About Dawn

Dawn Little is a business building, profit driving, suite of contradictions—and proud of it.

She's a corporate turnaround artist who thinks like an entrepreneur. She's a CPA and MBA who thinks like a composer. She's a business strategist who thinks like an artist. Within these seemingly disparate elements is a pragmatic and creative executive who consistently contributes innovative ideas and ROI from unexpected sources and in unexpected situations.

For over 20 years—within Fortune companies and the Big Four—Ms. Little has 'broken the mold' by enthusiastically and proactively transforming the traditional CPA 'bean counter, green eyeshade, sleeve protected' mentality into a vital and successful business strategist role with a flexible, hands-on, "special-projects" orientation. Her background as an unconventional yet effective executive handling internal consulting, international, and audit leadership projects was forged within Purdue Pharma, Becton Dickinson & Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and IBM.

Ms. Little sees the enterprise as more than the sum of its parts—she sees beyond the "normal" and envisions unique strategies that benefit a business unit and the entire organization.

When she was recruited internally to help avoid a critical production shutdown, she stepped up and became a crisis leader—preventing the loss of an $80 million revenue stream. When sales soared from $300 million to $2+ billion within five years, she introduced the company's first-ever metrics/reporting systems—reengineering the finance department to meet the challenges of accelerated growth. When she led internal audit teams, business units actually asked for audits—because her audit recommendations were known for increasing productivity and improving processes.

Ms. Little calls this ability to contribute across the enterprise, 'holistic business strategy.' And its bottom-line is profit. When asked about the genesis of her holistic process, Ms. Little answers, "In my early years working as a CPA and auditor, I came to believe that a company is made up of various elements, which, when combined toward a common cause (i.e., 'vision'), will reach successes beyond what the sum of the individual parts can attain. As I moved up in organizations I became a strategic resource, analyzing business processes and creating opportunities for productive, profitable change."

"As a holistic business strategist," says Ms. Little, "I am always thinking of how what I am doing can better relate to—and serve—the whole organization. I can 'speak the language' of the various business elements so I make numbers make sense to the non-numbers person; I make the marketing plan make sense to the operations people; I make the operations constraints make sense to the logistics folks, and so on. With understanding and buy-in, my ideas take flight and succeed in supporting (or delivering) profitable efficiencies or revenue. Seeing the results of a new idea ripple through an organization is very satisfying to me and very profitable to the company."

Using holistic strategies, Ms. Little has increased profits by converting chaotic situations into seamless, fully documented, productive business centers; made complex processes simpler, smarter, faster, and cheaper; transformed obstacles into opportunities; engineered enlightened solutions; and delivered unparalleled productivity. And while doing so she's kept companies compliant with federal mandates and regulations to prevent potentially harmful actions.

Ms. Little's executive performance is exemplified by personal brand attributes that include intelligence, vision, creativity, pragmatism, execution, analysis, passion, ethics, humanity, tenacity, communication, flexibility, experience, standards, poise, wisdom, and dependability.

Ms. Little's holistic perspective extends to her off-hours and her personal interests reflect wide diversity. She's an avid Yankees fan who sings a capella in women's barbershop groups and is a feng shui enthusiast. She is a genealogist who loves golf and plants luxurious container gardens. She loves Arthurian legends, medieval history, and animals. She believes in, and honors, the synchronicities that spring from the universal interconnectedness of all things, people, beings, and nature.

When asked if her broad interests have bearing upon her ability to be 'the un-CPA' — a creative strategist who transcends the numbers and inspires people and their organizations to achieve unprecedented success—Ms. Little replies, "I think while most 'technical CPA-types' are left-brain dominant, and artists are thought to be right-brain dominant, I am uniquely both. As a result, I holistically use my skills, abilities, and knowledge to demonstrate that unique combination in my work life."

Her performance proves her point. A member of her leadership team agrees, saying of Dawn Little, "She is courageous and decisive and exhibits a remarkable endurance in conducting her work. Most importantly, Dawn possesses the integrity and unselfishness to be a top-notch management official…"

Purdue restructured in late 2004 and Ms. Little accepted a package. Despite the SOX-driven shortage of CPAs, she resisted the temptation of a quick new job and after 20+ rewarding yet grueling years (including one year when her Christmas tree didn't come down until Easter), she took a badly needed sabbatical, using the time to recharge and redirect her career.

Reinvigorated and excited to return to the marketplace, she is now ready to bring her brand of profit-driving CPA, MBA, and strategist skills to a forward-thinking company that understands and values a holistic executive who drives momentum and profit.

Ms. Little holds an MBA in Accounting from Pace University. She resides in northern New Jersey.

Learn more about Dawn Little's career highlights.
Learn more about Dawn Little's credentials.