Sharon DeGroot

Experience

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  VERITAS THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY, INC.

  Jan 1997 - Jan 2000

  Staff Accountant

  General staff accounting duties and assist in the preparation of monthly and annual financial statements: Statement of Activity, Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Cash Flow. Assist the CFO/Controller in annual fillings of 990. Support staff for Veritas Foundation.

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  Horsesmouth

  Jan 2000 - Jan 2001

  Senior Accountant

  • General ledger responsibilities include balance sheet reconciliations and expense account analysis• Prepared full month-end closing for 2 separate companies including bank reconciliation, journal entries and supporting schedules• Prepared and analyzed monthly financial statements and monthly department budget analysis and year-end projection• Processed Accounts Payable and Receivables. Reviewed and processed expense reports for employees with the corporate credit card. Was part of an integral team that created the Automated Billing System• Generated manual invoices, process auto-billing for monthly, semi-annual and annual subscription.• Prepared corporate tax return 1065 and K-1• Prepared and process payroll, employee retirement (401 (K) ), and long term disability and life insurance• Reported directly to the CFO and CEO Show less

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  DAH Consulting, Inc.

  Jan 2001 - Jan 2005

  Financial Controller

  DAH is a multi-service Management and Information Technology consulting firm specializing in technology solutions, financial & economic analysis management research and training services. DAH has offices in New York, Maryland and Trinidad & Tobago.• Managed the accounting and finance functions for this $15 million Management Consulting, Financial and IT Services Company.• Helped the company grow from $6 million to $12 million in annual contract revenue• Managed a 6 person staff, consisting of accounting team and office managers.• Improved cash flow by decreasing DSO from 60 days to 30 days, securing a $1 million line of credit and negotiating net terms with key vendors• Oversaw financial statement preparation, prepare consolidations and issue monthly financial statements with commentary for management.• Developed the accounting systems and processes, and led the company’s first audit and tax return Show less

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  Bimbo Bakeries (Formerly George Weston Bakeries)

  Nov 2005 - Feb 2008

  Finance Manager

  Oversaw all areas of financial management, forecasting, budgeting analysis, and reporting across all departmental spending. Supported consolidation and analysis of annual plans, forecast, strategic plans, and monthly reporting for market areas.▪ Identified opportunities to streamline costs and boost efficiencies through plant consolidation, staff reduction, and restructuring of jobs.▪ Improved accuracy within monthly close process through implementation of accounting standards.▪ Engaged with CFO, Corporate Controller, and Department Managers, communicating monthly actual results with casual and variance analysis. Show less

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  NextJump

  Feb 2008 - Nov 2013

  Director of Finance

  Directed day-to-day finance and accounting functions, providing strategic finance leadership across organization. Managed multi-departmental financials to ensure attainment of financial objectives. Instituted financial controls, reporting, and accounting systems to improve and maintain financial health of organization.▪ Guided cash management efforts through Series A and B, planning financial future of company through annual budgets, capital expenditures, infrastructure improvement, and securing credit line.▪ Partnered with investment bank Jefferies to go to market; executed detailed financial modeling encompassing fund allocation across staffing, office expansion, and technology reinvestments.▪ Served as lead negotiator with all vendors, boosting profitability by 5%.▪ Introduced A/R policies, reducing receivables aged over 180 days from 60% of outstanding receivables to less than 20%.▪ Reduced employee turnover rate to less than 5% as member of Human Capital Engineering Team.▪ Played active role in development of Internal Use Software – SOP 98-1 Policy Memo.▪ Managed IT and CapEx purchasing group in all activities and overseeing $5M in total expenditures. Show less

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  Forrest Solutions Group

  Dec 2013 - Jul 2019

  CFO | VP, Finance

  Managed team of 16 employees and $60M P&L; oversaw accounting, finance, payroll, HR, and legal functions. Provided strategic financial direction to organization, engaging with senior leadership team. Developed and implemented financial procedures, focusing on driving financial health of organization.▪ Created finance department, building high-powered team aligned with organizational vision and objectives.▪ Advised management and drove actionable strategy in response to minimum wage increase in New York City; prepared pricing adjustments and communicated with impacted clients, resulting in net positive impact of $12M over duration of contracts.▪ Improved relationship between client and operations manager, boosting contract renewals by over 50%.▪ Implemented new contract management database system to accurately input all key categories of contracts, execute monthly reports, and integrate spreadsheet into Salesforce.▪ Evaluated, recommended, and approved pro-forma pricing, increasing gross margins by up to 15%.▪ Streamlined accounting close to 3-day close and achieved DSO of less than 30 days through design of accounting workflow to optimize cash flow.▪ Drove multiple system implementations including Accounting Seed, Salesforce, JobScience for Bullhorn, and Grovo.▪ Installed effective and strong controls across cash, payroll, A/R, A/P, and financial reporting.▪ Managed 5-year financial model incorporating revenue verticals, longevity of clients, client base, and sales analytics to generate new revenue streams.▪ Supported HR and operations functions, leading initiatives to decrease overhead costs through staffing adjustments and generated 10% savings on medical benefits while maintaining quality of services provided to staff. Show less

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  ApiLabs, LLC (A division of ApiJect Systems Corporation)

  Apr 2021 - now

  Chief Financial Officer

  Hold full ownership of $10M P&L across global financial and HR operations; manage accounting, financial management, financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting, treasury management, financial analysis, and reporting. Supervise 7 employees globally and serve as CFO of Global Health and Studio One businesses.▪ Implemented cost containment programs, reducing spending by approximately 5%; updated company T&E policy to reduce waste and partnered with HR to cap increase at 5% annually.▪ Renegotiated insurance policies and independent contractors’ agreements; installed vendor terms program that extended payment terms by 40+ days to increase cash flow.▪ Evaluated and negotiated new cloud base ERP system (Microsoft Dynamics 365) and software/service contract, resulting in cost savings of +20%, while providing fully integrated reporting system to support future growth.▪ Managed multiple external professional groups for first-time multi-year audits including identification and resolution of technical reporting issues, establish formal policies, and timely delivery of monthlyfinancial reporting to management, investors, and Board of Directors.▪ Established 3 international legal entities in UK, Switzerland, France, and Israel, overseeing global financial, accounting, logistics management, expense control, international banking, international letter of credit transactions, lease and contract negotiations, and employee contracts.▪ Supported M&A financial activities and due diligence, engaging with bankers and stakeholders of target companies. Show less