Experience

Download Dawn Little's resume (80KB PDF)

Twenty+ years' combined executive, internal consulting, international, and audit leadership experience in Fortune companies and the Big Four, including Purdue Pharma, Becton Dickinson & Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and IBM. Background as CPA. MBA in Accounting.

Prevented imminent closure of plant generating 80% of net revenue. Worked 80+ straight days to develop emergency plans that helped meet $400+ million Q4 sales target and satisfy government, company executives, and stakeholders.

Reengineered finance analytics infrastructure. Introduced first-ever metrics / reporting systems to meet challenges of accelerated growth ($300 million annual sales to $2+ billion in 5 years).

Led $2 million system conversion project, and increased payroll team efficiency by 30% through difficult turn-around, concurrently identifying and mitigating control weaknesses.

Accountability

Budgets: to $2 million
Reported: Sr. EVP / International Legal Counsel and Board of Directors with dotted line to CFO
Managed: 3 to 4 direct reports; teams of 20 indirectly
Locations: US, Canada, Europe, India, Cyprus, and Bermuda
Focus: Compliance, Risk Management, Corporate Governance, Internal Consultation, Project Management

Mission-Critical Impact
Recruited internally by VP/CFO to strategize pivotal rescue of factory manufacturing product equaling 80% of revenue stream.

Purdue urgently needed oversight approvals to continue making product at uninterrupted pace to meet current and future revenue goals. As OxyContin® / MS Contin® sales soared 800% from ~ $300 million / 1995 to $2.4 billion / 2003, deep infrastructure, manufacturing, FDA / DEA, and legal exposures became evident. Unannounced inspection revealed crucial non-compliance issues that threatened business continuity.

Immediately assigned by CFO and others in core management areas to lead crisis team and lay out tactical and operational strategies to prevent pending plant closure and allow ongoing manufacturing. "… The logical choice first and foremost… positive relationships with the folks at the factory… hands-on experience in operations, finance / audit expertise… in-depth knowledge of the company's products, especially controlled substances…" Controller, P.F. Labs

• Strategized plant rescue by identifying, planning and prioritizing inspection response / compliance initiatives that would correct enough critical deficiencies to keep plant open.
• Reduced manufacturing / distribution control risks by 50%. Achieved zero diversions, recordable losses, citations, fines, or administrative hearings following second and third inspections.
• Enabled additional 10% production and increased sales revenue beyond forecasted volume by conceiving / implementing progressive inventory management techniques for product waste.

Strategic Business & Finance Impact
Pioneered — and volunteered to lead — the improvement, invention, and support of revenue-critical manufacturing / business processes.

Ensured 1) functioning of all systems to safeguard uninterrupted supply of controlled substance raw material for production, and 2) meeting internal and mandated external policies. Delivered added value by identifying and implementing strategic cost savings initiatives, functional / procedural re-engineering opportunities, and process improvements.

Spurred alleviation of continuous on-site inspections, and provided documentation for later civil litigation through conceiving / executing compliance counter measures. Authored position papers, created $30 million expenditures matrix, and action-planned contributions to company's "88 opportunity points."

Conducted financial / systems analyses, support, and execution, provided insightful analysis and commentary to drive future company growth and support new product development teams. Assisted in providing / developing annual company budget, semi-annual forecasts, long-range forecast statements, due diligence analyses, cost/benefit presentations, and ad hoc reports.

• Appointed by CFO to lead functional turn-around of ailing customer satisfaction function toward world-class service deliverer. Originated strategically focused performance measurement system and beta site — both firsts for Purdue Finance.
• Eliminated $3 million in ongoing new product promotional costs through creation and introduction of newly-visible analytics for sales returns, damages, shipping errors, and other criteria.
• Designed and executed $5 million, third-party-vendor controlled substance prescription fulfillment review programs resulting in the first-time inclusion of KPIs in Purdue / major third party contracts.
• Innovated program to ramp up entry speed and career progression of new team members.
• Constructed shared knowledge database (researched / obtained technical expertise on government and industry regulations) for attaining / sustaining compliance. Took additional steps to ensure future success by teaching and training team members / peers in these and other federal guidelines.
• Derived regulated annual controlled substance quota quantities using — for the first time — total investment buy-in demand and "normal" pre-allocated inventory.
• Systematized gold standard biennial all-inclusive physical inventory procedures later adopted company-wide for all future inventories required by regulatory agencies.
• Delivered company's first-ever ability to craft performance-based capital expenditures / budgets, a direct result of reengineering corporate and local procurement functions.
• Devised mechanism to develop and maintain standard business processes (SBPs) later adopted function-wide as best practice.
• Originated / launched company-wide intranet site with exclusive rights hyperlink for executive team.

Accountability

Assumed project management responsibility for re-engineering corporate payroll and other finance areas. Managed daily payroll operations, auditing, and reporting for $80+ million payroll in 17 semi-monthly payroll groups. Oversaw staff of nine.

Strategic Business & Finance Impact

• Project-led seamless $2 million HR / payroll transaction processing system conversion during restructure, bringing in on time, within budget.
• Resuscitated corporate payroll function: increased productivity quality, initiated personal accountability practices, identified growth / needs opportunities, and cross-trained staff.
• Established foundational database for original compilation of relocation accrual standard costs; completed first-ever BDOSL gross-up calculations, input, and processing with zero adjustments.
• Researched / compiled data involving host affiliate tax equalization accruals to alert management to potential shortfall in balances. Negotiated with IRS to abate $36,000 in BDOSL tax penalties.
• Inspired team to deliver error-free input, process and output reconciliation of $17 million bonus payout. Recognized by corporate controller for "phenomenal effort" setting new standard of excellence.
• Quantified troubled division's $1 million property, plant, and equipment exposure, prompting divestiture.
• Increased cash flow 6% by re-characterizing certain operating leases as capital assets.

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Dawn Little, Holistic Business Strategist   •