DLC Consultant Spotlight

Rehan is an experienced finance professional with proven success across a wide variety of industries. His expertise includes executive advisory, M&A due diligence, P&L management, capital allocation, forecast modeling, strategic planning, financial modeling, corporate development, financial planning and analysis, and long-term business plan development.

Rehan will soon be available for new client engagements. Please reach out if Rehan can support any of your interim needs, projects, or initiatives.

Hands-on and supervisory controller experience over accounting, operational and billing clerks (A/R, A/P, Payroll) in food distribution and medical imaging industries. Supervisory experience included all aspects of determining whether to outsource certain responsibilities or project manage staff development in a decentralized environment of rapid acquisition integration and staffing changes.
Directed and participated in monthly, quarterly, and year-end closing process within multiple companies, assuring the accuracy of data and integrity of reporting in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
Prepared monthly and annual financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, statement of equity, and the majority of the footnote disclosures.
Prepared financial statements and reporting for all levels of operational and executive management. Reports include Variance Analysis, P/L Reporting & Analysis, EBIT Reporting, Treatment Growth & Revenue, Capital Budgeting & Forecasting, Feasibility & Valuation Models for new locations and proposed renovations, Sale & Leaseback Decisions, & ROIC Analysis.
Streamlined and redefined Month-End Expense Variance Analysis for Joint Venture Clinics, specifically considering unique growth characteristics and business dynamics, after several brainstorming discussions with Joint Venture Finance and Accounting Directors.
Created auditable financial statements (including balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows) from disorganized files of invoices, bank statements, contracts, and receipts for a development stage company.
Developed internal monthly reporting packages capturing a wide variety of financial performance metrics, ratios, and presentation styles adapted to the issues, people, and businesses involved.
Prepared and reviewed quarterly management presentations on behalf of the CEO and the Board of Directors.
Functioned as the principal liaison with external and internal auditors in various companies. Coordinated and supervised year-end audit schedule preparation and completion for a variety of organizations and entities.
Prepared weighted average basic and diluted EPS calculation in accordance with FAS 128.

Extensive experience building, improving and refining dozens of budgets, forecast, planning, analytical, valuation, and other types of financial models in various companies.
Familiar with various financial models and analytical tools including DCF, CAPM, NPV, IRR, growth model, 12 month rolling average, trend analysis, ratio analysis, sensitivity analysis and scenarios modeling.
Developed a five-year forecast model for a targeted acquisition. The model forecasted post-acquisition income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet (most notably layering assumptions for inventory and floor plan). It allowed for sensitivity analysis to changes in assumptions, and graphically displayed EBITDA and cash flow sensitivity to the changes. This was shared with external lenders as part of a business case for a completed acquisition.
Developed long range financial planning income statement model on two occasions for a $1B IT outsourcing contract. The project scope included adjustments for long term planned price and quantity changes, revenue structure changes, addenda business, inflation, cost efficiencies, cost structure changes, and for other economic and customer specific factors.
Built monthly, annual, and five-year forecast model for a $20B company. The output included forecasted financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and cash flows), and incorporated integration of historical monthly financial statements, sensitivity analysis to assumption changes on income statement and balance sheet and forecasting of covenant compliance with external lenders.
Post-COVID assessments for deployment of capital to accommodate shifts in consumer behavior such as curbside and e-commerce related functions.
Developed detailed COVID analysis to show the impact to the business before, during and after COVID. Included separation of temporary disruptions and permanent changes.
Developed a comprehensive Supply-Chain package for reporting, analyzing and forecasting inventory, freight, distribution, warehouse, building and overhead expense drivers at a food and foodservice distributor.

Over 10,000 hours of experience in all phases of cross-functional project management, including project scoping and initiation, planning, budgeting, executing, and signing off deliverables. Experience encompasses a diverse range of projects including process reengineering, software implementation, offshore outsourcing, integration of offices, and regulatory compliance efforts.
Defined project scope and gained buy-in from the top-level stakeholders; developed detailed project plans with trackable milestones, defined resource needs, documented key risks and the associated mitigation plans; and created communication plans.
Led cross functional teams to define business requirements and create appropriate business and system solutions. Managed teams of consultants, client staff and external resources in executing the project plan and kept the project team and stakeholders abreast of the project status, timeline, and risks.
Monitored project costs and ensured that total costs remained within established budgets; coordinated the request of additional funds as necessary due to changes in project scope/deliverables.
Prepared project closing activities, such as archiving files and documenting lessons learned.
Worked with IT department to design custom SAP queries to replace existing process of gathering and combining large datasets, which minimized risk of user errors and reduced monthly administrative work by 8 hours a month.
Managed project to design, test, and implement business specific SAGE PRO upgrades with a third-party developer as an alternative to upgrading the ERP software. Oversaw the project and worked with IT and Operations to determine appropriate tradeoffs between customizations and flexibility to adapt to changes in the business.
Improved month-end close procedures to reduce closing time from 15 days to 10 days in a highly decentralized post-acquisition accounting environment. Eliminated redundant processes, automated repetitive tasks, implemented a more efficient and accurate validation process for Operational Accounting, and worked with Director of Billing to develop refined processes to create a streamlined process for entering accruals proactively.

Participated in post-merger accounting integrations, including finding interim and permanent solutions to integrate financials from the acquired companies and ensure a smooth transition to the acquiring company’s internal financial reporting requirements.
Participated in pre-acquisition due diligence including review of P&Ls, several balance sheet accounts and interviewing personnel. This included strategic valuation analysis and internal intrinsic value creation, in addition to finding red flags or areas of concern, with follow-ups in regard to those concerns.
Developed, updated and referenced QofE/CIM presentation inputs and backup analysis for executives to explain drivers of the business in support of Sell-Side Due Diligence. Acted as an Intermediary for company and investment bankers and explained inputs/assumptions/formulas to Big 4 during due diligence along with data to backup assumptions.
Developed a Gross Margin and EBITDA bridge attribution analysis to show competitive strengths were driving profitability growth rather than market trends. Included analysis of volume, market factors, and internal strategic decisions
Evaluated feasibility of a strategic acquisition for purpose of accelerating the launch of a planned development to buildout a warehouse in a new, high growth market.
Authored internal marketing memorandum, assisted with the development of a roadshow presentation, and participated in the roadshow for a leveraged buyout of a $800M revenue multinational transportation company.
Project managed alongside Managing Directors, CFO, BMO Capital Markets, KPMG, and Deloitte on several due diligence sessions, modeling strategic growth strategies, analyzing, and attributing impacts of key management decisions regarding hiring decisions, new customer acquisition tactics, margin growth thru business segment expansion.
Enhanced long-term forecasting in support of sell-side due diligence. Performed quantitative assessments of executive leadership actions taken during COVID-19 inefficiencies to opportunistically increase long-term market share in transportation industry from temporary market slowdown and shutdowns, with a comparison and analysis of net new business resulting from lost business from prior year, new temporary revenue streams from supply chain disruptions, and sustained new revenue streams from strong customer relationships acquired and maintained in prior year and beyond.
Enhanced long-term forecasting in support of sell-side due diligence. Developed a multi-year EBITDA bridge attribution analysis to quantify in isolation the portion of increased profitability from strategic management decisions from the short-term systemic benefits from market-rate increases resulting from ability to temporarily take advantage of inflation pricing power due to COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions. Incorporated drivers into a ground-up forecast, which modeled quantitative and qualitative aspects of competitive positioning to grow organically, including seasonal trends, hiring decisions, sales performance management, sales rep retention and tenure, and new market opportunities.
Implemented and integrated new reporting packages at a consolidated level to capture economies to margins, with allocation to financial budgets among individual business segments in US, Canada and Mexico, and allocation of resources towards interests of strategic buyer for transportation company.
Successfully navigated sell-side due diligence in a project manager role on behalf of a private equity firm, by partnering as a liaison between BMO Capital Markets and executives at the target company which led to the successful closing of sale of the $100M revenue transportation company.
Performed valuation and due diligence for a private equity firm, achieving a $200M+ leveraged buyout and subsequent merger of two industrial companies, creating strategic value through synergies and economies of scale.
Led M&A team of Finance Managers and Analysts to determine $500M as our maximum bid to acquire a startup ecommerce and SaaS company, by modeling synergies against opportunity costs. Assessed the intrinsic value of accelerating existing organic growth plans in certain markets, competitive positioning in ecommerce, and a spin-off of competing services. Given that demand for the acquisition was very high and a competitive market, the project was very time sensitive and time management was critical.
Developed and presented to investors a business plan, including 3-statement financial proformas for a technology startup with no sales history. Negotiated and presented business plan on behalf of client to the strategic partner and secured $3M seed financing.
Assessed Goodwill Impairment for a $7B+ in revenue publicly traded S&P 500 energy company that had acquired over 8 companies in a short period of time.
Performed a comprehensive analysis on behalf a global securities law firm to negotiate a settlement against publicly traded company with over $6B in sales.
Consulted with CEO to develop financial projections for a privately held irrigation distributor to secure debt and equity financing.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch ($2.8T AUM multinational bank, OTC global markets division)
US Foods ($30B revenue publicly listed food and foodservice distributor)
ALDI Inc. ($20B+ revenue privately held US subsidiary of ALDI Süd, grocery and manufacturing)
Fresenius Medical Care ($21B publicly listed multinational healthcare services, medical devices and pharmaceuticals)
T-Mobile US ($20B+ revenue privately held telecommunications company, pre-IPO)
Traffix ($700M revenue privately held logistics)
HARIBO of America ($500M consumer packaged goods and confectionary company)
Loop Capital ($200M revenue investment bank, brokerage, and investment management firm. Clients included: Wind Point Partners, WEC Energy Group, Signet)
Charles Trading, Inc. ($100M revenue privately held food distributor, manufacturer, and logistics)
Molecular Imaging of Chicago, LLC ($50M revenue privately held molecular diagnostic and medical billing)
Irriland Corporation ($10M privately held irrigation distributor)
Gas2Go, Inc. (Venture capital, pre-revenue technology start-up)

Hands-on and supervisory experience preparing annual operating plans, budgets and forecasts for multiple companies, utilizing top-down, bottom-up, zero-based and incremental budgeting methods.
Supervised and coordinated the analytical work of two to five analysts for companies up to $20B in revenues.
Performed profit optimization roles in collaborative settings in two companies. Tasks performed included interfacing with corporate attorneys, pricing managers, contract negotiators, company executives, general managers, analysts, and a team of professionals to identify ways to reduce SG&A, increase revenue, and optimize operating results.
Presented financial measurements in formal settings in dozens of different situations. Prepared others to present financial information to various audiences, including in court settings and boardrooms.
Managed annual or semi-annual comprehensive budgeting and planning cycles in various environments and companies.
Developed and distributed specific quarterly cost and margin targets to appropriate management personnel, resulting in profitability improvement actions taken by management. Monitored and tracked the progress of cost removal initiatives. Observed and reported actual and projected variances to the target.
Rewrote budget processes as part of the annual budgeting cycle to accommodate significant organizational changes in the finance department.
Developed visual new reporting methods based on academic best practices to evaluate internal price and cost inflation trends by division and product line for actionable price setting decisions at Aldi, Inc.
Created an executive analysis to provide immediate information on high-level impacts to sales forecast expectations resulting from state-specific policy changes towards easing lockdown mandates as COVID-19 pandemic slowed.
Modeled scenarios of long-term market share expectations due to shifting consumer behavior trends in the aftermath of COVID-19, resulting in increasing capital allocations to accelerate ecommerce and curbside pickup expansion plans.
Developed a 10-year pro forma financial model and ROIC analysis for acquisitions at a multinational healthcare services, medical devices and pharmaceuticals
Performed discounted cash flows and comparable clinic analyses to identify potential acquisitions, new clinic construction, and divestiture opportunities, along with company owned real estate for sale and leaseback in the medical industry.
Consulted with Regional Vice Presidents to review P&L for business units and recommended ways to improve EBIT for a $20B+ healthcare company.
Led the development of comprehensive Analysis of monthly forecast planning and performance metrics.

Led team of managers and analysts to plan new business segments in the 3 fastest growing geographical markets in the US, expected to generate combined annual sales of $3.5B and total Capex over $1.5B.
Determined a path to EBIT profitability and set multi-year revenue targets, New Store counts, and capital budgets for $20B+ US segment of one of the largest global supply chain and retail grocers.
Developed 10-year P&L and Cash Flow Projections for each expansion by leading multi-departmental collaborations to incorporate strategic decisions in financial models for 300+ planned stores operating from 3 warehouses.
Consulted with VPs and Directors of business units and corporate teams including Real Estate, Legal, Tax, Risk, Buying, Accounting, and FP&A to develop and revise projections in Construction Costs, Sales, Gross Profit, Payroll, Transportation, Overhead and other key expenses at a grocery store chain.
Assessed opportunity costs in the short-term to allocating capital in new divisions which were not yet profitable.
Gained CEO and Shareholder approval for an alternative Cost of Capital structure for evaluating all capital projects, resulting in an increase of $80M EVA and an additional growth of 50 stores annually, encompassing all capital decisions for grocery store chain.
Incorporated special circumstances such as COVID-19-related impacts to expenses that could affect market share or extend path to profitability for new business units.
Performed large-scale feasibility studies such as Solar Panel Investment, Curbside Rollout, and Buy vs Lease decisions, delegating aspects of projects to analysts based on their individual skillsets and continuing to provide guidance.
Presented summary level PowerPoint decks and memos for Senior Leadership and advised on the risks and tradeoffs of alternative capital planning strategies.

Forecasted covenant compliance and quantified actions needed to achieve compliance (from a P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow perspective). Jointly coordinated forecasted inputs with the CFO and executive team and monitored alignment of the forecast model with a strategic turnaround plan.
Co-wrote new policies and procedures for all SG&A expenses. Initiated new processes to monitor.
Recommended a price increase of a key product (based on time-series margin analysis, inventory turns, and an analysis attempting to measure the price elasticity of demand). Total gross profit for this product increased by 15-20% on a sustainable basis through the operating cycle as a result of this recommendation.
Performed detailed review of compensation related metrics in response to a significant decline in revenue. Presented recommendations, most of which were implemented, for specific action to the CEO and COO, based on objective and observable criteria and KPI’s. Created an automated ‘one page’ dashboard to help senior management monitor all labor metrics.
Improved cash position by accelerating collections of A/R by 5-10 DSO, performing analyses to monitor progress in inventory reductions, and extending A/P disbursements through batch controls. Improved cash flow visibility by increasing frequency, accuracy, and format of bank reconciliations. Improved cycle time in the inventory flooring process
Provided analyses to a syndication of banks in support of a $450M floor plan facility refinancing.
Oversaw the financing of two asset-based loans, generating $4M of cash at a time of illiquidity.
Improved cash management within a $1.5B Company by creating two treasury management financial models. The first was designed to track working capital and liquidity as of a certain date in time, monitor float, and analytically test the accuracy of daily bank reconciliations. The second was designed to forecast cash balances one to two weeks in advance using dozens of assumptions and inputs for cash inflows and outflows.
Served as interim CFO at a molecular diagnostic and medical billing to lead through sell-side due diligence process with the assistance of the investment bank engaged to develop CIM, CIP and marketing materials for prospective buyers.
Developed revenue and EBITDA cash flow forecasts for a $80M healthcare company which helped secure financing to expand. Evaluated opportunities for growth by M&A and divestiture of non-performing locations to maximize EBITDA multiple valuation and return on capital assets.
Consulted with CEO, COO, and Directors of Billing and Business Development to model ROI and KPIs for revenue and payor trends, timing of cash flows, developing an optimized factoring strategy for WC and PI claims, billing efficiency, operations staff.
Managed a team of Operational Directors and Business Analysts at a molecular diagnostic and medical billing company, presenting monthly P&L reviews to CEO and owners on ways to improve the business, and navigate cash flow management through COVID-19 related bottlenecks.
Evaluated ROI for Billing Director and Business Development performance at a molecular diagnostic and medical billing company, which led to significant cost savings via terminations and productivity increases by changes in management and compensation structures to align with performance.

Microsoft Excel

Expert Level Excel User including pivot tables, macros, charts, formula building (IF, IFERROR, V-LOOKUP, H-LOOKUP, PV, NPV, IRR, PRICE, RATE, PMT, SUMIF, TODAY, GETPIVOTDATA, INDEX, MATCH, COUNT, MAX, CONCATENATE, LEFT, etc.), named ranges, text to columns imports, data validation, filters, grouping, subtotals, password protection, drop down menus, etc.
Over 2000 hours of experience in MS Excel 365 with its enhancements in conditional formatting, data tables, formulas, charts, and the new ribbon layout.

Microsoft Access
Basic Level Access User including writing queries, importing/exporting data, and creating tables using various joining properties. Experience also encompasses writing user manual / implementation guide and facilitating implementation.

Microsoft PowerPoint
Advanced Level PowerPoint User including creating slide masters, working with templates and layouts, inserting objects, creating graphs and organization charts, working with embedded and/or linked objects, slide transition and animation as well as creating and running slide shows.

Microsoft Power BI
Advanced Level User including developing dashboards, formulas, charts, and creating tables using various joining properties.

SAP
Intermediate Level User including navigating financial statements, reviewing data in GL, looking-up and exporting data for cost accounts, P&Ls, balance sheets, inventory, depreciation / amortization schedules, and by legal entities.

SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office (AFO)
Advanced User including designing and maintaining various reports.
Trained finance employees on using SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office (AFO) Add-in for Excel.
Worked with IT department to approve custom query designs and implement by publishing the queries.

SAP BEx Analyzer
Advanced User including designing and maintaining various queries in SAP Bex Query Designer.
Trained finance employees on using SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office (AFO) Add-in for Excel.
Explained the use and limitations of the software.
Designed and maintained KPIs for various internal reporting within SAP Bex Query Designer.
Standardized data queries for monthly and quarterly reporting inputs for all levels of the organization.

SAGE Pro
Advanced Level User including creating and modifying POs, SOs, adding freight to inventory, managing A/R and A/P functions, processing checks, reviewing credit accounts, performing reconciliations, and entering adjustments in GL.
Managed project to design, test, and implement business specific upgrades with a third-party developer as an alternative to upgrading the ERP software.

Tableau
Advanced Level User including developing dashboards and charts.

SAP Lumera
Advanced Level User including developing dashboards and charts.

Qlik
Advanced Level User including developing dashboards and charts.

Rislinq
Advanced Level User including navigation and exporting large datasets, reviewing gross revenues, net revenues, contract adjustments and bad debt accounts.
Performed analysis and data analytics from large datasets.
Reconciled against volume-based data from external sources.

QuickBooks
Advanced level user of financial statements downloaded from QuickBooks.
Developed financial models compatible with QuickBooks formats.

Oracle Peoplesoft
Developed financial models compatible with formats.

Kronos
Developed financial models compatible with formats.

Other
Working experience with the following packages: Algo Collateral, and various proprietary databases within IBM, MS Project.
Financial databases including Microsoft Excel plugins for: Bloomberg, CapitalIQ, and FactSet.
Statistical analysis and machine learning in: Python, R, Matlab

DLC Available Consultant Spotlight

Rehan Syed, CFA

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