Ivan Arizaga
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Toptal member since February 24, 2022
An experienced consultant and CFO, Ivan took to consulting practice after a long-tenured career in commercial banking and the competitive food and beverage industry. During the past nine years, Ivan has provided key advice on several restructuring cases for companies under financial stress, valued companies and piloted M&A transactions, and provided solid financial planning and value-creation-focused financial advice for his clients—from startups and SMEs to large corporations.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Software Expertise
- Microsoft Excel
Other Expertise
- Corporate Finance
- Finance
- Financial Modeling
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Private Company Valuation
- Valuation
Work Experience
Fractional FP&A Lead (Software)
Sema Technologies, Inc.
- Enhanced financial modeling and automation by spearheading the enhancement and partial automation of the company's financial model, transitioning from Excel to Google Sheets for improved accessibility and collaboration.
- Performed advanced scenario analysis. Pioneered the implementation of a dynamic scenario analysis tool, enabling investors and the CEO to intuitively visualize the impact of strategic decisions on financial outcomes.
- Handled custom functionality development. Leveraged VBA programming to develop customized functionalities, fortifying precision in time-related calculations and optimizing lookup processes for seamless data retrieval.
- Involved in process optimization and collaborated with the company's bookkeeper to overhaul accounts receivable processes, streamlining the transition from deal-to-invoice to a more efficient overdue collection system.
- Handled comprehensive reporting and insights by curating and maintaining weekly and monthly board reports that offer deep insights into the company's performance, highlighting key financial metrics critical for decision-making.
CEO | Senior Consultant
A&S Consulting
- Advised a leading food and beverage company to return to profitability after four years of posting losses through the design and implementation of restructuring. The dramatic changes in their financials aided the company in restructuring debt.
- Aided one of our clients to achieve double-digit medium-term growth by accelerating CAPEX through adequate financial leverage with financial planning and analysis. The client had a previous policy of 100% equity financing.
- Facilitated close to 50% growth in revenue for a client in the appliance and A/V wholesale business by recommending and designing new receivable collection and management policies and procedures.
- Performed the valuation and led the negotiation process in acquiring Movilcelistic (Spain) by Lidenar (Ecuador).
- Designed a real estate model to track and measure the performance of an ongoing multi-family real estate project that had started without defining financial metrics or objectives. The model allowed the client to establish short and long-term goals.
- Prepared and successfully presented business cases for clients during investor rounds for Series A financing.
- Prepared the financial model for the first natural gas liquefying plant in Ecuador, which was granted a contract by the government last year, and allowed investors to commit around $18 million in financing.
Finance Expert
Jose Valdes
- Performed a comprehensive financial model for a potential snack processing plant for capital budgeting purposes.
- Developed a detailed manufacturing financial model with multi-scenario and sensitivity analysis capabilities tailored to the food and beverage sector in Central America.
- Conducted in-depth research and analysis on production forecasts and potential returns, utilizing client-provided inputs for accurate scenario projections.
- Ensured the model was highly adaptable, allowing the client to adjust assumptions easily and test various production and revenue scenarios.
- Delivered insights into the feasibility of establishing a snack processing plant for plantains, incorporating input and output variability for informed decision-making.
- Met strict deadlines with a fast model turnaround, ensuring timely delivery to support the client’s investment assessment.
- Maintained close communication with the client in Spanish to ensure clarity and alignment on project requirements and deliverables.
Financial Modeling Expert
Daniel Garcia de Paredes
- Developed a comprehensive multi-company financial model: I designed and constructed a robust financial model that catered to multiple companies within the conglomerate.
- Created this model that aimed to provide highly accurate short-term cash flow projections for each individual company, as well as a consolidated figure for the entire conglomerate.
- Streamlined data integration: To ensure efficiency and accuracy, I integrated data seamlessly from the company's existing ERP reports directly into the Excel model, minimizing manual data entry and, therefore, errors by avoiding hard-coded numbers.
- Enhanced the model functionality with VBA: Leveraging Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Excel, I programmed customized functions to augment the model's capabilities.
Fundraising Expert
Black Yeti Beverage, Inc
- Rebuilt the company's financials from Quickbooks and third-party website data where distributors reported revenue numbers, cost of goods sold items, and expenses.
- Analyzed accounting data and documentation to estimate correct per-unit figures for the cost of goods sold. This was paramount to conducting CVP analysis and determining the breakeven point.
- Built a three-statement financial model with appropriate metrics (KPIs) for a startup and a beverage company. The client established goals for business profitability, breakeven point in a number of cases, and long-term perspectives.
Finance Expert
Dalmeida Consulting LLC
- Performed litigation support by reviewing valuations, cascade spreadsheets, and documents within a civil case where the client acted as an expert witness for the plaintiff.
- Reviewed different draft reports versions, searching for inconsistencies, omissions, and calculation errors.
- Performed quality control for the client in the final report, which was submitted in the legal process on behalf of the plaintiff.
Finance Expert
Dalmeida Consulting LLC
- Performed litigation support by reviewing valuations, calculations, and documentation within a civil case where the client acted as an expert witness for the defendant.
- Reviewed draft reports to be presented in the case, and analyzed the plaintiff's report, excel sheets containing financial information, and valuation calculations for errors and inconsistencies.
- Provided thorough quality control in the final report to be submitted in the legal process by the client.
CFO
Corporacion Azende S.A.
- Oversaw and implemented the merger between Destileria Zhumir and Distribuidora Jucremo, which gave rise to Corporacion Azende, which realized synergies in excess of $1 million per year.
- Restructured short-term bank debt by issuing corporate bonds and securitized future receivable cash flows (structured finance) in local capital markets, which freed up enough cash to secure 10% growth year-on-year.
- Implemented financial KPIs to evaluate the individual performance of departments and divisions, focusing attention on maximizing cash flow.
Financial Planning Manager
Corporacion Azende S.A.
- Designed a tax savings plan based on a five-year financial plan that allowed the company to save $2 million in taxes over two years.
- Implemented a financial reporting system that consolidated financial statements for the parent company, sister companies, and subsidiaries, effectively controlling cash flow and enhancing financial performance.
- Designed and implemented a series of financial standards for the marketing department that focused on the profitability of marketing expenses.
- Analyzed and identified value-creating products, allowing the company to become more profitable by focusing its resources on its production and sale.
Commercial Manager
Corporacion Azende
- Optimized marketing expenses by emphasizing marketing ROI for all activities. Created a reporting system and marketing ROI metrics mandatory to measure before any marketing activity was undertaken.
- Created a marketing expense financial control model to properly track and authorize expenses while remaining under budget.
- Launched two product lines accompanied by adequate ATL and BTL activities, producing significant and sustained ROI.
CFO
Molino y Pastificio Ecuador MOPASA S.A.
- Implemented standard corporate treasury practices in line with ISO 9000.
- Created a series of financial reports which facilitated the analysis of financial statements for the CEO and executive committee.
- Implemented receivables collection policies that allowed a reduction of employee fraud of nearly 90%.
Regional Tax Audit Coordinator
Servicio de Rentas Internas (Internal Revenue Service)
- Implemented and standardized tax audit practices in accordance with local accounting standards and best audit practices.
- Hired and trained a team of ten tax agents to enforce tax regulations related to the retail trade.
- Implemented a database system to track tax audit information compliance by tax audit subjects.
- Became an active member of the headquarters tax audit committee.
Deputy Financial Manager | Treasurer
Banco La Previsora
- Oversaw the execution of treasury transactions and implemented a financial analysis reporting system at the regional level.
- Designed and created customer profitability models that allowed better profiling of most profitable customers and a redesign of below-average bank profit customers.
- Introduced FOREX derivatives to corporate customers that allowed the issuance of currency-swap-based loans, increasing the bank's competitiveness in this customer segment.
Education
Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) in Finance
Cameron University - Lawton, OK, USA
Bachelor of Business Administration Degree (BBA) in Finance
Cameron University - Lawton, OK, USA
Certifications
FMVA
CFI Corporate Finance Institute
Advanced Valuation
New York University
Skills
Finance
Financial Modeling, Valuation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Corporate Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Capital Budgeting, DCF Valuation, Forecasting, P&L Forecasting, CFO, Revenue & Expense Projections, M&A (Buy-side), M&A (Sell-side), Value Creation, M&A Modeling, Comparable Company Analysis, Valuation Analysis, Valuation Modeling, Equity Research Analysis, Cross-border M&A, Accounting, Budgeting, Cash Management, Market Research, Cash Flow Modeling, Pricing, Operating Expenses (OPEX), Three-statement Modeling, Fundamental Analysis, Profitability Analysis, Controller, Private Company Valuation, Debt Restructuring, Financial Restructuring, RiskMetrics, Cash Flow, Profit & Loss (P&L), Pro Forma Financial Statements, Internal Financial Reporting, Profitability Optimization, Intercompany Accounting, Finance Strategy, Corporate Treasury, Money Market, Tax Planning, Financial Reporting, Equity Research, Due Diligence, Fundraising, Lending, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Series A, Investment Portfolio Management, Revenue Modeling, ROI, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Valuation Multiples
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Office 365, Microsoft PowerPoint
Industry Expertise
Residential Real Estate, Real Estate, Small Business, Early-stage Startups, Healthcare, Venture Capital, Oil & Gas, Nonprofits, Expatriation Tax
Data & Analysis Software
QuickBooks Online
Other
Finance, Financial Analysis, DCF Modeling, Relative Valuation, Fractional CFO, Business Cases, Pitch Decks, Virtual CFO, Pitch Deck Consultant, Excel 365, Corporate Finance Consultant, Cash Flow Management, Business Models, Business Modeling, Pricing Models, CAPEX, CAPEX Budgeting & Inventory Management, Business Plan Consulting, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), Litigation Support, Interim CFO, Financing, Growth Strategy, Revenue Projections, Investment Analysis, Investments, Restructuring, P&L Analysis, Inventory, Excel Expert, Accounts Receivable, Manufacturing, Cost Accounting, Sensitivity Analysis, P&L Management, M&A Strategy, Consolidation, Accounts Payable, Cash Flow Analysis, Financial Forecasting, Excel Modeling, Turnaround Management, Small Business Management, Corporate Tax Planning, Microsoft Power BI, Derivatives, Treasury, Tax Accounting, Corporate Restructuring, Regression, Product Line Analysis, Revenue Analysis, Deal Closure, Deal Structuring, Deal Sourcing, Scenario Analysis, Startups, Business Analysis, Reporting, Analysis, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Transfer Pricing, Investment Banking, Negotiation, Controllership/Accounting, Excel Macros, Excel VBA, Business Planning, Business Strategy, Due Diligence Consultant, Audits, Bookkeeping, Cost Analysis, Market Research & Analysis, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Strategic Planning, Portfolio Management, Research, SAP Business One, Forex Trading Room, Tax Audits, Marketing, Sales, Fundraising Consultant, SAP, Target Pricing, eCommerce, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Interim Financial Controller, Economics, Financial Calculations, Board Reporting, SaaS, Tax Technology
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