Resume
Financial
Executive Leadership
Technology
Executive Leadership
Consumer & Growth Strategy
Executive Summary
Chief Financial Executive
A Senior Financial Executive with deep financial and IT strengths and significant experience helping build, manage and grow retail, ecommerce, consumer goods and manufacturing businesses. Led and negotiated multiple acquisitions/ integrations, and has considerable operating experience having established, acquired and run new stores, directly managing a significant southern Africa international region.
- Recruited by 7-Eleven Inc. to lead the transformation of its financial and supply chain systems across its over 8,800 mostly franchised outlets.
• Recruited from The SPAR Group, part of the world’s largest supermarket group, SPAR International where, as Senior Vice President, Finance and, in parallel, Vice President, IT was key member of the top executive team that built a supermarket chain to 280 stores with billion-dollar sales.
• Grew revenues and gained extra market share through strategic partnering and developing combat marketing programs, new store designs and roll-out of ‘Best in Fresh’ food campaign.
• Increased case picking rates and improved on-time deliveries by introducing Transport Management and RF wireless Voice Technology to manage picking and packing tasks in warehouse management system (WCS).
• Reduced labor costs by initiating an incentive-based pay-per-task program.
Skills
Key Strengths
- Financial & Retail Accounting
- Financial Planning & Analysis
- Financial Reporting (US GAAP / IFRS)
- Financial Restructuring (Equity/Debt)
- Capital Planning, Allocation, Forecast
- Corporate Strategic Planning
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Corporate Turnarounds
- Digital Transformation
- IT Strategic Planning
- Technology & Network Architecture
- Big Data Analytics & Warehousing
- Business Intelligence (BI)
- Cloud Solutions
- Oracle/ SAP ERP Systems
- IT Program Management
- Consumer & Growth Strategy
- International Retail Expansion
- Business Development
- Customer Experience Methodology
- Merchandise Planning
- Customer Loyalty Programs
- Supply Chain
- Six Sigma Logistics
7 Eleven Inc.
Dallas, Tx
2015–Present
Senior Director Accounting Systems Improvement
Lead company’s largest financial systems transformation improvement project; converting 40-year-old legacy systems to Oracle Merchandise Operations Management (MOM), Master Data and Franchise application suites in HQ and 8800 US and CAN stores – a multi-million-dollar program and over 300-team members.
- Lead selection of Oracle RIS (MOM) as an enterprise-wide financial solution.
- Convinced 7-Eleven Inc CEO & Executive Committee to convert the 40-year-old legacy system to an off-the-shelf vs. custom software development.
- Commenced roll-out to 8800 US and CAN stores 12-months earlier than custom-made development.
The SPAR Group Ltd: Western Cape
Cape Town, South Africa
2002–2015
CFO – SVP Finance, CIO – VP IT, Board Director, Strategy Planning Committee Chairman
Grocery Supermarket, C-Store, Pharmacy and Liquor Public Company, $2.5B retail sales, Corporate revenue $14.7B – part of SPAR International, the world’s largest supermarket group, $41B sales, 12,500 stores in 44 countries on 4 continents.
As Finance Officer, partnered with divisional CEO, while serving on the Executive Committee, with full P&L responsibility, 160 Supermarkets and 120 specialty beverage and Liquor stores in South Africa, Namibia and Angola, with $2.5B in retail sales and over 15,000 store team members. Served on Board of Directors for SPAR Namibia (Pty) Ltd. 2009 – 2015.
- Successfully restructured operations and implemented business development strategies – adding 240 stores and growing retail revenues by 23% YOY from $390M to $2.5B in nine years.
- Led successful International M&A, Multi-unit Retail Expansion, Organic growth and Turnarounds, JV’s, Green-field Investments, and Franchise Agreements rollout.
- Led visionary concept-to-execution finance strategy to unlock retail business liquidity; negotiated Private Equity offerings, Debt Restructuring and Turnaround financing and Lease Buy-Back agreements.
- Led integration of SPAR Namibia – $200M sales revenue, in a 6-week conversion setting-up international retail store distribution centers, warehouse and supply chain, technology and centralized financial reporting.
- Responsible for directing and managing finance, accounting, FP&A, GAAP/IFRS, governmental compliance & reporting, treasury, tax, Audit Committee, payroll, real estate leasing and legal counsel.
- Led enterprise-wide technology vision, IT Strategy, Cap-Ex Budgets, SAP FICO, ERP, BI installations and legacy conversions, achieving project within timeline, budget milestones and ROI KPIs.
- Responsible for architecture, engineering, implementation, support and operations of international multi-store, distribution centers and HQ business organization IT portfolios.
Capitec Bank LTD.
Stellenbosch, South Africa
2001–2002
Chief Credit Officer
Capitec Bank 2nd largest South African retail bank – 800 Branches, 6.2M Customers and a $4.5B Asset Base.
- Led Consumer Personal Loans and Credit Organization.
- Grew customer personal bank loans to $30M, while reducing customer account defaults by 30%.
- Quickened credit decision process to under five minutes with full automation of customer loan application process; implemented Experian Transact SM credit risk prediction scoring & monitoring system, linked to 3rd Party Bureaus.
Sanford Securities LTD.
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
2000–2001
Consultant Oracle Financials Integration
Investment stockbrokers.
- Led implementation of Oracle Financials: General Ledger and Accounts Payable for Sanford Securities Ltd and nine subsidiary companies within budget and deadline.
- Designed and set-up system definitions, options, General Ledger account structure, financial management reports with interfaces with external financial and operating systems and drafted the financial accounting and accounts payable daily and month-end procedures and methodologies.
Morkels Retail Group Ltd
Cape Town, South Africa
1991–2000
General Manager Retail Credit Sales & V.P., IT.
Multi-channel, multi-brand fashion, sports & furniture concept retail, International Public Co, $200M sales, 448 stores.
As General Manager, served as a member of the Executive Committee with Co P&L responsibility. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, responsible for credit sales, operations and reviewing, planning, evaluating, and establishing the retail credit strategy, customer service, sales culture transformation and training. Oversaw and led, national sales team with five regional teams and 170 indirect reports, retail operations and corporate credit organization, call centers, telemarketing and sales initiatives. Prior to G.M, served as VP, IT and Executive Partner providing global enterprise-wide technology vision, developing Strategy & IT Cap-Ex budgets and spearheading major Oracle, AS400 ERP system install. & legacy conversions. Led Intl Retail systems portfolios – Digital Retail and eCommerce, and Multi-channel retail integrations.
- For fashion, sports & furniture concept retail expansion, opened 340 stores, and drove sales from $65M to $200M in eight years.
- Grew Credit Customer in-house financing asset base to $150M in eight years.
- Championed 25% increase in sales and 12% decrease in risk with innovative customer credit profiling system.
- Designed and developed a Merchandise Order Processing and Planning system with EDI capabilities linked to supplier systems and direct interface with company warehouse and in-store inventory system.
- Established Merchandise Catalog system, Web page and e-commerce facility for extended furniture and electrical product offerings to supplement branding and range.
Education
Masters Business Administration
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Business School.
Edinburgh, UK.
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant (CPA), CPA Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
Institute of Management Accountants, ICMA, London, UK, and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).
Chartered Management Accountant (CMA)
Institute of Management Accountants, ICMA.
London, UK
- Masters’ Degree.
Chartered Company Secretary (ACIS)
Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, ICSA,
London, UK
- Bachelors’ degree in Accounting
Specialized Technology and Systems Skills
Publications
BOARDROOM Apr 4, 2011
Strategic Planning: A Practical Approach to Developing Strategic Plans and Achieving Objectives.
Recommendations
Managing Director – Deloitte Consulting; Oracle Finance Transformation
Brenton’s experience, guidance and direction had an immediate impact on an already failing project which involved challenging the status quo, the company’s strategic objectives/direction and essentially the way the company operates. Brenton strategically convinced the company to leverage a large off the shelf (ERP) package as the best final solution or outcome, and one which fosters growth, flexibility, best practices and adaptability to future digital mobility etc, for the company as a whole and the Retail Industry. Not only was Brenton able to help steer the project back on track, he also provided invaluable experience in providing answers and solutions (incl. applications) to major and common issues the project was facing. His experience of ‘having done this before multiple times’ was evident and immediately built trust amongst the team which rallied behind him to bring the project to its successes that has been achieved up to this point.
Brenton is very easy to work with and passionately strives towards encouraging a healthy, sensible and collaborative environment. He is very comfortable with collaborating with C-suite executives all the way down to the developers. In addition, Brenton’s experience in the Retail grocery franchising industry and especially on Food Offerings (presentation, layout, design, market analysis etc.) has been recognized by other departments within 7-Eleven
Completions and Delivery Manager at Technip USA
December 20, 2013, George worked with Brenton but at different companies
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