Trust and transparency have become popular workplace demands as employees seek to know what is real and true about their company. Great things can happen when transparency is present:
- Problems are solved faster.
- Teams are built more easily; relationships grow more authentically.
- An environment is created where higher levels of performance can emerge.
- A company's ability to gain access to capital is improved.
- It can reduce the cost of capital because it reduces risk to investors wary of unreliable information.
Geraldine Chan
- English
About Geraldine
- More than 15 years overseeing financial analysis, planning, reporting and strategy in industries including technology, biotech, manufacturing, retail and ecommerce.
- Effectively managed diverse transitions, including mergers and acquisitions, for well-established corporations such as VantagePoint Capital Partners, Gilead Sciences, Gap and Pepsi-Cola and startups like Tesla Motors, Reachlocal Corporation.
Experience
• Successfully designed, engineered and implemented the only real-time, monthly, multi-year financial reporting for all of VPCP’s 90+ portfolio companies, which led to 100 percent reporting compliance.
• Introduced effective cash flow planning for all portfolio companies, which drove management and investors to change direction and avoid previously unseen risk of earlier cash-out date.
• Educated senior executives at portfolio companies on best practices for cash flow planning and budgeting.
• Worked with CEOs, CFOs and COOs of portfolio companies to improve their financial metrics and reporting.
• Implemented FP&A best practices (cash management, budgeting, reporting, and cost controls) at portfolio companies.
• Created financial and BOD reporting and presented to senior management.
• Partnered and engaged all portfolio companies to promote fiduciary awareness, accountability and ownership leading to better credibility for the company’s finance department.
• Established quarterly reviews of portfolio companies with senior management, which led to concrete and viable action items.
• Initiated, spearheaded and implemented business continuity plan for VPCP ensuring 365x24x7 online access, data redundancy and security.
• Provided financial and business guidance for startups, biotech, and e-commerce businesses.
• Streamlined and automated accounting and finance procedures to reduce closing cycles.
• Responsible for all internal and BOD reporting, forecasting, strategic planning, and street guidance.
• Customized executive information package for each company – highlights, financials, metrics (internal and external), competitive analysis, operations, systems information.
• Created and developed the company’s first executive management report to enable proper tracking of company’s goals, achieve key measurements and integrate industry best practices.
• Recipient of Top Five key achievement award, the only non-R&D person.
• Partnered with business development, project management and various functional areas in the company to deliver the most comprehensive business review for the company (10-year outlook).
• Worked with Deloitte & Touche to ensure FP&A compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley.
• Created and developed the company’s first executive management report to enable proper tracking of company’s goals and achieved key measurements (revenue, margin, operating expenses, and EPS).
• Developed the transition plan for newly-acquired company, Buydirect.com.
• Responsible for $2 billion revenue subsidiary company with five SBUs, manufacturing, $120 million R&D and 350 SG&A departments.
• Drove the business plan process (4X a year), which entailed data compilation, analysis, presenting and advising on issues and resolutions to executive staff.
• Drove and actively participated in management of the following areas: pricing, standard cost reduction, goal setting and review, new product costs, forecasting and other operational issues.
• Managed worldwide finance, planning and analysis for $100-million computer hardware/software manufacturing and marketing organization.
• Originated budgetary and actual allocation review leading to 33 percent reduction in operating expenses and 10 percent in standard cost.
• Assisted senior operational managers worldwide (U.S., Europe, Japan and Far East) in planning, analyzing, and implementing programs affecting sales, manufacturing, distribution, engineering and administrative functions.
Education
Panels
- Northern California Venture Capital Association annual meeting, Financial Reporting Panel, San Francisco, 2008