Jan Sporina, CFA
Verified Expert in Finance
Management Consulting Expert
Calgary, Canada
Toptal member since March 22, 2022
Jan is an experienced analyst, consultant, and corporate affairs professional with 12 years of experience in the government and business sectors of North America and Europe. Jan brings to projects a proven track record of delivering tangible results through rigorous analysis, effective communication, and results-oriented project management. He is proficient in financial and economic analysis with extensive experience in market research, pricing strategy, and regulatory and fiscal affairs.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Expertise
Work Experience
Financial and Regulatory Strategist
City of Calgary, AB
- Wrote the City of Calgary Debt Policy, formalizing a framework derived from international best practice that the City now uses to govern its debt management (debt limits, servicing, and review process).
- Served as a subject matter expert and internal consultant driving the City's budget adjustments process, providing guidance to 61 service lines within the organization and prepared reports and presentations to City Council.
- Managed the process of writing and approving the annual City of Calgary Property Tax Bylaw that is legislatively required to collect municipal and provincial property tax revenue.
Finance Projects Lead for a Corporate Program
City of Calgary, AB
- Led the development of financial and operations-related indicators and baselines to identify benefits and risks of a corporate efficiency-focused program.
- Managed a cross-departmental multi-million dollar contract consolidation initiative aimed at service improvement and efficiency gains (value for money) across the City’s facility portfolio leading to estimated annual savings of ~$500,000.
- Introduced a pilot project aimed at identifying opportunities to consolidate capital lifecycle, operations and maintenance work, and applicable financing of City’s Partner facilities.
Senior Advisor - External Relations
Philip Morris International
- Created a fiscal framework for a new tobacco category (heat-not-burn). Advocated for implementing a weight-based excise taxation structure with fiscal (tax and customs) authorities in line with international tax policy best practices.
- Managed regulatory affairs for a successful launch of a new tobacco category (heat-not-burn, branded as iQOS) in the market–ensured legislative compliance, presented to the public health community, and actively engaged regulatory authorities.
- Managed projects with the Financial Administration Authority to curb tobacco tax evasion and smuggling that contributed to the lowest (<3%) illicit tobacco market incidence among EU countries.
Senior Analyst – Business Planning & Development
Philip Morris International
- Conducted scenario analysis of competitors‘ behavior and market positioning and prepared business cases for more than 30 new product launches and several brand consolidations.
- Modeled an incentive structure for trade business partners (wholesale, distributor, and retail), increasing efficiency and annual cost savings of ~€300,000 through more targeted retail bonus payments.
- Coordinated a team of business planning and budgeting analysts responsible for overall planning accuracy and timely delivery of budgets, rolling forecasts, and ad hoc financial analysis required by senior management.
Financial Analyst - Budgeting & Reporting
Philip Morris International
- Prepared monthly sales forecasts with 12 major retailers, wholesalers, and distributors for a portfolio of ~10 tobacco brands across three price categories.
- Analyzed price, volume, and mix variances for the entire product portfolio of ~10 brands. Researched market developments and supported the central investor relations team (co-authored annual and quarterly reports).
- Evaluated the impact of macroeconomic, fiscal, and regulatory development on total industry volume, company market share, and financials.
Economist
Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic
- Led a joint tax project with the OECD on tax policy best-practices and possible implementation in Slovakia. Acted as a subject matter expert in OECD (Paris) and European Commission (Brussels) working groups on economic and tax policy.
- Forecasted ~€2 billion in excise tax revenue and proposed an innovative vehicle taxation scheme implemented in national legislation with ~€40 million/year budget impact.
- Contributed to the policy debate as the most productive author and co-author of several official publications; policy briefs (nine published, one internal) and analytical papers (one published, three internal); published Op-Ed in prominent national weekly.
- Evaluated the impact of macroeconomic development and proposed fiscal policy measures on demand and supply in affected markets; energy utilities (oil and gas, electricity, coal), transportation, tobacco, alcohol, and the food and beverage industries.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
University of Calgary - Calgary, Canada
Master's Degree in International Relations
University of Economics - Bratislava, Slovakia
Certifications
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
CFA institute
Skills
Finance
Chartered Financial Analysis, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Market Research Analyst, Taxation, Income Tax, Financial Advisory, Forecasting, Indirect Taxation, Cost Efficiency, Pricing, Total Addressable Market (TAM)
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
Industry Expertise
Retail & Wholesale
Other
Policy, Analysis, Public Policy, Financial Analysis, Financial Policy, Regulatory Analysis, Budget Management, Fiscal Management, Business Planning, Finance, Customer Analysis, FMCG, Tobacco, Stakeholder Engagement, Economics, Diplomacy, Reporting, Change Management, Project Management, Corporate, Regulatory Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Investor Relations, Marketing, Sales, Distribution, Product Delivery, Consulting, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Assets, Operations, Facilities Management, Microdata, Market Sizing, Business Strategy, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Market Research & Analysis, Market Segmentation, Strategy, Procurement, Science
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