Publication
The Financial Implications of Technical Debt
https://www.toptal.com/finance/part-time-cfos/technical-debt
Erik is available for hire
Hire ErikErik Frederick
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Location
Boston, MA, United States
Toptal Member Since
November 1, 2017
Erik has served as the CFO of a $1.8 billion business unit at Staples and of venture-backed startups and private equity portfolio companies with $20 million to $700 million in revenue. He's also worked with management teams in profitability improvements, corporate strategy, financial models, and board reporting. As a freelancer, Erik enjoys bringing his seasoned, real-world operating experience to a variety of clients.
Career Highlights
Chief Financial Officer
Fairway Market
Chief Financial Officer
Frederick's of Hollywood
Vice President of Finance
Staples
Education Highlights
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Massachusetts Board of Public Accountancy
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
University of Virginia
Bachelor's Degree
Tulane University
Case Studies
Industry Expertise
Software Expertise
Other Expertise
Work Experience
CEO
2020 - 2024
Uno Restaurant Holdings
- Achieved 15% comparable sales in 2022 and 2% in 2023 versus a casual dining industry average of 10% and -1% through numerous initiatives, including launching an app and loyalty program, and two virtual brands.
- Launched eight new franchise restaurants in 18 months by targeting hotel restaurant conversions. Converted restaurants increased revenue by up to 400%. Achieved positive net unit growth for the first time in over fifteen years.
- Improved Net Promoter Score from -11% to 45% through adoption of 4DX methodologies.
Focus areas: Leadership, Marketing, Business Development, Divestitures, Supply Chain, Operations, Board Reporting, Private Equity, eCommerce, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Consumer Products
CFO
2018 - 2020
Uno Restaurant Holding Company Inc.
- Increased cash flow through negotiations with the bank, suppliers, and landlords and refinanced debt to lower costs.
- Refranchised 21 corporate-owned restaurants as part of transforming Uno to an asset-light franchise model.
- Sold CPG division for a 75% premium to pre-pandemic valuation. Returned business unit to profitability by increasing revenue from $22M to $32M and improving EBITDA margin by 500bps with operational improvements.
- Refinanced debt during the early stages of the pandemic when few lenders were extending credit to restaurant groups.
Focus areas: Accounting, Analysis, Balance Sheets, Balance Scorecards, Divestitures, Forecasting, Supply Chain, Private Equity, Financial Modeling, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Consumer Products
Chief Financial Officer
2016 - 2017
Fairway Market
- Executed cost savings initiatives that encompassed indirect spending, selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A), and direct labor. These efforts combined removed $7.5 million from the annual expenditure.
- Developed product and store profitability KPIs which eliminated value leakage. Reduced day-sales-outstanding (DSO) by a third—raising cash holdings by $2.3 million.
- Created a three-statement operating model that highlighted critical drivers and KPIs. The KPIs included store sales per hour (SPH), product category gross margin after advertising cost (MaAC), and DSO by product department (DPSO) for each store.
- Led the company's initiatives in aligning its business plan with its budget by managing the financial resources, setting up and executing the stretch goals, and assigning accountability.
- Created a weekly scorecard that included thirteen-week cash flow forecasts, weekly actual-versus-planned results, and a summary of notable activity. Also created quarterly board updates that included financial results and forecast, operational hits and misses, and go-forward plans.
Focus areas: Three-statement Modeling, Private Equity, Cash Flow Forecasting, Procurement, Cost Reduction & Optimization, Accounting, Financial Modeling, Corporate Finance, Financial Management, CFO
Chief Financial Officer | Chief Operating Officer
2014 - 2015
Second Time Around Stores
- Partnered with the CEO in developing a strategy to transform the business from a collection of stand-alone stores to an integrated, omnichannel brand. Achieved same-store sales growth of 12% within eight months.
- Developed the company's real estate portfolio strategy, efficiently allocating the company's capital and labor resources.
- Implemented numerous finance and accounting processes such as long-range planning, budgets, P&L and cash forecasting, month-end reporting, store labor models, and a retail calendar.
- Served as a part-time CFO to an early-stage eCommerce company in which Second Time Around invested. Developed the company's financial model, implemented financial processes, and provided comprehensive company leadership.
Focus areas: Unit-level Economics, Zero-based Budgeting, Operational Finance, Cash Flow Forecasting, Corporate Finance, Private Equity, CFO
Chief Financial Officer
2013 - 2014
Frederick's of Hollywood
- Partnered with the CEO in stabilizing and transforming an $80 million, 115-unit multi-channel lingerie retailer with 800 employees. Built the eCommerce capability, managed the liquidity, monitored debt covenants, and had full P&L and balance sheet responsibility.
- Developed the company's real estate portfolio strategy along with the head of stores—reducing the number of stores by 20%, and improving EBITDA by more than $1.2 million. Negotiated leases with landlords.
- Implemented a product portfolio strategy and eliminated multiple unprofitable product categories—improving gross margin by 390 basis points.
- Streamlined the supply chain by using eCommerce warehouses to backfill stores. This effort allowed the company to send overall inventory to stores, eliminating markdowns while reducing out-of-stock items at stores needing next-day replenishment.
Focus areas: Product Line Analysis, Unit-level Economics, eCommerce, Cost Reduction & Optimization, Working Capital Management, Three-statement Modeling, Strategy, Corporate, Private Equity, CFO
Vice President of Finance
2006 - 2012
Staples
- Implemented structural savings initiatives which involved reducing basic “keep the lights” spending from 80% to less than 60%. These initiatives resulted in a savings of $35 million.
- Implemented the run-grow-transform framework to achieve better visibility and ability to manage IT expenditure.
- Implemented a rolling forecast mechanism to align resource allocation with our strategy—simplifying the annual long-range planning and budgeting processes.
- Led an outsourcing strategy involving 850 full-time equivalents (FTE) that reduced annual labor costs by 15% or $20 million.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budget Controls, Cost-saving Structure, Capital Budgeting, Outsourcing, Finance, Technology
Business Unit CFO
2001 - 2006
Staples.com
- Served as the business unit CFO and was responsible for a $1.8 billion eCommerce and catalog business.
- Introduced the concept and KPI of margin after advertising costs (MaAC) which enabled the measurement and management of marketing ROI as well as the alignment of the marketing and merchandising teams.
- Performed a marketing spend optimization analysis that resulted in an annual savings of $10 million.
- Conducted a root cause analysis to identify delivery issues; streamlined the order delivery to improve the ratio of delivers to orders placed from 1.4 to 1.2, resulting in $750,000 in annual savings in delivery expenses.
- Initiated a cost savings contest across the business unit resulting in a savings of $1.2 million.
Focus areas: Cost Reduction & Optimization, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Management
Other Experience
Education
2005 - 2011
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Accounting
Massachusetts Board of Public Accountancy - Boston, MA, USA
1994 - 1996
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance
University of Virginia - Charlottesville, VA, USA
1984 - 1988
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
Tulane University - New Orleans, LA, USA
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