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Bryan Johnson
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Finance Expert
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Toptal member since December 1, 2022
Bio
Bryan is a seasoned financial consultant in strategic finance, planning, and analysis, with a PhD in financial mathematics and having spent over 14 years at BlackRock and investment banks such as JPMorgan. He has helped leadership teams invest in the technology, media, communication, and healthcare sectors. Bryan has also raised funds as a CFO for a SaaS technology company in London, UK, and is now based in Vancouver and likes the flexibility that Toptal offers.
Career Highlights
Director | High-yield Research
Credit Suisse
CFO
VoxSmart
Vice President
BlackRock
Education Highlights
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The University of Manchester
Master's Degree
The University of Manchester
Case Studies
Company Analysis Summary
Asset ValuationFinancial ModelingCredit Risk
Investment Memo on a European Telecom
Asset ValuationCredit RiskBondsPro Forma Financial StatementsFinancial ModelingInvestment Cases+ 1 more
Expertise
- Bloomberg Terminal
- CFO
- Financial Modeling
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Fundraising
- Microsoft Office
- Revenue Projections
- Valuation
Work Experience
Director | High-yield Research
2018 - 2021
Credit Suisse
- Maintained full Excel financial models for over 50 high-yield companies, with complete KPI-driven revenue projections and detailed margin assumptions, leading to accurate quarterly company earnings forecasts.
- Generated and communicated high-yield bond market trade ideas to clients, contributing to record profits of over $100 million per year for the 2019 and 2020 trading desk, including large telecom, media, and technology positions, long and short.
- Conducted fundamental company research covering industry drivers, competitors, regulation, and consumer trends, resulting in numerous published trade ideas in addition to the annual summary financials publication sent to over 1,000 clients.
Focus areas: Bloomberg Terminal, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Cash Flow, Revenue & Expense Projections, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
CFO
2017 - 2018
VoxSmart
- Created a detailed financial business model for board updates on optimal capital allocation decisions, such as sales force growth, resulting in ten new clients in three months.
- Led a new product pricing strategy, generating higher pricing per unit of 15%.
- Oversaw all costs, planned expenditures, and managed working capital to improve liquidity, supporting two new team members in Asia.
- Moved accountancy services to KPMG, lowering costs while improving the ability to scale invoicing and expense management.
- Founded and drove to completion the alternative technology solution: Twilio, implemented by the development team, lowering the cost of goods sold by 50%.
- Reduced SaaS storage costs by 20% after working with the development team to optimize the AWS spend.
- Pitched to several venture capital firms resulting in a proposal for a $10 million investment from a Silicon Valley firm.
- Generated new investments by issuing a convertible bond to raise capital, improving financial strength and flexibility.
Focus areas: Microsoft Office, Budget Modeling, Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Cash Flow, Revenue & Expense Projections, SME/SMB Financing, Debt Financing, Controller, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Vice President
2011 - 2017
BlackRock
- Performed fundamental research on high-yield companies, covering the telecom, media, technology, and healthcare sectors, and presented recommendations to portfolio managers, resulting in 100+ fixed-income and equity investments.
- Met quarterly with European companies' CEOs and CFOs to discuss business valuation factors, such as revenue growth and strategy, and understand their capital allocation and capital structure plans for optimal portfolio adjustments.
- Supported the team growth from 6 to over 20 people, including conducting 40+ interviews, and helped onboard new analysts by advising on the investment process and culture.
- Mentored junior analysts in best practices, such as, for example, in financial modeling and business valuation.
- Developed sector investment strategies to boost portfolio returns through regular management meetings, dialogue with regulators, conferences, competitive analysis, and other network conversations.
Focus areas: Bloomberg Terminal, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Valuation, Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Cash Flow, Revenue & Expense Projections, SME/SMB Financing, Debt Financing, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Associate
2005 - 2010
JPMorgan Chase
- Restructured €3 billion of debt through intense negotiations with stakeholders, including legal documents alignment, for three multinational companies, defining and leading the negotiation strategy with solicitors and the lender.
- Identified where the value breaks in distressed companies' capital structure, leading to optimal investments and decisions in restructured debt.
- Analyzed potential deals as part of a €10-30 million special situation investing fund.
- Led research on a $2 billion European healthcare loan portfolio and $8 billion retail and consumer products portfolio.
- Performed fundamental analysis on high-yield companies focusing on liquidity, free cash flow, capital structure, and valuation upside.
Focus areas: Bloomberg Terminal, Microsoft Office, Derivative Pricing, Restructuring, Credit Risk, Asset Valuation, Financial Modeling, Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Cash Flow, Revenue & Expense Projections, Debt Financing, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Education
2001 - 2005
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Financial Mathematics
The University of Manchester - Manchester, United Kingdom
1997 - 2001
Master's Degree in Physics
The University of Manchester - Manchester, United Kingdom
Skills
Finance
Valuation, Credit Risk, Asset Valuation, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Modeling, CFO, Equity Research, Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Cash Flow, Revenue & Expense Projections, Derivative Pricing, Fundraising, Controller, Revenue Modeling, Capital Structuring, Pro Forma Financial Statements
Output Software
Microsoft Excel
Other
Bloomberg Terminal, Microsoft Office, Budget Modeling, Restructuring, Revenue Projections, Financial Forecasting, SME/SMB Financing, Debt Financing, Coding, Teaching, Company Analysis, Bonds, Investment Cases, Investment Research
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