Michael Yarmo, Finance Expert in Toronto, ON, Canada
Michael is available for hire
Hire Michael

Michael Yarmo

Verified Expert  in Finance

Bio

As an experienced investment banker, Mike has led M&A, raising capital and restructuring dozens of mid-sized North American-based companies from both an operational and financial perspective. Before his investment banking career, he was the president and majority owner of a multi-million dollar frozen foods manufacturer sold to a competitor after doubling the revenue and asset base. Mike has left investment banking to focus on his two children and work on exciting new projects.

Career Highlights

Managing Director
Newpoint Strategic Advisors
President & Majority Owner
VanMar Sales & Marketing

Education Highlights

Bachelor's Degree
University of Toronto

Case Studies

Industry Expertise

  • Business Services
  • Advertising & Marketing
  • Commercial Printing
  • Construction
  • Commercial & Residential Construction
  • Consumer Services
  • Energy, Utilities & Waste
  • Finance

Other Expertise

  • Debt Financing
  • Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
  • Gross Profit Margin Growth
  • Investment Capital Raising
  • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
  • Pricing
  • Turnaround Management

Work Experience

EVP | Sales and Corporate Development

2022 - PRESENT
SIMAC Insurance Services
  • Set and executed sales strategies, having the company enter new distribution channels. This included writing for major insurance publications, hosting booths at key conferences, and reaching out to decision-makers at the largest insurance carriers.
  • Created points of differentiation from similar insurance service competitors by integrating and marketing new AI tools that would reduce time spent on low-value paperwork.
  • Lobbied and made alterations to insurance regulations to improve service levels for Canadian P&C insurance claimants. Worked closely with industry regulators to set strategy and complete analysis.
  • Led the buy-side M&A process, raised equity capital, and enacted a roll-up strategy for tech-focused insurance service businesses. Led the post-acquisition integration.
Focus areas: Business to Business (B2B), Business Development, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Marketing, P&C Insurance, B2B Lead Generation, B2B Partnerships, Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Cash Flow Analysis, P&L Analysis, Strategy, Request for Proposal (RFP), M&A (Buy-side), Operations Management

Direct-to-consumer Fulfilment Consultant

2021 - 2022
The Kraft Heinz Company - CRM/DTC
  • Built a corporate playbook to establish and scale D2C brands within Kraft Heinz, including technology and logistic frameworks.
  • Launched three D2C sites that leveraged Kraft Heinz's established brands, creating new sales channels. Our team and full business responsibility work closely with key internal Kraft Heinz partners.
  • Worked with a small D2C team and ran the marketing and daily operations, ensuring that the playbook was executed as planned and working out any flaws so that other brands could replicate our successes.
Focus areas: Business Strategy, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Logistics, United States, Facebook Ads, Team Management, Vendor Selection, Sourcing, Operational Workflow, Target Operating Models, Vendors & Suppliers, Corporate Finance, Activity-based Costing, B2B Lead Generation, B2B Partnerships, Business Development, Business to Business (B2B), Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, eCommerce, Cash Flow Analysis, P&L Analysis, Qualitative Research, Growth Strategy Consultants, Project Management, Strategy, Market Sizing, Business Models, Procurement, Strategic Planning, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Supply Chain, Supply Chain Operations, Logistics & Supply Chain, Best Practices, Change Management, Training, Business Consulting, Management Consulting, Operations Management, Business Processes, Internal Communications

Managing Director

2018 - 2022
Newpoint Strategic Advisors
  • Led the restructuring of dozens of SMBs throughout North America in various industries at both the operational and financial levels. Applied a 100-day turnaround plan to enable change management and a 13-week cash flow model to track progress.
  • Improved cash flow. The client faced rising input costs, causing negative EBITDA and the revolver loan to be closed. Found opportunities to take significant price increases with minimal impact on sales quantities after the business review.
  • Led client creditor negotiations for a client who broke debt covenants facing a senior creditor looking to call the loan. Demonstrated that calling the loan would yield pennies on the dollar in bankruptcy proceedings.
  • Restructured balance sheets. The client was to refinance senior debt in 18 months. A springer in loan documents allows the creditor to call the loan early if EOY does not secure new debt.
  • Worked with the creditor on extension, as enacting Springer would have forced Chapter 11.
  • Helped raise capital by going to private markets to place sub-notes with accredited investors. Created an additional liquidity runway, allowing the client to stay compliant. The client had a high leverage ratio and could not refinance senior loans.
  • Performed a corporate carve-out for the client, a diversified retailer with 12 months of positive net liquidity remaining with an underperforming furniture division.
Focus areas: Budgeting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Balance Sheet Optimization, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Cash Flow Modeling, Pricing, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Turnaround Management, Financial Restructuring, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Gross Profit Margin Growth, Consumer Products, Investment Capital Raising, Debt Financing, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Public Companies, Valuation, IRR, Revenue & Expense Projections, Renewables, Capital Raising, Working Capital Management, United States, Microsoft PowerPoint, P&L Forecasting, Balance Sheets, Cash Flow Management, Cost Cutting (Cost-out), Cost Modeling, Microsoft 365, Automotive, Luxury Goods, Google Docs, Process Optimization, Team Management, Reorganization, Business Restructuring, Corporate Governance, Target Operating Models, Vendors & Suppliers, Corporate Finance, CFO, Fundraising, Pitch Decks, Cap Tables, Controller, Organizational Change Management (OCM), B2B Partnerships, Business Development, Cash Flow Analysis, P&L Analysis, Investment Banking, HVAC, Strategy, Market Sizing, Business Models, Loans, Exit Strategy, Fractional CFO, Interim CFO, Finance Strategy, Operational Finance, Deal Advisory, Supply Chain, Logistics & Supply Chain, Distressed/Special Situations, M&A (Buy-side), Change Management, Reporting, Training, Management Consulting

President & Majority Owner

2013 - 2017
VanMar Sales & Marketing
  • Built a team of three investors to acquire an underperforming food distribution company. Led the acquisition team to initiate an LOI, negotiated the sale of the purchase agreement, and ran the due diligence within six months after signing an NDA.
  • Refocused the product mix from low-margin baking goods (e.g., flour, sugar) to higher-margin/less competitive frozen foods. Built out large industrial freezers, developed relationships with new suppliers, and found new sales channels.
  • Increased GM by 2% during a price war between SYSCO/GFS by negotiating for rebates, pursuing truckload buys, increasing prices while improving rigorously-measured service levels, changing the product mix, and negotiating better A/P terms.
  • Achieved $2+ million in sales by executing a new sales strategy. Implemented a frozen food pivot, personally cold-called chefs, and hired new sales staff. Focused on adding new customers located on existing routes to increase capacity.
  • Developed a strict 20-, 30-, and 40-day collection policy managed by the inside sales manager, who spoke to customers daily. Before, a very lax A/R collection policy put strains on its cash position and prevented truckload buys.
  • Reduced overall expenses by 15% through lease contract renegotiation, preventative care on the truck/freezer, and upgraded inventory system, improving the efficiency of the warehouse.
Focus areas: Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Cash Flow Forecasting, Strategic Planning & Execution, Price Analysis, Equity Financing, Budgeting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Investment Capital Raising, Debt Financing, Turnaround Management, Manufacturing, Working Capital Management, P&L Forecasting, Balance Sheets, Cash Flow Management, Cost Cutting (Cost-out), Cost Modeling, Microsoft 365, Retail & Wholesale, Intuit QuickBooks, Vendor Selection, Sourcing, Operational Workflow, Corporate Governance, Activity-based Costing, Strategy, Market Sizing, Portfolio Analysis, Procurement, Small Business, Small Business Management, Business Plan Consulting, Business Planning, Supply Chain, Logistics & Supply Chain

Director | Product Innovation and Pricing Strategy

2010 - 2013
ConAgra Foods
  • Led the team responsible for frozen and snacking innovations for North American release. The team was involved from the ideation stage through to the launch strategy, including supply chain optimization, pricing, regulations, retailer launch, and meeting consumer demands.
  • Converted ConAgra from its "cost + margin" to a "price to value" pricing policy, bringing more data analysis in order to capture more consumer surplus being generated by marketing, in-store merchandising, and new products.
  • Led open communication with Walmart, Costco, Target, and other major retailers regarding ConAgra's pricing/promotion activities with the entire market.
  • Built models and partnered with Neilsen to get real-time data on customer patterns when products were discounted at Walmart. The goal was to see what worked (e.g., 50% off, 2 for $3, in weekend flyers, buy space outside the aisle, and more).
  • Led price increase inputs into the budget and had to develop new ideas when volume fell short or costs exceeded expectations. Results were reported to Wall Street.
Focus areas: Unit Pricing, Revenue Optimization, Financial Management, Market Research, Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Profit & Loss (P&L), Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Budgeting, Price Analysis, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Consumer Products, Pricing, Revenue & Expense Projections, Pricing Strategy, Product Strategy, Microsoft PowerPoint, Pricing Consulting, Canada, Food & Beverage, Team Management, Vendor Selection, Sourcing, Operational Workflow, Target Operating Models, Vendors & Suppliers, Corporate Finance, Trade Finance, Product Costing, Activity-based Costing, Forecasting, Business Analysis, Business Analytics, Business Process Analysis, B2B Lead Generation, B2B Partnerships, Business Development, Business to Business (B2B), Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, P&L Analysis, Growth Strategy Consultants, Market Research & Analysis, Strategy, Procurement, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Supply Chain Operations, Reporting, Training, Operations Management

Education

2007 - 2010

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) in Finance

CFA Institution - Toronto, Canada

2000 - 2005

Bachelor's Degree in Finance

University of Toronto - Toronto, Canada

Skills

Finance

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Cash Flow Modeling, Profit & Loss (P&L), Balance Sheets, P&L Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), DCF Valuation, Pricing, Working Capital Management, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Pricing Strategy, Financial Modeling, Data Analysis, Valuation, Revenue & Expense Projections, Asset-backed Securities (ABS), CFO, Fundraising, Forecasting, Portfolio Analysis, Finance Strategy, Operational Finance, Deal Advisory, M&A (Buy-side), Cash Flow, Accounting, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Capital Raising, Corporate Finance, Trade Finance, Controller, Equity Financing, Price Analysis, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Market Research, Financial Management, Revenue Optimization, Unit Pricing, Financial Restructuring, Equipment Finance, Equity Valuation, Capital Budgeting, Debt Restructuring

Output Software

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs

Data & Analysis Software

Intuit QuickBooks, SAS, Salesforce

Industry Expertise

Consumer Products, Food & Beverage, Logistics, Retail & Wholesale, Public Companies, Small Business, Luxury Goods, Automotive

Geographic Expertise

United States, Canada, Latin America (LATAM), Europe

Other

Turnaround Management, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Product Costing, Activity-based Costing, Cost Modeling, P&L Management, Balance Sheet Optimization, Microsoft 365, Industry Analysis, Cost Cutting (Cost-out), Investment Capital Raising, Debt Financing, Annual Budgets, Manufacturing, Market Research & Analysis, Pricing Consulting, Cash Flow Management, Business Strategy, Finance, Excel Expert, Direct to Consumer (D2C), IRR, B2B, Process Optimization, Team Management, Reorganization, Vendor Selection, Business Restructuring, Sourcing, Target Operating Models, Vendors & Suppliers, Pitch Decks, Cap Tables, B2B Lead Generation, B2B Partnerships, Business Development, Business to Business (B2B), Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, eCommerce, Cash Flow Analysis, P&L Analysis, Investment Banking, Qualitative Research, Growth Strategy Consultants, Investment Funds, Project Management, Market Segmentation, Strategy, Market Sizing, Business Models, Loans, Exit Strategy, Procurement, Strategic Planning, eCommerce Analysis, Fractional CFO, Interim CFO, Small Business Management, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Business Plan Consulting, Business Planning, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Operations, Logistics & Supply Chain, Distressed/Special Situations, Best Practices, Change Management, Reporting, Training, Precedent Transaction Analysis, Business Consulting, Management Consulting, Operations Management, Business Processes, Internal Communications, Financial Innovation, Product Strategy, Contract Negotiation, Renewables, Operational Workflow, Corporate Governance, HVAC, Request for Proposal (RFP), Strategic Planning & Execution, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Product Marketing, Innovation Management, Investments, Market Assessment, Financing, Gross Margins, Pricing Models, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Post-merger Integration, Team Leadership, Branding, Sales Strategy, Employee Engagement, Commodity Markets, Budget Modeling, Client Presentations, Innovation, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Value Proposition, New Products, Revenue & Pricing Support, New Project Pricing Systems & Analysis, Facebook Ads, Microsoft, Google, Restructuring, Business Analysis, Business Analytics, Business Process Analysis, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Marketing, P&C Insurance, Big Data, M&A Strategy, M&A Analysis

Collaboration That Works

How to Work with Toptal

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

Share your needs

Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2

Choose your talent

Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3

Start your risk-free talent trial

Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.

Top talent is in high demand.

Start hiring