Daniel James

About Daniel James

I am a high impact, disciplined finance executive and trusted business partner driving a result-oriented culture while orchestrating financial turnarounds, operational efficiencies, and robust growth strategies. I have extensive experience in financial transformation and finance operations, M&A evaluation and integrations, and a passion for driving process improvement and cost reduction strategies to successful and timely completion. In several of my prior roles, I was chosen to lead organizations facing mission-critical challenges; identifying and accelerating strategic measures that strengthen performance with sustained multimillion-dollar results. I have been recognized for my business acumen and sound fiscal judgment resulting in enhanced profitability, reduced costs, and operational excellence.Select Leadership Contributions• Led multiple organizational turn arounds, working collaboratively with key leads to reduce expenses by +200bps or +$0.2B, via contract renegotiations, cancellations, shifting production locations, reductions-in-force, and improved tracking of ROI related to transformation and growth investments.• Led the design, audit review, executive approval, and implementation of a new expense allocation process, improving capital reserve compliance position by $0.6B, insight into segment, product, and entity financial performance, increased acquisition pricing by 8bps of AUM, and increased tax deductions of +$0.1B.• Led Cigna Medicare’s largest CMS Corrective Action Plan (CAP), working collaboratively with Pharmacy leadership to perform impact and root cause analysis, and CMS approved remediation activities. Notified MAPD/PDP subscribers of deficiencies and their rights, reprocessed drug claims, and consulted on a +$0.2B investment in new technology, and training.• After developing a cash model during the financial crisis of 20••••09, predicting an immediate and pending liquidity crisis at SVP Worldwide, worked extensively with executive leadership to improve the organization’s cash position, facilitating continued operations, and preventing insolvency.

Experience

1. VP Enterprise Cost Management and Oversight

   Highmark Health

   Apr 2025 — Present · US

   Establishing, monitoring, and recalibrating multiyear budgets to align with pricing strategies and funding actions-Driving financial transformation including process improvements and cost reduction initiatives-Overseeing business transformation efforts, particularly those that impact financial operations and enterprise wide efficiency -Managing cost allocations, including the development of methodologies and systems that supports transparency and financial accuracy

Education

• Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)

  Master of Business Administration (MBA), Accounting/Finance/Economics

  2006 — 2007

• Park University

  Bachelor's degree, Business Administration and Management, General

  2003 — 2006