Sergio Fernandes

Leading global manufacturers of heat exchangers. Led strategic and financial support for Finance, Treasury, Administrative, IT, HR, and Payroll departments for the US market. Directed 15 staff . P&L. Managed all financial activities, including financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting. Oversaw external auditor relationships. Reported to President & Corporate EVP of Finance.  Slashed operating costs by 18% and finance expenses by 25% through business / finance consolidation and savings in synergies.  Propelled working capital reduction by 50% implementing recurrent meetings to improve production planning, material purchase forecast, and supply chain lead-time.  Spearheaded changes in safety program, reducing worker's compensation expenses by 3% and 15% in lost time / absences in 2020. Overhauled HR policies to create standardized processes / employee engagement.  Reduced increase rate by 3%, generating substantial savings of self-insured health plan costs by redefining criteria of calculations / assessments.

Leading global manufacturers of heat exchangers. Directed annual strategic planning, including corporate governance program. Oversaw Finance, Administrative, Purchase, IT, and RH departments for the Brazil & Latin America market. Led 22 staff.  Generated tax recovery impact of $5M (BRL) and became compliant with all tax regulations by defining strategy to rebuild tax books (municipal, state & federal) over five years.  Reduced 22% in company costs in the first year and 10% in the second year, generating a positive bottom-line for the first time in four years. Executed a cost reduction program where all suppliers’ contracts were reviewed and renegotiated when possible; implemented financial expenses targets for all departments.  Slashed nearly 50% in interest payments in a period of 18 months by designing a financial operation in partnership with bank to create a credit line based on exports.

Leading manufacturer of diesel engines. Charged with improving financial procedures involving cost accounting, controllership, tax compliance, and cash management for Brazil & Latin America. Led 8 direct and 66 indirect finance staff. Managed $38M budget. Controlled all investments in capital and non-capital spends in Brazil & Argentina.  Rebuilt all tax books to achieve Tax Clearance Certification.  Created $500M credit line for four new dealers to launch truck operation.  Recipient of Best Executive Manager in 2011.

Leading movie theater chain. Steered financial monthly reporting, quarterly forecasts, annual budgeting, and year-end reporting. Implemented a reliable, detailed financial control among theaters, including reporting and cash management.  Generated savings of $2M annually in debit payment transactions.  Developed all financial controls for business venture to acquire theater, resulting in $5M over two years.  Implemented a full SOX Compliance Control Matrix, resulting in a reduction in audit fees of $100K annually.

$1.2B mobile telephone network provider. Hired to rebuild all Accounting, Controllership, Financial Planning & Tax departments due to Chapter 11 in the US. Led Oracle implementation to be aligned with corporate ERP system.  Created strategy to rebuild all tax books and renegotiate all outstanding supplier’s obligations that resulted in reduction of $100M in contingencies, generating positive impact in bottom-line.

Charged with reorganizing accounting & tax department and reducing monthly closing timeline. Played integral role in developing a tax and legal strategy for creation of a new company, yielding additional profits of $500K.