Elsa is available for hire
Hire ElsaElsa Fernandez
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Sales Operations and Demand Planning Expert
Tomball, TX, United States
Toptal member since April 1, 2024
Bio
Elsa is an experienced sales and operations (S&OP) and demand planning expert focused on strategic long-term growth through business intelligence data. She excels in strategic management and problem-solving and shows strong leadership—managing global clients and improving supply chain efficiency by enhancing revenue and inventory productivity. Elsa's expertise ensures the alignment of sales forecasts, production plans, and inventory levels for accurate demand forecasting and risk minimization.
Career Highlights
Senior Demand Planning Manager, Latin America
Abbott Laboratories
Demand Planning Manager
Danone
Demand Planning Manager, Mexico
Abbott Laboratories
Education Highlights
Bachelor's Degree
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Case Studies
Forecasting Model Implementation for Latin America
Demand PlanningSales & Operations Planning (S&OP)PlanningMicrosoft ExcelProcurementReporting+ 4 more
S&OP Reporting Tool for Latin America
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)Demand PlanningMicrosoft ExcelProcurementReportingBest Practices+ 3 more
Software Expertise
- Microsoft Excel
Other Expertise
- Data Modeling
- Data Visualization
- Demand Planning
- Five-year Projections
- Inventory Management
- Planning
- Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
Work Experience
Commercial Forecasting Specialist for Animal Health Industry
2025 - 2026
Zoetis - Main
- Led end-to-end commercial forecasting for the U.S. pet care portfolio, translating complex demand and inventory signals into actionable plans aligned across commercial, finance, marketing, and market insights.
- Built and enhanced advanced forecasting models for key animal health brands, improving visibility to demand drivers, forecast accuracy, and decision-making for high-impact business planning.
- Advised senior leadership with data-driven insights on market trends, commercial risks, and growth opportunities, elevating forecasting from a reporting function to a strategic planning capability.
- Integrated external market indicators, statistical methods, and cross-functional business inputs into forecasting processes, strengthening scenario planning and improving alignment between commercial expectations and operational execution.
Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Commercial Finance, Sales Forecasting, Forecasting, P&L Forecasting, Financial Forecasting, Commercial Strategy, Data Analysis, Data Analytics, Data Engineering
Procurement Analyst for Multinational Company
2025 - 2025
Nokia - Main
- Led end-to-end analysis of Bell Labs’ highest-budget procurement workflow, translating a fragmented forecasting and budgeting process into a structured operating model that improved visibility, planning discipline, and decision support.
- Designed and automated a dynamic multi-year budgeting and procurement tracker in Excel with macros, enabling annual reset functionality, standardized inputs, quarter-level allocation, and scalable use across future planning cycles.
- Built executive-ready reporting tools with visual summaries of CAPEX, OPEX, R&D, and credit card spend, giving procurement leaders clearer insight into demand status, purchase order progress, budget gaps, and required forecast adjustments.
- Integrated data from Concur and SAP into a streamlined reporting solution for credit card on purchasing activity, delivering tools and documentation that improved team self-sufficiency, reduced processes, and strengthened expense knowledge by concept.
Focus areas: Microsoft Excel, Budgeting
Data Expert for Inventory Management Tool Development
2025 - 2025
Schneider
- Built a U.S. Power Products sales-in/sales-out model incorporating customer and distributor inventory, with links to market size and share to compare true consumption versus shipments.
- Partnered in a high-performing three-person team with complementary strengths; the client recommendation was approved and successfully implemented internally.
- Developed Schneider Electric’s first recommendation for a key Power Products client, identifying portfolio actions to improve assortment efficiency and support growth through more targeted customer discussions.
Focus areas: Data Engineering, Data Wrangling, Data Pipelines, Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Independent Consultant
2020 - 2025
Self-employed
- Helped startups with sales projections and analysis. This included a popsicle project and a black kitchen restaurant.
- Assisted small and mid-size startups with feasibility analysis and strategic planning, working with top-level investors and stakeholders across multiple sectors.
- Prepared reports and projections based on this analysis, evaluated current capital expenditures, established and analyzed profit plans, identified financial performance trends, and provided improvement recommendations.
Focus areas: Five-year Projections, Revenue Projections, Sales Projections, Excel 365, Microsoft 365, Sales Planning, Forecasting, Sales Forecasting, Data Modeling, Data Analysis, Organizational Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Power Pivot, Structure, Financial Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Financial Forecasting, Healthcare, Data Visualization
Senior Demand Planning Manager, Latin America
2012 - 2020
Abbott Laboratories
- Implemented a market share forecasting process considering days on hand in Mexico, Peru, and Central America. Introduced the sell-out model, leveraging client data in Chile and Ecuador.
- Managed KPIs effectively, monitoring metrics crucial for organizational success. Analyzed KPI data with precision, identifying areas for enhancement and promptly implementing actions—driving continuous improvement and ensuring sustained growth.
- Conducted a thorough analysis of inventory levels, in-house and across channels, to ensure an efficient supply chain—significantly reducing days on hand across the board.
- Developed several in-house Excel tools to increase demand planning structure efficiency for reporting purposes.
Focus areas: Demand Planning, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Excel 365, SAP, Power Pivot, Microsoft 365, SAP BusinessObjects (BO), Five-year Projections, Market Demand, Revenue Projections, Sales Projections, Sales Planning, Forecasting, Sales Forecasting, Data Modeling, Financial Modeling, Data Analysis, Organizational Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Reporting, Best Practices, Change Management, Training, User Adoption, Structure, Revenue & Expense Projections, Financial Forecasting, Data Engineering, Data Analytics, Commercial Strategy, Commercial Finance, Healthcare, Data Visualization
Demand Planning Manager
2011 - 2012
Danone
- Managed $600 million of sales projection for around 600,000 SKUs.
- Improved the forecasting accuracy of KPIs by item, line, and total.
- Implemented the Forecast Pro tool—improving the overall forecasting and planning process with several iterations.
Focus areas: Planning, Demand Planning, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Five-year Projections, Excel 365, SAP, Power Pivot, Microsoft 365, SAP BusinessObjects (BO), Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Revenue Projections, Sales Projections, Sales Planning, Forecasting, Sales Forecasting, Data Modeling, Data Analysis, Organizational Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Procurement, Reporting, Best Practices, Structure, Financial Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Financial Forecasting, Data Engineering, Data Analytics, Commercial Strategy, Commercial Finance, Data Visualization
Demand Planning Manager, Mexico
2007 - 2011
Abbott Laboratories
- Established a demand planning process based on sell-out information considering the days on hand for around $100 million in sales per year.
- Improved the overall forecasting accuracy for the assigned country.
- Built a distressed inventory tool, which helped process and reduce $1.4 million in products to expire.
Focus areas: Demand Planning, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Inventory Management, Five-year Projections, Excel 365, SAP, Power Pivot, Microsoft 365, SAP BusinessObjects (BO), Supply Chain, Revenue Projections, Sales Projections, Sales Planning, Forecasting, Sales Forecasting, Data Modeling, Data Analysis, Organizational Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Procurement, Reporting, Best Practices, User Adoption, Structure, Financial Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Financial Forecasting, Data Engineering, Data Analytics, Commercial Strategy, Commercial Finance, Healthcare, Data Visualization
FP&A Snacks Chief
2004 - 2007
Mondelez International
- Implemented Oracle Financial for the snacks business successfully.
- Participated in aligning the process for the annual budget, streamlining all areas involved.
- Executed ways to track the earnings variance analysis to understand the assumptions behind the forecast.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Planning, Excel 365, Oracle Financials, Microsoft 365, Financial Modeling, Data Analysis, Organizational Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Reporting, Best Practices, Budgeting, Structure, Revenue & Expense Projections, Financial Forecasting, P&L Forecasting, Data Analytics, Commercial Strategy, Commercial Finance, Data Visualization
Education
1999 - 2023
Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey - Monterrey, Mexico
Skills
Finance
Five-year Projections, Forecasting, Commercial Finance, Financial Modeling, Budgeting, P&L Forecasting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Data Analysis, Revenue & Expense Projections
Output Software
Microsoft Excel
Data & Analysis Software
Power Pivot
Industry Expertise
Healthcare, Higher Education
Other
Excel 365, Structure, Demand Planning, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Sales Projections, Planning, Sales Planning, Sales Forecasting, Data Modeling, Reporting, Data Engineering, Data Analytics, Commercial Strategy, Data Visualization, Microsoft 365, SAP BusinessObjects (BO), Market Demand, Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Organizational Analysis, Financial Forecasting, SAP, Oracle Financials, Revenue Projections, Procurement, Best Practices, Change Management, Training, User Adoption, Power Query, Microsoft Power BI, Testing, Data Wrangling, Data Pipelines, Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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