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NICOLE J.

BLACH
2685 Canoe Circle Drive
Lake Orion, MI 48360
(248) 977-3676
nbfcb6ee@westpost.net

Corporate Finance professional with diversified experience in corporate accounti


ng, cash flow management, activity based costing, executive leadership support,
performance reporting and financial analysis. Extensive experience in cost impr
ovement and capital project costing, annual business plan development and multi-
million dollar budgeting. Effective communicator and problem solver. Strong PC
/spreadsheet skills, excellent multi-tasking, organizational aptitudes and prove
n ability to influence business partners. Directly involved with three corporate
acquisitions and divestures. Solid credentials: MBA honor graduate and certific
ation in Purchasing Management.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Ally Bank(GMAC)Detroit, MI May 2010 to Current
Senior Financial Analyst
Improved accuracy and efficiency of month end close
-Meet requirements of corporate financial close timeline as they relate to the T
SS/Infrastructure group.
-Enhanced the processes and procedures for the monthly infrastructure operations
accruals that are necessary monthly.
-Created detailed line item forecasting models that will enable clients to more
accurately anticipate the timing of expenses and more accurately reflect the ong
oing accruals that are required for Infrastructure
-Identify prepaid expenses and set up amortization schedules
-Provide guidance on consistent use of accounting policies where applicable
-Drove sustained cost reduction efforts
-Managed GTO cost reduction efforts as they relate to outsourcing initiatives. S
pecifically tracking and reporting efforts to execute against 2010 expense redu
ction initiatives
-Provided oversight to team and final review and validation of achieved savings
that will ultimately be reported to senior management.

Pfizer, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan October 1997 to Current


Finance Manager (May 2006 Current)
Manage day-to-day accounting activities for all regions (America, Europe, Asia)
Corporate IT Division, Global Security & Messaging - Financial Planning & Report
ing with a 2009 operating plan of $76.6M.
Educate and train internal clients on Hyperion Pillar/COGNOS/Business Objects to
ols, corporate accounting policies including accrual accounting, signature level
authorizations, transformation/acquisition coding, purchasing guidelines, capit
al thresholds and classifications, vendor contract management and contingent wor
kforce guidelines.
Identify, interpret, and analyze potential accounting risks on department overhe
ad expense accounts by auditing spend activity, accrual reporting and tax alloca
tions for regional/global services.
Prepare annual operating and capital budget and mid year forecast using a zero b
ased budgeting approach working with clients to back into top down targets.
Execute the month-end and general ledger book close process. Review monthly fina
ncial results, perform monthly closing activities (journal entries, management r
eporting preparation) using Hyperion Pillar, HFM/COGNOS/Business Objects/Computr
on applications.
Process Intercompany transfer request, determine appropriate accounting strings
and routing internal assessments to other divisions.
Reconcile Intercompany balance sheet accounts, set up prepaid expense amortizati
ons and track reoccurring activity.
Audit spending activity and capital depreciation scheduling to ensure GAAP/Sarba
nes Oxley compliancy.
Manage the preparation on monthly/quarterly/yearly internal financial statements
. Build custom reporting packages and present data to executive leadership team
on a consistent basis.
Coordinate with other departments and/or divisions on budget transfers, reclassi
ng of expenses and internal chargebacks of usage costs.
Review fixed asset management system. Identify capital construction in progress
projects and determine depreciation amortizations. Cleanse fixed asset registe
rs on a quarterly basis and identify write downs, disposals or asset impairments
..
Provide internal financial analysis, consultation and decision support to Corpor
ate IT leadership team.
Perform business case/financial analysis in support of major restructuring progr
ams with challenging savings targets. Determine NPV, IRR, ROI and payback with
cost of capital analysis on large investments.
Identify, interpret, and analyze potential accounting risks and issues on cost a
voidance operational theories.
Build and present business cases and advise senior leadership on capital project
s with financial risks and benefits. This involves a high level of independent
judgment, decision-making, accuracy, and initiative.
Investigate invoice delays by reviewing PUM (purchase orders unmatched) reportin
g and confirming goods/services received with internal clients. Coordinate with
Accounts Payable team on outstanding invoices and payment authorization.
Develop new methods of analysis, select methods of data presentation, such as ch
arting, diagrams, etc. Present process improvement ideas and develop standard op
erating procedures for finance management team across all regions.
Senior Financial Analyst (May 2005 May 2006)
Financial lead in building multi million $ business cases/executive summaries an
d other financial analysis for data center (server) management in support of maj
or projects with a savings target of $50.1M.
Performed the financial planning & reporting in support of over $200M of data ce
nter programs & projects. Determined NPV, IRR, ROI and payback with cost of capi
tal analysis on large investments.
Optimized business plans to improve business results by respectively challenging
IT managers on need vs. want spending habits.
Coordinated vendor management activities on government related contracts involvi
ng highly confidential data mining.
Prepared various reports included project financial status, earned value, risks
and opportunities, and program profitability
Work involved a high level of independent judgment, decision-making, accuracy, c
reativity, and initiative.
Delegated work to contracted staff managing project scopes and expectations.
Cost Accountant (May 2003 May 2005)
Led the collection of volume-metric data collection, cleansing & reporting in s
upport of the Corporate IT Activity Based Costing annual budgeting and quarterly
update processes.
Global Systems Administrator for the Activity Based Costing software tool suite
(Prodacapo). Trained team members on the tool, managed user accounts and built
a customized structure/reporting structure for clients.
Managed a technical staff with system administration roles. This team develope
d control processes and managed user accounts.
Provided recommendations to senior leadership on gap analysis studies and data
extract solutions.
Developed reports, analyzed data and reported on results for Corporate IT & cust
omer specific IT usage activity. Assisted a DBA and CITRIX management team on w
eb server issues.
Played a key role in driving an increase in efficiency & effectiveness in the Co
rporate IT Activity Based Costing process by providing transparencies in overhea
d allocations to internal clients.
Financial Analyst (Sept 1999 May 2003)
Performed financial planning & reporting activities for the Corporate IT Ann Arb
or site supporting 5 functional areas with a total annual budget of $18M.
Performed general accounting support for the Corporate IT Ann Arbor site.
Led site software licensing efforts and assisted procurement in vendor negotiati
ons.
Participated in the financial systems integration project to development, test a
nd implement Computron (GL, Fixed Asset) and Ariba (E-Procurement application).
Administered the financial aspects of the site PC lease program, including perfo
rming a successful tax audit with a recovery of $450K in R&D credits.
Technical Procurement Administrator (Nov 1997-Sep 1999)
Managed the product research of all non-standard hardware and software purchases
.
Led the negotiations with suppliers in software licensing terms and cost analysi
s.
Assisted the facilities management team on data center infrastructure.
Investigated warranty and service contracts on both hardware and software assets
.
Assisted in the budget & forecast of hardware (capital) and software.
EDUCATION
MBA - Cleary University, Ann Arbor July 2006 to April 2008
BA Business/Finance - Concordia University, Ann Arbor Sept 2002 to June 2004
Purchasing Management Certification - The University of California, San Diego S
ept 1998 to June 1999
Oakland University Auburn Hills, MI - Sept 1995 to June 1997
Treasurer Hampton Ridge Condo Association, 257 Units
Attended advanced classes at various training centers for Computron (AXS One), S
AP, ERP, Oracle, Hyperion, Business Objects, COGNOS, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and
MS Access.

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