Karen King

Experience

• 

  Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

  Apr 1997 - Feb 2013

  Program Manager Supervisor - Six Sigma Black Belt - Service Delivery Manager

  Program Manager Supervisor - General Counsel’s OrganizationCertified Six Sigma Black Belt - Service Delivery & FinanceManager, Privileged Assets - Service DeliveryIn this role, I led a team of 25 associates, including hiring, FINRA Series 6 training, performance management, professional development, and off-boarding. I also drove enterprise-wide initiatives to consolidate Regulatory Certifications and acquire Columbia Asset Management.• Increased assets under management by $1 million in first year, demonstrating a strong ability to drive results and achieve goals.• Successfully implemented business and technology solutions that improved performance for field and corporate partners.• Revised and enhanced the Gift & Entertainment policy, implementing a tracking system for 30,000 field and corporate partners to ensure compliance.• Utilized statistical tools and thought leadership to drive enterprise-wide initiatives aimed at increasing revenue and reducing costs, resulting in a $2.3 million reduction in "As Of" costs and cycle time reduction by improving the death claim process.• Played a key role in reducing balance sheet exposure and automating the reconciliation process, resulting in a 70% reduction in aged items for Third Party Distribution.• Pioneered the creation of the company's first direct sales team, the Ameriprise Advisor Center (AAC), and Certificate of Deposit product, achieving the first direct sales in the company's history and significantly expanding its reach.• Managed a $2 billion fixed and variable annuity portfolio, using an End-to-End business model to service new and existing customers, leveraging the American Express Credit Card.• Provided exceptional customer service via telephone and mail, handling new account establishment, disbursements, account maintenance, death claims, and account closure. Show less

• 

  Securian Financial Group

  Feb 2013 - May 2018

  In this role, I served as Compliance Director for employer (Group) life insurance, with leadership responsibilities for multiple functions, including new business, proposals, competitive intelligence, legal, and compliance. I interacted regularly with vendors, operations, compliance, legal, sales, and product development teams to drive success. I managed a team of 30 employees and contractors, setting performance goals, providing mentorship, and promoting a culture of excellence.• Drove process improvement initiatives to reduce life insurance contract cycle times from months to weeks.• Implemented software, enhancing look and feel of proposals, resulting in improved customer experience and higher close rates.• Launched a new competitive intelligence function to gain insight into market trends for product development and operations.• Served as a Diversity & Inclusion member, supporting Corporate Partnership with the National Black MBA Association Show less In this position, I established the first enterprise utility focused on process improvement, driving organizational change, and improving associate, customer, and advisor performance. I hired process engineers from diverse company sectors to build a cross-functional team dedicated to process improvement.• Quarterbacked and delivered change initiatives that positively impacted the company's bottom line.• Developed "tone from the top" communication, collaborating with corporate communications to ensure consistent messaging.• Traveled to subsidiaries to facilitate process improvement events and promote adoption of best practices.• Supported multiple lines of business, including Individual & Group Life Insurance, Asset Management, Treasury, Retirement Services, and Broker/Dealer. Show less

  • Director of Compliance

    Oct 2015 - May 2018

  • Enterprise Continuous Process Improvement (Lean Practitioner)

    Feb 2013 - Oct 2015
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  Citi

  Jan 2019 - now

  Senior Vice President – Enterprise Operations & Technology (EO&T) (2019 – Present)In this role, I lead initiatives to transform, simplify, modernize, and innovate operations, including the implementation of data and analytics capabilities. I also develop success measures and roadmaps to guide operations towards continued improvement and success.• Leveraged business acumen and communication skills to reach common ground and mutually beneficial, resulting in numerous quick wins.• Identified multiple improvement opportunities within 8 weeks through Celonis Proof of Value pilots, securing business case approval to establish resource managers across operations and “build the bench” activities to stabilize staff and reduce attrition.• Launched and implemented Operational Process Reengineering Framework (OPRF) in Singapore and Japan, reducing manual touch points and high-risk end user computing. Show less Senior Vice President - Securities Services Operations (SSO) (2019 – 2022)Here, I steered the timely and accurate delivery of 100,000 client invoices and Citi revenue in excess of $2 billion annually. I was respected as a trusted advisor, providing counsel and advice to improve business models, and partnering closely with technology, product, sales, compliance, and audit stakeholders to drive success.• Established and led the newly established In Business Risk & Controls (IBRC) team with responsibility for overseeing risk and control activities, metrics, reporting, staffing, procedures, processes, and program management for Global Client Billing.• Deployed new technology enhancements using Agile and Waterfall methods, serving more than 60 countries with billing hubs located in Florida, Ohio, and Malaysia.• Established and implemented KRI/KPI metrics to measure and report the health of Billing to key executive stakeholders monthly, building lasting relationships globally. Show less

  • Senior Vice President Operations

    May 2022 - now

  • Senior Vice President

    Jan 2019 - May 2022