David Morris
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Dallas, United States
Toptal member since October 17, 2022
David is a seasoned professional with over a decade-long record of helping clients deliver exceptional results, including advising Facebook's initial public offering (IPO) and acquisitions of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus. His background includes working at McKinsey & Company as their consumer and retail practices lead and now as a strategy lead at the largest food company in North America. David joined Toptal to continue advising clients to solve some of the most challenging problems.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
International Foodservice Market Entry
Food Manufacturer Growth Strategy
Cost Savings Due Diligence
Expertise
- Business Transformation
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Growth Strategy
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Strategy
- Transportation & Logistics
- Valuation
Work Experience
Strategy Director
PepsiCo
- Led a cross-functional team to define the route-to-market strategy for the next five years to grow top-line revenue and better serve consumers while maintaining a competitive advantage.
- Partnered with sales, innovation, and marketing departments to develop key co-development and partnership agreements and drive over $500 million in expected net revenue in five years.
- Analyzed inbound purchase requests to examine attractiveness and acquisition strategy for potential targets.
Engagement Manager
McKinsey & Company
- Led the operations strategy for a leading US domestic airline company to define future technology and operation requirements with a transformation roadmap, linking changes to financial outcomes and customer satisfaction.
- Directed a 20-person team of clients and consultants at a leading telecom provider to identify and implement initiatives that led to over $400 million in annual cost reduction and the net promoter score (NPS) improvement by over ten points.
- Partnered with the plant manager of one of the lowest-cost nuclear power plants in the USA to drive $50 million in annual cost savings through performance improvement, vendor procurement negotiations, and lean operations.
- Counseled the chief executive officer (CEO) of an over $10 billion consumer company on growth spaces and potential mergers and acquisitions (M&A) targets with new or adjacent growth spaces, leading to a successful multibillion-dollar acquisition.
- Guided the team to develop category strategies using enhanced analytical capabilities at a national retail company and leading food distributor to drive a margin improvement by over 100 basis points (BPS) across various national vendors.
- Worked with the CEO of a multibillion-dollar consumer packaged goods (CPG) company merger to develop a day-one organization structure, align with the developed strategy, and capture deal value and synergies.
- Developed a playbook for a large utility merger to enable the client to capture over $400 million in margin synergies by analyzing coal and combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) asset performance, optimization, and improved vendor performance.
Assurance Senior
EY
- Enabled Facebook to meet accelerated filing during a $16 billion IPO by coordinating with security underwriters in providing comfort over key financial items disclosed in the final prospectus, including equity and earnings per share (EPS).
- Directed the WhatsApp project team through a $19 billion acquisition by Facebook, including the six-week compilation and audit of the initial financial statements required for mandatory regulatory filings.
- Led the Barracuda Networks IPO by providing assurance services for the client and enabling the successful raising of funds.
Education
Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University - Evanston, Illinois, USA
Bachelor's Degree in Accounting
Brigham Young University - Provo, Utah, USA
Master's Degree in Accounting
Brigham Young Universtion - Provo, Utah, USA
Certifications
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
California Board of Accountancy
Skills
Finance
Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Valuation, Accounting, Cost Management, Due Diligence
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint
Industry Expertise
Retail & Wholesale
Other
Strategy, Growth Strategy, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Business Transformation, Microsoft Teams, Finance, Marketing, Transportation & Logistics, SaaS, Equity, Revenue Analysis, Operations, Planning, M&A Strategy
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