Manuel Arens

About Manuel Arens

Finance transformation leader with 18+ years in operational finance and controllership, including 7+ years leading enterprise-scale modernization across Procure-to-Pay (P2P), expense governance, close enablement, and headcount planning.I specialize in designing and executing future-state finance operating models that improve efficiency, control effectiveness, and data quality - while scaling with global complexity. My work spans SAP S/4HANA transformations, AP automation (VIM), internal controls (SOX), working capital optimization, and cross-functional delivery across Finance, FP & A, Treasury, Tax, Compliance, and Engineering/BI teams.I bring a pragmatic, outcome-driven approach to automation and AI in finance, applying analytics and machine learning to reconciliation, validation, anomaly detection, and automated control monitoring - always grounded in auditability and adoption.Complementing my Google background, I serve in board-level financial governance roles within regulated institutions, contributing to budget approval, risk management, and audit readiness.I’m most effective in complex, high-scale environments where finance transformation must balance speed, rigor, and change management.

Experience

1. Member Board of Directors

   Patelco Credit Union

   Apr 2024 — Present · Dublin, CA, US

   Provide financial governance and oversight for a $10B regulated financial institution, including budget approval, internal controls, risk management, and audit readiness.Member of Finance, Risk/Audit, and Cybersecurity Committees.

Education

• The Johns Hopkins University

  Computing for Data Analysis with R - The R Project for Statistical Computing., Computer Programming, Specific Applications

  2014 — 2014

• Harvard Medical School

  Physiology, General

  2016 — 2017

• UC Berkeley Extension

  Certificate Program, Business Process Management

  2017 — 2018

• Stanford University

  Machine Learning

  2017 — 2018

• University of Augsburg

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Political Science and Government

• University of Augsburg

  Master's degree, Political Sciences

• Harvard Medical School

  Immunology

  2016 — 2017

Skills

• Advertising
• Online Advertising
• Sem
• Google Analytics
• Market Research
• Online Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing (Sem)
• Data Analysis
• Google Adwords
• Search Advertising
• Sales
• Sales Operations
• Account Management
• Business Development
• Digital Marketing
• Business Intelligence
• E-Commerce
• Competitive Analysis
• Management