Susan E. Topel-Samek Email & Phone Number

Penfield, New York

I sold my first house in 1984 and have had my real estate broker license ever since. After many years of doing other things, I’ve decided it’s time to do what I love. And what I have always loved is helping people buy and sell homes.

Rochester, Ny

Rochester, New York

Recruited to assist CEO with establishing infrastructure to enable significant growth. Established financial and administrative infrastructure required to prepare the company for major new growth opportunities. This included:• Recruiting and hiring to increase skill at senior levels, including: COO, CIO, VP Operations & Supply Chain, Controller, VP Sales, VP Intellectual Property.• Negotiating technology partnership agreements with major defense contractors.• Restructuring debt on terms favorable to owners; improved bank relationships, fostering improved understanding of company and trust in its owners and management team.• Developing and implementing a disciplined annual financial planning process.• Conducting RFP process to identify and select new independent audit firm.• Conducting RFP process to identify and select new ERP system, implemented July 1, 2013.• Assessing and restructuring employee benefits programs, resulting in improved benefits at no increase in cost.• Developing and implementing a human resources function, records retention policy and formal contract review process as components of overall risk management strategy.

Hired to bring professional, public-company financial disciplines, risk management, and accounting and finance infrastructure to a company outgrowing its systems and processes. Key accomplishments include:• Co-lead acquisition and integration of two companies, representing two new product lines, in NY and CA.• Reorganized finance and accounting function to focus on decision support by manufacturing location.• Upgraded skill level in finance group consistent with public company reporting and increasingly complex management reporting requirements.• Developed and implemented a disciplined annual financial planning process.• Assessed and restructured employee benefits programs, resulting in improved benefits at lower cost.• Instituted a formal customer contract review process as first step toward developing a corporate procurement function.

Rochester, New York Area

Responsible for establishing and implementing global treasury strategy and policy for the parent corporation and 70 subsidiaries, in 35 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia:In the midst of a crisis precipitated, initially, by the requirement in 2005-2006 that the company restate five years of financials and subsequently exacerbated by a significant product recall in 2006, I was asked to manage the negotiations with the company’s insurers, who had declined payment on all product liability claims. I was instrumental in reaching a settlement favorable to the company by systematically working through reams of data and myriad issues to establish the company’s credibility and counter the insurer’s objections.During the same period, with no prior tax experience, I reorganized a failing tax department and co-led the team to successfully restate eight years of tax accounts.Other responsibilities and accomplishments as treasurer included:• One of eight senior executives who participated in early due diligence work with private equity firm considering acquisition of BOL. • Worked with acquirer and banks to successfully issue $3 billion of debt in the difficult high-yield debt market conditions prevailing in October 2007.• Following the October 2007 acquisition by Warburg-Pincus, managed the transition from a cash-rich public company to a highly-leveraged private company.• During the 18-month delay before the company issued restated financial statements, managed the relationship with the lending bank group, achieving, among other things, the negotiation of multiple waivers of covenants in the company’s credit facility and London term loan.

Responsible for global oversight of all corporate treasury operations, including cash management, foreign currency exposure management, and capital market operations for $2 billion eye healthcare company operating in 33 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia.• Achieved upgrade in all three of S&P, Moody’s and Fitch credit ratings from high yield to investment grade. This was accomplished by initiating a program of consistent, proactive communication with all three rating agencies, who had previously downgraded B&L from it’s once A-rating level.• Reorganized and upgraded skills in corporate treasury organization.• Negotiated a five-year $250MM revolving credit agreement with a syndicate of eight banks in 2003; renegotiated that agreement in 2005, increasing the facility to $400MM and eliminating the Material Adverse Change clause.• Developed and implemented a plan to repatriate $1 billion of foreign earnings under the American Jobs Creation Act of 2002, which necessitated negotiation of a $50MM term loan in Japan and a $375MM term loan in London. Both facilities were issued at investment grade terms and rates in spite of a then “split” credit rating (i.e. one rating agency investment grade and one high-yield).• Managed three separate public debt issuances to retire $480MM of debt maturing during the period 2003-2005. New debt was issued as $150MM of 5-year bonds in 2002, $50MM of 5-year bonds in 2003, and $160MM of 20-year convertible bonds in 2003.• Successfully implemented Sarbanes-Oxley compliance program in global treasury organization with no control deficiencies or weaknesses from the 2003 implementation forward.

Rochester, New York Area

Appointed by the Chief Financial Officer to oversee restructuring actions around the world, developed and implemented a system of reporting which successfully managed accountability for 800 separate actions in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Delivered results within parameters established by the Board of Directors and ensured compliance with applicable governmental regulations.

Rochester, New York Area

Global responsibility for corporate real estate, employee relocation, risk management and insurance, environment, health & safety, and industrial hygiene functions. Managed diverse staff of sixteen professionals, leading a centralized corporate staff function in a decentralized operating environment. Accomplishments included:• Restructured the corporate insurance risk management organization to achieve $7 million annual cost reduction through the following actions: Negotiated 28% reduction in premium expense while maintaining or improving coverage. Negotiated a multi-carrier settlement of all workers’ compensation, general liability, and product liability exposure for the years 1979-98. Rationalized the process for budgeting and reserving workers’ compensation and general liability expense, eliminating significant redundancy of effort, which resulted in reducing expenses from $7 million to $2 million per annum. Significantly reduced annual insurance brokerage expenses by reducing the number of brokers from seven to one and negotiating a combined fixed/incentive fee schedule. • Negotiated a global waste disposal contract with a sole-source vendor in exchange for significant price concessions and an enforceable indemnification for the benefit of B&L against any future liability associated with disposal of B&L waste. • While developing my successor in corporate real estate, expanded the reach of that function without increasing costs by negotiating a sole-source, worldwide brokerage and outsourcing agreement that encompassed local support for B&L operating units beyond the scope of a traditional brokerage relationship. To ensure consistency and quality of service, drafted detailed transaction guidance for the outsource vendor for dissemination to all its representatives working with B&L.

Rochester, New York Area

Other positions and B&L:Director, Corporate Real Estate and Relocation (1991-96)Manager, Corporate Real Estate and Relocation (1986-91)Manager, Corporate Real Estate (1984)Real Estate Specialist (1981)Real Estate Representative (1978)

Mba, Finance

Activities and Societies: Beta Gamma Sigma

Bs, Business Management