Vikram is available for hire
Hire VikramVikram Sekar
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Toptal member since February 12, 2024
Expertise
Bio
Vikram is an expert enterprise performance management (EPM) architect who seamlessly orchestrates planning solutions as a practice head and delivery lead. Collaborating with C-level executives, he guides EPM projects from conception to fruition and handles lifecycle implementations and financial transformations with techno-functional prowess and managerial finesse. Vikram's strategic EPM consulting skills elevate any enterprise's vision.
Career Highlights
Consulting Manager
Huron Consulting Group
Anaplan Practice Head
Rittman Mead Consulting
EPM Lead Consultant
Sopra Steria
Certification Highlights
Anaplan Solution Architect
Anaplan
Case Studies
Software Expertise
- Anaplan
Other Expertise
- Budget Modeling
- Data Management
- Hyperion EPM Architect
- Oracle Enterprise Planning & Budgeting Cloud Service (EPBCS)
- Oracle Hyperion Planning
- PBCS
- Planning
Work Experience
Anaplan Advisor
2022 - 2024
Freelance
- Transformed finance planning for a UK wine manufacturing company with Anaplan and a "what if" system, reducing revision time from one week to one hour.
- Led the Anaplan center of excellence for a Singaporean fleet company, overseeing program delivery in line with Anaplan best practices and ensuring successful system adoption by users.
- Architected a touchless planning system on Anaplan for an Indian NBFC, reducing planning time from one month to one week. I implemented a real-time mitigation plan, aligning with monthly actuals seamlessly and eliminating manual intervention.
- Conducted a health check on a manufacturing company's Anaplan planning system, facilitating ROI realization within one year instead of the anticipated two years.
- Optimized an Anaplan project delivered by another vendor, achieving a recurring saving of one million for the client on the total cost of ownership.
- Leveraged Oracle, Anaplan, and Workday to lead requirement analyses and recommend the best EPM solution for centralized reporting and process standardization at a conglomerate in the Middle East.
- Developed a technical driver-based demand planning solution for a beverage company in the UK, resulting in a 7% improvement in forecast accuracy and a 1.5% increase in revenue.
- Organized the finance transformation program for an automobile manufacturing company in the US, overseeing objectives, solutions, architecture, and outcomes by managing multiple implementation partners.
- Facilitated the establishment of an in-house Anaplan team for a US educational institution, implementing a technical support framework, training new hires, and offering cross-training to existing resources.
- Refined financial planning for an Indian company, successfully transitioning from IGAAP to IND AS, conducting scenario analysis on key drivers, and reporting essential metrics to the board.
Focus areas: Anaplan, Oracle BI, Oracle BIP, APIs, Budgeting, Data Management, Oracle Enterprise Planning & Budgeting Cloud Service (EPBCS), Hyperion EPM Architect, Oracle Hyperion Planning, Hyperion Financial Management, Adaptive Planning, SQL, Azure, Smartview, Jira, Informatica Master Data Management (MDM), Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Business Performance Management (BPM), Budget Modeling, Planning
Consulting Manager
2015 - 2022
Huron Consulting Group
- Crafted a go-to-market solution for an NBFC and implemented demand planning in Anaplan, engineering accelerators for doubled cost efficiency and three times faster delivery, surpassing industry standards.
- Oversaw architecture finalization, design analysis, and technical solution development, contributing to Anaplan's cloud solution with financial benefits of 6% to 8% of net revenue.
- Led IP ownership services, steering delivery, adoption, renewal, and expansion strategies. I yielded a notable 20% operational efficiency boost, enhanced user adoption by 15%, and increased overall client satisfaction by 10%.
- Represented the company at Anaplan events, which resulted in a 20% increase in collaborative initiatives and strategic alliances.
- Executed strategic programs pivotal in business procurement and collaborated with sales and marketing for impactful presentations, webinars, and pre-sales management, contributing to a 15% growth in client acquisition and market presence.
- Managed end-to-end project processes, including statements of work, requests for proposals, resource planning and training, and cost and effort estimation, ensuring precise execution and cost-effectiveness.
- Conducted team building and enablement through training sessions, hired over 50 professionals, and efficiently managed the entire Anaplan practice as the practice lead.
- Played a pivotal role in the company's achievement of Oracle's "Partner of the Year" award, leading the development of pioneering cloud solutions for finance use cases, focusing on planning and budgeting.
Focus areas: Technology Consulting, Business Performance Management (BPM), Practice Management, Program Management, Anaplan, Adaptive Planning, Azure, Budget Modeling, Data Management, APIs, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Essbase, Hyperion EPM Architect, Smartview, SQL, Oracle Enterprise Planning & Budgeting Cloud Service (EPBCS), PBCS, Budgeting, Planning
Anaplan Practice Head
2014 - 2015
Rittman Mead Consulting
- Hired staff to establish the Anaplan practice in India, facilitating global operations across the UK, the US, and India.
- Led program planning, ensuring successful service delivery and a 95% client satisfaction rate.
- Collaborated with finance and supply chain leaders, achieving a 20% increase in practice targets and driving business growth through the strategic development of the Anaplan practice.
- Served as principal consultant and solution architect, delivering projects that exceeded $4 million.
- Created versatile design templates and strategies for clients focused on Anaplan, handling all facets of managed services projects and collaborating closely with dedicated managers.
Focus areas: Technology Consulting, Anaplan, Oracle BI, Oracle Enterprise Planning & Budgeting Cloud Service (EPBCS), Hyperion EPM Architect, Oracle Hyperion Planning, Essbase, PBCS, Budget Modeling, Budgeting, Planning, Business Performance Management (BPM)
EPM Lead Consultant
2012 - 2014
Sopra Steria
- Led the entire project lifecycle, from requirements gathering to system design and testing of budgeting and forecasting systems.
- Collaborated closely with the Oracle product team and worked directly with the product owner for beta testing of PBCS.
- Managed the maintenance of Essbase and various planning applications, handling business-as-usual changes.
- Worked within an ITIL-structured support environment, demonstrating a deep understanding of ITIL processes.
- Conducted external training on behalf of Oracle University.
- Implemented quality control measures and conducted database audits to ensure accurate and appropriate use of data.
Focus areas: Technology Consulting, Hyperion EPM Architect, Oracle Hyperion Planning, Business Performance Management (BPM), Essbase, Oracle Enterprise Planning & Budgeting Cloud Service (EPBCS), PBCS, Budget Modeling, Budgeting, Planning
Education
2008 - 2012
Bachelor's Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering
Anna University - Chennai, India
Certifications
AUGUST 2016 - DECEMBER 2024
Anaplan Solution Architect
Anaplan
OCTOBER 2014 - PRESENT
Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud
Oracle
Skills
Data & Analysis Software
Anaplan, SQL, Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 11g (OBIEE)
Finance
Budgeting
Output Software
Jira
Other
PBCS, Oracle Hyperion Planning, EPM, Oracle Enterprise Planning & Budgeting Cloud Service (EPBCS), Hyperion EPM Architect, Engineering Management, Budget Modeling, Planning, Data Management, Relational Databases, Hyperion Essbase, Hyperion Reporting Studio, APIs, Informatica Master Data Management (MDM), Technology Consulting, Business Performance Management (BPM), Practice Management, Program Management, Oracle BI, Essbase, Oracle BIP, Hyperion Financial Management, Adaptive Planning, Azure, Smartview, Amazon S3 (AWS S3)
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