About
Innovative Finance and Strategy Executive with 15+ years of experience across Fortune 50, startups, consulting, and buy-side finance firms.
I enable best-in-class financial planning, business strategies that are always one step ahead, well-designed products, and clever marketing tactics. I also possess top-tier leadership skills honed by several years of building teams and successfully managing people.
MBA from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (the top finance school in Germany).
B.S. in Economics with Finance and Real Estate concentrations from the Wharton School of Business (the top finance school in the United States).
Specialties: Finance, strategy, leadership and people management skills, consulting, marketing, investment analysis, telecom & media, edtech, SaaS, language learning, programming
Professional Experience
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Cocomore AG
2023 – Present
Digital agency with 150 employees serving the tech and creative needs of multinational firms, e.g. Samsung, Nestlé
Manage and oversee a team of four finance, accounting, and business intelligence professionals
Lead FP&A activities, which includes preparation of monthly reporting (both historical and forecast)
Created brand new automated forecast process, leading to greatly improved accuracy at a tenth of the prep time
Overhauled business intelligence practices and created Tableau dashboards to allow client leads to make better strategic decisions
Improved various other internal processes, especially those related to ERP, controlling, and investments
Instituted numerous cost-saving measures that helped maintain profitability despite a reduction in y-o-y revenue
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Cocomore AG
2023 – Present
Digital agency with 150 employees serving the tech and creative needs of multinational firms, e.g. Samsung, Nestlé
Manage and oversee a team of four finance, accounting, and business intelligence professionals
Lead FP&A activities, which includes preparation of monthly reporting (both historical and forecast)
Created brand new automated forecast process, leading to greatly improved accuracy at a tenth of the prep time
Overhauled business intelligence practices and created Tableau dashboards to allow client leads to make better strategic decisions
Improved various other internal processes, especially those related to ERP, controlling, and investments
Instituted numerous cost-saving measures that helped maintain profitability despite a reduction in y-o-y revenue
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Cocomore AG
2023 – Present
Digital agency with 150 employees serving the tech and creative needs of multinational firms, e.g. Samsung, Nestlé
Manage and oversee a team of four finance, accounting, and business intelligence professionals
Lead FP&A activities, which includes preparation of monthly reporting (both historical and forecast)
Created brand new automated forecast process, leading to greatly improved accuracy at a tenth of the prep time
Overhauled business intelligence practices and created Tableau dashboards to allow client leads to make better strategic decisions
Improved various other internal processes, especially those related to ERP, controlling, and investments
Instituted numerous cost-saving measures that helped maintain profitability despite a reduction in y-o-y revenue
Founder & CEO
Cognate Language Learning
2022 – Present
AI-powered, hyper-personalized language learning platform for intermediate and advanced learners
Conceived of the product concept, developed the business plan, and built the product together with the CTO
Winner of the EY Startup Academy 2022, placing first out of 90 participating startups and 8 finalists
Founder & CEO
Cognate Language Learning
2022 – Present
AI-powered, hyper-personalized language learning platform for intermediate and advanced learners
Conceived of the product concept, developed the business plan, and built the product together with the CTO
Winner of the EY Startup Academy 2022, placing first out of 90 participating startups and 8 finalists
Founder & CEO
Cognate Language Learning
2022 – Present
AI-powered, hyper-personalized language learning platform for intermediate and advanced learners
Conceived of the product concept, developed the business plan, and built the product together with the CTO
Winner of the EY Startup Academy 2022, placing first out of 90 participating startups and 8 finalists
Senior Director, Monetization Strategy
Comcast
2019 – 2020
Played instrumental role in development of next-generation pricing and packaging strategy – drove 20% increase in customer satisfaction while also improving key fundamentals such as revenue per sub, margin, and tenure
Implemented best-in-class analytical approaches and created new finance and operational models to optimize customer retention management strategy, thereby improving unit economics, market share, and churn rates
Developed customer lifecycle financial model to optimize promotional and retail pricing
Senior Director, Monetization Strategy
Comcast
2019 – 2020
Played instrumental role in development of next-generation pricing and packaging strategy – drove 20% increase in customer satisfaction while also improving key fundamentals such as revenue per sub, margin, and tenure
Implemented best-in-class analytical approaches and created new finance and operational models to optimize customer retention management strategy, thereby improving unit economics, market share, and churn rates
Developed customer lifecycle financial model to optimize promotional and retail pricing
Senior Director, Monetization Strategy
Comcast
2019 – 2020
Played instrumental role in development of next-generation pricing and packaging strategy – drove 20% increase in customer satisfaction while also improving key fundamentals such as revenue per sub, margin, and tenure
Implemented best-in-class analytical approaches and created new finance and operational models to optimize customer retention management strategy, thereby improving unit economics, market share, and churn rates
Developed customer lifecycle financial model to optimize promotional and retail pricing
Director, Financial Planning & Analysis for Product
Comcast
2015 – 2019
Created financial model for premium packaging overhaul to guide content acquisition on their negotiations for the renewal of HBO deal – new premium packaging strategy drove over $1B in savings over five-year deal term
Developed business case for video set-top box equipment migration; increasing annual revenues by over $100M
Analyzed streaming and pay-per-view competitive landscape to assist Video Entertainment Services team with strategy, including conjoint analysis for determining optimal packaging for new services like Netflix
Launched new Hispanic packages nationwide to mirror new general market packaging launched in 2016 – allowing for continued robust subscriber growth in this segment of over 10% y-o-y
Worked with divisions to implement price standardization of lowest-price video tier, streamlining SKUs by 70%
Used Tableau and SQL to gather data from large internal databases to assess opportunities for growth
Director, Financial Planning & Analysis for Product
Comcast
2015 – 2019
Created financial model for premium packaging overhaul to guide content acquisition on their negotiations for the renewal of HBO deal – new premium packaging strategy drove over $1B in savings over five-year deal term
Developed business case for video set-top box equipment migration; increasing annual revenues by over $100M
Analyzed streaming and pay-per-view competitive landscape to assist Video Entertainment Services team with strategy, including conjoint analysis for determining optimal packaging for new services like Netflix
Launched new Hispanic packages nationwide to mirror new general market packaging launched in 2016 – allowing for continued robust subscriber growth in this segment of over 10% y-o-y
Worked with divisions to implement price standardization of lowest-price video tier, streamlining SKUs by 70%
Used Tableau and SQL to gather data from large internal databases to assess opportunities for growth
Director, Financial Planning & Analysis for Product
Comcast
2015 – 2019
Created financial model for premium packaging overhaul to guide content acquisition on their negotiations for the renewal of HBO deal – new premium packaging strategy drove over $1B in savings over five-year deal term
Developed business case for video set-top box equipment migration; increasing annual revenues by over $100M
Analyzed streaming and pay-per-view competitive landscape to assist Video Entertainment Services team with strategy, including conjoint analysis for determining optimal packaging for new services like Netflix
Launched new Hispanic packages nationwide to mirror new general market packaging launched in 2016 – allowing for continued robust subscriber growth in this segment of over 10% y-o-y
Worked with divisions to implement price standardization of lowest-price video tier, streamlining SKUs by 70%
Used Tableau and SQL to gather data from large internal databases to assess opportunities for growth
President
Manayunk Consulting (Consultant to Comcast)
2013 – 2015
Boutique management consulting firm focused on telecommunications industry; primary client was Comcast
Grew practice to annualized revenue run-rate of approximately $1M by managing a team of 6 consultants
Priced services at below market rates but controlled costs to maintain a healthy net income margin over 20%
Created ROI models for key projects in the data, voice, and video business units, driving $200M in additional NPV
Modeled the complete business plan for a new cloud-based video add-on service, ‘Premium DVR’
Ran speed tier integration analysis for proposed TWC merger, especially with regard to lower speed tiers
Developed a price-elasticity-based revenue optimization model to better monetize speed upgrade strategy
Created a statistical regression to predict connects for a new international programming campaign
President
Manayunk Consulting
2013 – 2015
Boutique management consulting firm focused on telecommunications industry; primary client was Comcast
Grew practice to annualized revenue run-rate of approximately $1M by managing a team of 6 consultants
Priced services at below market rates but controlled costs to maintain a healthy net income margin over 20%
Created ROI models for key projects in the data, voice, and video business units, driving $200M in additional NPV
Modeled the complete business plan for a new cloud-based video add-on service, ‘Premium DVR’
Ran speed tier integration analysis for proposed TWC merger, especially with regard to lower speed tiers
Developed a price-elasticity-based revenue optimization model to better monetize speed upgrade strategy
Created a statistical regression to predict connects for a new international programming campaign
President
Manayunk Consulting (Consultant to Comcast)
2013 – 2015
Boutique management consulting firm focused on telecommunications industry; primary client was Comcast
Grew practice to annualized revenue run-rate of approximately $1M by managing a team of 6 consultants
Priced services at below market rates but controlled costs to maintain a healthy net income margin over 20%
Created ROI models for key projects in the data, voice, and video business units, driving $200M in additional NPV
Modeled the complete business plan for a new cloud-based video add-on service, ‘Premium DVR’
Ran speed tier integration analysis for proposed TWC merger, especially with regard to lower speed tiers
Developed a price-elasticity-based revenue optimization model to better monetize speed upgrade strategy
Created a statistical regression to predict connects for a new international programming campaign
Co-Founder
PARRS Brands
2012 – 2014
Starting with an initial investment of $50K, grew PARRS Brands to over $2M in revenue in a span of 18 months
Developed the firm’s entire financial, manufacturing, and logistics systems, including back-end technology
Integrated and automated the e-commerce and accounting systems, leading to improved inventory management
Co-Founder
PARRS Brands
2012 – 2014
Starting with an initial investment of $50K, grew PARRS Brands to over $2M in revenue in a span of 18 months
Developed the firm’s entire financial, manufacturing, and logistics systems, including back-end technology
Integrated and automated the e-commerce and accounting systems, leading to improved inventory management
Co-Founder
PARRS Brands
2012 – 2014
Starting with an initial investment of $50K, grew PARRS Brands to over $2M in revenue in a span of 18 months
Developed the firm’s entire financial, manufacturing, and logistics systems, including back-end technology
Integrated and automated the e-commerce and accounting systems, leading to improved inventory management
Founding Investing Principal
Carina Capital
2009 – 2012
Managed a small hedge fund with $2M AUM focused on the energy industry and long-term macro trends
Utilized various proprietary Excel models for data mining, investment analysis, and risk management
Founding Investing Principal
Carina Capital
2009 – 2012
Managed a small hedge fund with $2M AUM focused on the energy industry and long-term macro trends
Utilized various proprietary Excel models for data mining, investment analysis, and risk management
Founding Investing Principal
Carina Capital
2009 – 2012
Managed a small hedge fund with $2M AUM focused on the energy industry and long-term macro trends
Utilized various proprietary Excel models for data mining, investment analysis, and risk management
Financial Analyst
Pharos Capital Group
2008 – 2009
Middle-market private equity investments across a variety of sectors, but primarily in business services
Formulated and maintained intricate financial models to aid in company analysis and investment structure
Sourced, analyzed, and performed due diligence on several mergers and acquisitions, totaling $45M
Assisted portfolio company chief financial officers with forecast-related financial planning and analysis needs
Financial Analyst
Pharos Capital Group
2008 – 2009
Middle-market private equity investments across a variety of sectors, but primarily in business services
Formulated and maintained intricate financial models to aid in company analysis and investment structure
Sourced, analyzed, and performed due diligence on several mergers and acquisitions, totaling $45M
Assisted portfolio company chief financial officers with forecast-related financial planning and analysis needs
Financial Analyst
Pharos Capital Group
2008 – 2009
Middle-market private equity investments across a variety of sectors, but primarily in business services
Formulated and maintained intricate financial models to aid in company analysis and investment structure
Sourced, analyzed, and performed due diligence on several mergers and acquisitions, totaling $45M
Assisted portfolio company chief financial officers with forecast-related financial planning and analysis needs
Summer Financial Analyst
GPX Enterprises
2007
Analyzed two acquisitions totaling $15M, and worked with legal counsel to create term sheets and letters of intent
Summer Financial Analyst
GPX Enterprises
2007
Analyzed two acquisitions totaling $15M, and worked with legal counsel to create term sheets and letters of intent
Summer Financial Analyst
GPX Enterprises
2007
Analyzed two acquisitions totaling $15M, and worked with legal counsel to create term sheets and letters of intent
Summer Business Analyst
3M
2006
Created new VBA model for use by business development representatives to gauge imports/exports efficiency
Summer Business Analyst
3M
2006
Created new VBA model for use by business development representatives to gauge imports/exports efficiency
Summer Business Analyst
3M
2006
Created new VBA model for use by business development representatives to gauge imports/exports efficiency
Education
Master of Business Administration
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
2021 – 2022
Specialized in finance and entrepreneurship. Top 10% of Class.
Master of Business Administration
Frankfurt School
2021 – 2022
Specialized in finance and entrepreneurship. Top 10% of Class.
Bachelor of Science in Economics
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
2004 – 2008
Finance and Real Estate Concentrations. Graduated magna cum laude.
Bachelor of Science in Economics
Wharton, Univ. of Pennsylvania
2004 – 2008
Finance and Real Estate Concentrations. Graduated magna cum laude.
Awards
Startup Academy Winner
November 2022
EY Frankfurt Office
Placed first out of 90 participating startups and 8 finalists
Startup Academy Winner
November 2022
EY Frankfurt Office
Placed first out of 90 participating startups and 8 finalists
Startup Academy Winner
November 2022
EY Frankfurt Office
Placed first out of 90 participating startups and 8 finalists
Skills
Business Leadership
Strategic Thinking
Management
Customer-First Thinking
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Visionary Leadership
Finance
FP&A
Business Planning
Data Analytics
Financial Modeling
Valuation
Scenario Analysis
Marketing
Pricing & Monetization
Product Strategy
Market Research
Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy
Eye for Design
Tech Stack
Excel
PowerPoint
Word
Tableau
QuickBooks
NetSuite
HubSpot
Salesforce
Jedox
Cube
Framer
Photoshop
Jira
SQL
Python
Django
Swift
JavaScript
React
HTML / CSS
Languages
🇺🇸
English
Native
🇺🇸
English
Native
🇺🇸
English
Native
🇪🇸
Español
Nativo
🇪🇸
Español
Nativo
🇪🇸
Español
Nativo
🇩🇪
Deutsch
Verhandlungssicher
🇩🇪
Deutsch
Verhandlungssicher
🇩🇪
Deutsch
Verhandlungssicher
🇮🇹
Italiano
Intermedio
🇮🇹
Italiano
Intermedio
🇮🇹
Italiano
Intermedio
🇷🇺
Русский
базовые знания
🇷🇺
Русский
базовые знания
🇷🇺
Русский
базовые знания
Recommendations
John Vonk, Comcast Cable
Vice President, Product Planning
October 2020
I have had the pleasure to work with Alejandro at Comcast for the past half dozen years. He is an extremely bright and conscientious team member, with the ability to think through and develop recommendations for some of the toughest business challenges thrown our way. His strengths in financial modeling and advanced analytics, combined with an eye towards the strategic need behind the analyses, were critical to the business decisions supported by our Product Packaging and Pricing group. Alejandro is also just a really good person with an eye towards finding and developing talent. Many of our more junior analysts were sourced via, and mentored by, Alejandro. I can not recommend Alejandro enough to any company lucky enough to be in his consideration set for future employment.
John Vonk, Comcast Cable
Vice President, Product Planning
October 2020
I have had the pleasure to work with Alejandro at Comcast for the past half dozen years. He is an extremely bright and conscientious team member, with the ability to think through and develop recommendations for some of the toughest business challenges thrown our way. His strengths in financial modeling and advanced analytics, combined with an eye towards the strategic need behind the analyses, were critical to the business decisions supported by our Product Packaging and Pricing group. Alejandro is also just a really good person with an eye towards finding and developing talent. Many of our more junior analysts were sourced via, and mentored by, Alejandro. I can not recommend Alejandro enough to any company lucky enough to be in his consideration set for future employment.
John Vonk, Comcast Cable
Vice President, Product Planning
October 2020
I have had the pleasure to work with Alejandro at Comcast for the past half dozen years. He is an extremely bright and conscientious team member, with the ability to think through and develop recommendations for some of the toughest business challenges thrown our way. His strengths in financial modeling and advanced analytics, combined with an eye towards the strategic need behind the analyses, were critical to the business decisions supported by our Product Packaging and Pricing group. Alejandro is also just a really good person with an eye towards finding and developing talent. Many of our more junior analysts were sourced via, and mentored by, Alejandro. I can not recommend Alejandro enough to any company lucky enough to be in his consideration set for future employment.
Carlos Buitelaar, GPX Enterprises
Private Equity Analyst
April 2008
Alejandro worked diligently as Summer Analyst at GPX Enterprises. His responsibilities included sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, and he exceeded expectations by taking responsibilities above and beyond those assigned to him.
Carlos Buitelaar, GPX Enterprises
Private Equity Analyst
April 2008
Alejandro worked diligently as Summer Analyst at GPX Enterprises. His responsibilities included sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, and he exceeded expectations by taking responsibilities above and beyond those assigned to him.
Carlos Buitelaar, GPX Enterprises
Private Equity Analyst
April 2008
Alejandro worked diligently as Summer Analyst at GPX Enterprises. His responsibilities included sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, and he exceeded expectations by taking responsibilities above and beyond those assigned to him.
Projects
Public Speaking
Cognate Presentation
Frankfurt School Demo Day
September 2023
Presented my language learning startup to a crowd of several hundred university students.
Cognate Presentation
Frankfurt School Demo Day
September 2023
Presented my language learning startup to a crowd of several hundred university students.
Cognate Presentation
Frankfurt School Demo Day
September 2023
Presented my language learning startup to a crowd of several hundred university students.