grainger's Shared Services center in Panama (+620 employees, $23M annual opex). • Managed all aspects of the capital assets accounting for Grainger US and 20+ affiliates (>$1 billion of assets).• Responsible for 200+ cash and other balance sheet accounts for Grainger US (+$100M of cash & investments, +$1.7B of debt, AR & credit card clearing, various AP & payroll related liabilities).• Was the Finance/accounting leader on a project team to integrate Safety Solutions, a $50M business acquired in 2013, into Grainger US. • Transitioned the US sales tax reporting function from Grainger's corporate office to the Shared Controllership team in Panama.• Key liaison with internal and external auditors for consolidated financial statement and SOX audits; Control owner for 12+ SOX controls.

• Sponsored by Senior Leaders to perform an expat assignment in Panama.• Centralized accounting for Grainger's Latin American entities so that processes and controls are standardized and efficient.• Led a team of 13 individuals, including selection/hiring, objective setting, performance management, coaching/development, training and succession planning.• Managed the entire accounting cycle for Grainger's Latin American businesses (Puerto Rico, Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Peru & Panama Services).• Successfully transitioned the US capital assets (>$1 billion) and cash accounting (>175 accounts) functions from Lake Forest to Panama; ensure journal entries, account reconciliations, financial analysis and reporting and auditor requests are completed in a timely and accurate manner. • Performed financial statement analysis monthly to ensure balance sheet and income statement accounts are substantiated. Participated in monthly ops reviews with senior management and pro-actively investigate and explain unusual items and variances to forecast and prior year.• Facilitated internal and external auditors with the US financial statement audit and Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) assessment. Ensured SOX controls associated with US capital assets and cash accounting processes are designed and operating effectively.• Prepared financial statements and footnotes for all LATAM entities and facilitate annual financial statement audits performed by third party audit firms.• Evaluated continuous improvement opportunities and implement initiatives as needed to streamline and enhance processes and reduce costs.• For all LATAM entities, partnered with third party firms to complete monthly payroll processing, annual transfer pricing studies and annual income tax returns.• Supported the preparation of annual plan, forecasts and cost saving initiatives working closely with FP&A. Communicated budgetary opportunities, risks and unexpected/unplanned transactions in a timely manner.

• Selected by senior leaders at Grainger to perform a one year on-site assignment at E&R Industrial's corporate headquarters to lead the accounting integration of the newly acquired $200M business • Helped E&R to improve their operating margins, operating cost structure and profitability by leveraging Grainger’s scale, purchasing power and systems• Streamlined E&R’s close process from ten to three days to comply with Grainger’s reporting requirements; Mapped E&R's trial balance to Grainger's GL and developed an effective and efficient process to upload E&R’s monthly trial balance to Grainger's SAP system and then reconcile E&R’s local general ledger to SAP• Examined E&R’s financial policies and procedures and implemented changes as needed to align them to Grainger and GAAP• Reviewed the control structure over the financial close and reporting process and implemented internal controls to mitigate the gaps identified• Provided accounting analysis and support for the business and communicated/explained unusual and unexpected financial results to corporate in a timely manner • Performed EBITDA and net working capital validation for the M&A team to ensure the final E&R purchase price was substantiated; Completed the purchase price allocation so that the purchase price was accurately allocated to the various assets and liabilities acquired from the transaction • Facilitated E&R’s successful capital assets and payroll/T&E transition to SAP, leveraging the company’s scale and system capabilities to lower payroll processing costs • Developed and documented sustainable processes and provided cross training to E&R staff to ensure a seamless transition when my assignment was complete

• Managed the accounting for the Support Services business unit, including all aspects of the monthly close process, to ensure all necessary entries were recorded and account balances were properly reconciled and supported• Presented monthly operating results to senior management, including CFO and Controller; Analyzed and explained variances between actual results and forecasts/prior periods• Led and managed a diverse and multi-generational team of two supervisors and four associates, including selection/hiring, objective setting, performance management, coaching/development and training; Increased department morale and productivity as evidenced by engagement surveys• Supported the development of the annual plan preparation and interim forecasts prepared by FP&A• Worked with internal and external auditors during financial statement audits and Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) validation to ensure full cooperation from accounting staff and compliance with all qualified requests• Researched technical accounting guidance and accurately assessed the accounting and reporting implications for new derivative contracts; Provided findings and accounting support to Treasurer and European and Latin American business partners• Provided accurate and timely accounting for Grainger Management, LLC and supported our Tax department with necessary reporting; Partnered with systems to automate the billing for this new service organization, resulting in better efficiency and lower risk of manual errors• Maintained strong relationships with business partners in FP&A, Finance, Grainger US Accounting, Payroll, Tax, HR, Treasury, Risk Management, Internal Audit, Customer Service and Legal• Provided accounting support and guidance to the new Shared Services organization in Panama; Presented monthly operating results to management, including variances between actual and forecast; Prepared financial statements and relevant footnotes and facilitated successful annual statutory audit

• Directly supervised four staff members and up to eight individuals indirectly via various projects• Managed internal control audits to determine whether risks were appropriately mitigated by internal controls that were designed and operating effectively, including work in the U.S., Mexico, Panama and Canada• Partnered with multiple areas of the business to perform a branch risk assessment and directly managed the U.S. branch (approximately 400 locations) audit function• Assisted external auditors with financial statement audit and Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) validation • Performed a top-down scoping analysis to determine the business units, financial statement accounts, processes and controls to be in-scope for SOX• Performed cost/benefit analyses to determine whether losses could be eliminated through the implementation of new services/controls• Assisted in the preparation and review of the audit committee package presented at quarterly meetings• Completed balance sheet reviews which included analytics to detect potential financial statement misstatements• Managed special investigations and projects as requested by Legal, Human Resources and Senior Management• Managed relationships with internal and external partners and service providers• Presented audit findings and action plans to management• Completed due diligence and post-acquisition reviews for acquisitions• Completed quarterly and annual performance reviews including recommendations for improvement and establishing annual goals and development plans for all team members

• Planned and executed financial statement audits of private and publicly held companies to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements were free of material misstatement• Performed Sarbanes-Oxley testing on publicly held clients to assess the effectiveness of the internal control structure and procedures over financial reporting• Identified performance improvement areas and presented clients with financial and operational recommendations• Performed analytical reviews of companies to identify unusual account fluctuations and potential audit risk areas• Strengthened leadership skills through participation in firm training, serving as a mentor to new hires and interns and managing audit teams of one to five people• Developed strong client relationships and communicated effectively with client personnel and engagement team