Pierino is available for hire
Hire PierinoPierino Branella, CFA
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Location
London, United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since
April 19, 2021
Piero has over 13 years of experience in developing financial models of the most disparate nature, including capital raising, tax optimization, financial planning, and transaction structuring as a consultant and in the oil and gas (Saudi Aramco), technology (Amazon), and financial sectors (BNP Paribas). His focus is on modeling, FP&A, valuation, data analysis, and financial derivatives. Piero has co-founded and successfully launched an ICO for a cryptocurrency providing liquidity, Linker Coin.
Career Highlights
Head of Analytics
Amazon.com
Senior Analyst
Saudi Aramco
Industry Expertise
Other Expertise
Work Experience
Head of Analytics
2016 - 2020
Amazon.com
- Led a team of data scientists, data analysts, and BI engineers to provide support and analytical thought leadership for the EU payment products like co-branded credit cards, installment loans, and 3P points. Achieved YoY revenue growth of over 30%.
- Drove strategy decisions to improve card acquisitions and spend leveraging data on customer behavior and consumer credit market analyses through complex Excel models built on data extracted using SQL.
- Designed a MECE revenue forecasting and variance analysis model for the loans business to come up with input-driven granular forecasts, attribute the overperformance or underperformance to specific factors, and save around 100 hours a year.
- Conceived, tested, and standardized various driver models in the context of sales leads and selection metrics to estimate the impact of various levers (selection, relevance, and conversion) on Amazon EU revenues.
Focus areas: Analytics, Finance, Technology, Data, Sales Growth, Data Science
Founder
2017 - 2019
Linker Coin
- Co-founded and successfully conducted an ICO of the cryptocurrency Linker Coin (LNC) with two fellow UC Berkeley classmates.
- Led the marketing and investors' outreach efforts to ensure an adequately capitalized ICO.
- Oversaw the quantitative trading activities and ran the risk management process.
Focus areas: Cryptocurrency, Trading, Futures & Options, Derivatives
Senior Analyst
2014 - 2016
Saudi Aramco
- Analyzed, planned, structured, and valued cross-border corporate transactions, such as M&A, joint ventures, divestments, and buyouts, in the refining and marketing space with a deal value of over $300 million.
- Developed a three-way financial statement transactional planning model for a downstream retail joint venture initiative to support the final investment decision (organic growth versus acquisition).
- Analyzed the JV and wholly-owned downstream investments' performance putting together a financial KPI toolkit, including return on assets, margin analysis, and crack spread tracking for senior management.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Valuation, DCF Modeling, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Transaction Economics Manager
2012 - 2014
EY
- Developed transactional planning Excel-based models to allow corporations and partnerships to achieve the desired transaction objectives (merger, acquisition, divestiture, and reorganization) in a tax-efficient manner.
- Carried out the financial and tax modeling efforts for the IPO of several MLPs in the oil and gas and chemical sectors (Shell and Westlake). Raised a total of over $1 billion.
- Developed Excel-based complex taxation models for the oil and gas industry, focusing on the acquisition of oil and gas producing properties and implementing depreciation, depletion, amortization, and AMT calculations.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Taxation, DCF Valuation, DCF Modeling, Partnership Analysis, Business Taxation, Financials, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Junior Trader
2011 - 2012
Cutler Group
- Traded single-name equity options — market-making of up to 70 relatively illiquid names simultaneously using the in-house developed volatility model and researching stocks on the Bloomberg platform.
- Engaged in equity exchange-traded funds (ETF) options trading. Cooperated with the quantitative strategists in the interest of continuously refining the underlying pricing model.
- Researched and modeled option strategies for corporate special situations, such as continuous tracking and analysis of major mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, stock offerings, and warrants' issuances.
- Established and maintained a company-wide Excel-based P&L tracking system, incorporating several relevant metrics and trading statistics such as average spreads, theoretical edge, and realized edge.
Focus areas: Option Pricing, Options Trading, Modeling, Equity, Volatility, Market Risk, Series 7
Cost and Risk Engineer
2007 - 2010
Saipem
- Established and managed a cost control system to support the project managers' decision-making process.
- Conducted Monte Carlo simulations of the potential impact of operational risks to simulate the expected range of the financial results of projects.
- Ran the operational risk management process of a crude oil processing plant, a water injection pumping station, a water pipeline, and a platform fabrication yard with total revenues of around €3 billion, coordinating five dedicated risk engineers.
Focus areas: Risk, Costing
Education
2010 - 2011
Master's Degree in Finance
University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, California, USA
2006 - 2007
Master's Degree in Economics
Scuola Enrico Mattei - Eni Corporate University - Milan, Italy
2001 - 2006
Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering
University of L'Aquila - L'Aquila, Italy
Certifications
JUNE 2016 - PRESENT
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
CFA Institute
JULY 2011 - FEBRUARY 2014
Series 7 — General Securities Representative Exam
FINRA Organization
JANUARY 2008 - PRESENT
GMAT — Top 1% Worldwide
Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
Collaboration That Works
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