Pragnesh Patel

About Pragnesh Patel

I am a highly driven finance executive and CPA with over 15 years of global experience, I have a proven track record of leading full-spectrum finance functions, driving operational excellence, and transforming financial strategies into actionable insights that generate value. My career has been shaped by a commitment to innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making, spanning industries like logistics, healthcare, hospitality, and consulting. People I work with describe me as a strong leader with empathy and influential communicator who empowers Global teams, drives high performance, and delivers results.My strengths lie in leadership, team development, and stakeholder engagement. I build collaborative relationships with C-suite executives, business development teams, and operations to drive financial performance and sustainable growth. My ability to turn complex financial data into clear, actionable insights enables me to influence key decisions and align financial goals with the organization\'s strategic vision.As a Big 4-trained Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (ACA), I bring a deep understanding of US GAAP, IFRS, and SOX compliance to my leadership roles.I specialize in driving financial performance, cost reduction, and transformational finance systems automation while building high-impact teams and best-in-class systems. I have extensive experience in leading business turnarounds, integrating M&A transactions, and driving operational efficiencies through process standardization and automation. Whether it\'s securing multi-million $ in financing, implementing cost-saving strategies, or developing innovative revenue models, I excel at identifying opportunities for growth and ensuring organizations are financially robust.With a passion for innovation, I stay ahead of industry trends, including generative AI and advanced data analytics, to drive continuous improvement and enhance business outcomes. Let\'s connect to explore how we can transform financial strategies into value-driven results. Competencies: Strategic and functional leadership covering Finance reporting, budgeting, forecasting and cash-flow managementPro-active and value generating business partnership skillsFinancial reporting (external and internal), control and governanceStandardisation, simplification, centralisation and automation of core finance processesExternal and internal auditingTeam development, management and leadership

Experience

1. VP Americas Finance & Billing

   Marken

   Mar 2023 — Present · Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, US

   Vice President (VP) Operational Finance and Billing - Global RevenueSpearheaded and restructured a diverse team of 150 FTEs across APAC, EMEA, and the Americas, transforming fast-paced disjointed processes into compliant and effective process. Resourcing, talent retention, program leader for multiple high-impact projects as well as coordinating the Enterprise full revenue recognition cycle (Order to Cash collections) and OPEX P&L. P&L FP & A owner and served as SME for key financial processes on Revenue Recognition and Global functions (IT, HR, Quality, and Legal). Successfully led a cost optimization initiative that reduced admin expenses by $2M annually. Transformed a manual, disjointed, non-compliant billing process to a GAAP compliant, Globally aligned process. Developed and implemented a targeted strategy, mentoring and leading teams through the change curve, ultimately saving over $10M in revenue leakage. Led a multi-phase transition to automated billing solutions, coaching the team through the change process to match rapid business expansion changes. This initiative achieved a 30% operational efficiency savings globally, over 25% enhancement in billing accuracy, and significant cost savings of multi-million dollars per year. Developed a collaborative framework with Business Development, Pricing, Procurement, and Operations, overseeing new growth opportunities, advising on revenue structures and forecasts, and crafting financial strategies for Product Management. This effort supported four global products, enabled two new product launches, and ensured a 100% renewal rate for the top 5 clients. Implemented a risk-based prioritization and root-cause focused model for customer escalations, enabling the team to focus on high-impact key accounts, identify and fix root-cause issues which improved customer satisfaction resulting in a 50% increase in Net Promoter Scores.

Education

• King's College London

  Bsc (Hons), Chemistry with Management

  1993 — 1996