Michael Yarmo, Finance Expert in Toronto, ON, Canada
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Michael Yarmo

Verified Expert  in Finance

Management Consulting Expert

Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
Toptal Member Since
May 16, 2017

As an experienced investment banker, Mike has led the M&A, raising capital, and restructuring of dozens of mid-sized North American-based companies from both an operational and financial perspective. Before his investment banking career, Mike 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 working on exciting new projects.

Excel ExpertPricing ConsultingFinancial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)Financial ModelingRevenue & Expense ProjectionsCFOMergers & Acquisitions (M&A)ValuationFundraisingCorporate GovernanceChartered Financial Analyst (CFA)Corporate FinanceTrade FinanceBudgetingPost-merger IntegrationTurnaround ConsultingPricing Analysis

Career Highlights

Managing Director
Newpoint Strategic Advisors
President & Majority Owner
VanMar Sales & Marketing
Director, Product Innovation and Pricing Strategy
ConAgra Foods

Education Highlights

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
CFA Institution
Bachelor's Degree
University of Toronto

Case Studies

Work Experience

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 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

Managing Director

2018 - 2022
Newpoint Strategic Advisors
  • Mike has led restructuring of dozens of SMBs throughout North America in various industries at both the operational and financial level. Apply 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, 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 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)

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, 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 Modeling, Microsoft 365, Retail & Wholesale, Intuit QuickBooks, Vendor Selection, Sourcing, Operational Workflow, Corporate Governance, Activity-based Costing

Director, Product Innovation and Pricing Strategy

2010 - 2013
ConAgra Foods
  • Led team responsible for frozen and snacking innovations for North American release. Team involved from ideation stage through to launch strategy including supply chain optimization, pricing, regulations, retailer launch and meet 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 of aisle).
  • 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, 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
Image of Meal Kit Industry Blues: How Can Blue Apron Lift Its Malaise? publication
Publication

Meal Kit Industry Blues: How Can Blue Apron Lift Its Malaise?

https://www.toptal.com/finance/pricing-consultants/meal-kit-industry
2007 - 2010

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) in Finance

CFA Institution - Toronto, Canada

2000 - 2005

Bachelor's Degree in Finance

University of Toronto - Toronto, Canada

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