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Leadership
When the new Human Resources director wanted the organization to apply for the Florida Governor's Sterling Award for Organizational Excellence, my colleagues were hesitant. It would require a lot of work. I felt passionately, however, that we should do so, because of the improvements it would bring to the organization, as well as the benefits to our Brand and Marketing efforts. I was relentless in my support of the HR Director, convinced my colleagues to come on board, and subsequently became the first full service financial institution in the state of Florida to ever achieve the award.
Executive bonuses were based on four criteria, of which one of the lesser ones was financial performance. I felt that since we urging our employees to focus more on sales, it was important that we 'talked the talk' and assigned a greater percentage of our bonuses to financial performance. It was tough decision, since in the short run we would all personally lose money, but in the long run it was necessary to refocus the company.
When HR initiated a new online survey as part of their quality control, each employee was asked to rate their satisfaction with each department and each employee. My marketing and business development department consistently rated higher than any other department, and, my staff rated amongst the highest of any employees. I believe this was due to my emphasis on efficiency, quick call-back, constant communication, and the importance of a high emotional quotient (EQ) in any interaction.
Research & Analysis
Utilizing database analysis, I created membership levels and benefits, (pricing and service guarantees), that allowed my company to direct its resources towards the most profitable customers, and encourage let profitable customers to obtain new products and services. As a result, the percentage of customers in the highest category of membership grew steadily and consistently, deepening relationships and increasing profitability.
As the Senior Vice President of Marketing, I attended the weekly Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) meetings. Utilizing a stand-alone CIF program, I was able to create What If scenarios based on changes in savings or loan rates. This allowed the committee to understand the implications of reducing or increasing benefits to the customers, beyond the bottom line information provided by the finance department. Decisions were often a compromise based on both sets of data.
I oversaw the addition of a Select Employee Group code to the Customer Information File, allowing the organization to market based on the customer's employer, significantly increasing the effectiveness of the marketing, as well as allowing us to understand the value of each employee company.
Project Management
I was put in charge of instituting a Customer Relationship Management system in the organization. As part of the process, I brought in Stakeholders at every level of the organization. After a thorough analysis, I determined that the company was not ready for a CRM system until it had overcome several internal issues that would doom the project to failure. Teams were then created to resolve each of those issues before moving forward.
When my company determined to phase out a legacy "points program" that could, if continued, bankrupt the organization, I was put in charge. It was necessary to communicate to the customers that their points would soon expire; however, if the communication was too strong, and everyone used their points, the organization would be in trouble. Using focus groups, and remaining in compliance with Federal and State Guidelines, we were able to segue the members to the new system at a cost far less than anticipated.
As the newly appointed President of the Credit Unions of South Florida, I was responsible for the annual vendor showcase, a large held at a local hotel conference room. To do so involved coordination with hundreds of vendors, as well as more than 25 credit unions. I created an interactive web-based program to handle the logistics, and assigned and delegated responsibilities to staff. The result was the largest and most successful vendor showcase the organization had ever experience.
Creative Thinking
When my company wanted to open additional branch offices in in Wal-Mart, we could not get the executives to return our calls. I installed two large billboards at both entrances to their Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters, thanking them for our relationship. We received a call the next morning and subsequently opened branches in six more Wal-Mart locations.
When my company wanted to promote a new, low-rate mortgage product through our branch offices, I implemented a Calypso-based promotion called "How Low Can You Go?," replete with Calypso music, Island clothes and a Tropical Setting. The promotion generated so much business we were forced to end the promotion earlier than anticipated.
I was chosen from among hundreds of applicants to take part in an industry-wide financial think-tank called the Filene i3 Institute. Both projects I suggested were adopted by the group and featured in national trade publications.
Marketing & Business Development
As the Vice President of Marketing, I created dozens of Business to Business and database driven marketing promotions that helped the organization increase assets form $350 million to over $600 million.
As the Senior Manager of Marketing, I developed a series of relentless marketing campaigns designed to reach $1 billion in assets to coincide with the organizations 60th anniversary celebration.
Utilizing our existing Customer Information File and Census Bureau data, I was able to generate the rationale that led the organization to to experience the highest field of membership growth ever achieved by a Florida Credit Union, as reported in national trade publications.
- Master of Business Administration
- Bachelor of Arts
- Winner of the Governor’s Sterling Award for Organizational Excellence
- Founding member of i3, a financial industry think-tank
- Quoted in New York Times, Business Week, Miami Herald and numerous trade publications.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS
