Christopher Connolly ( ca.connolly@verizon.net )

Current

Cost Engineer at URS Corporation

Past

Associate-Capital Projects at Goldman Sachs
Senior Associate at Lehman Brothers
Assistant Vice President at Merrill Lynch

see less...

Education

New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Nassau Community College
Adelphi University

see less...

Recommended

2 people have recommended Christopher

Connections

124 connections

Industry

Financial Services

Christopher Connolly ( ca.connolly@verizon.net )’s Summary

Financial Project Manager with expertise in expanding reporting capabilities for major corporations. Strong understanding of financial reporting, systems, interpersonal skills and intuitive understanding of highly complex business issues. Outstanding results in cost control, productivity and business process reengineering and managing financial risk with special expertise in:

• Data Management & Analysis
• Process Analysis & Design
• Systems Development
• Change Management and Risk Assessment
• Strategy Development
• Operations

"If the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Christopher Connolly ( ca.connolly@verizon.net )’s Specialties:

Influence Management
Project Change Control
Knowledge of multiple systems platforms including PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, Primavera, Prolog, Procore, Oracle and Sybase
Advanced Excel - Functions, VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP and especially Pivot tables
First rate data management abilities
Access-Advanced user
Other skills: vendor management, accounts payable, general ledger, purchasing, change orders, scope changes, risk management

Christopher Connolly ( ca.connolly@verizon.net )’s Experience

Cost Engineer

URS Corporation

(Public Company; URS; Architecture & Planning industry)

December 2008 — Present (1 year )

Port Authority of NY – World Trade Center Project – National September 11th Memorial and Museum. Track finances related to build-out, review contracts, change orders, maintain budget forecast report, perform financial risk assessment, forecasting reporting and report overages. Track budget allocations of $1+ billion.
• Improved productivity and project accountability by redesigning budget reports and creating new reports for reviewing and approving $100 million in budget allocations.
• Improved accounting accuracy 50% through detailed analysis and streamlining of existing procedures.
• Enhanced morale by designing more effective processes and systematically and comprehensively communicating them.
• Facilitated discussions with team members to improve processes and interdependencies.
Associate-Capital Projects

Goldman Sachs

(Public Company; GS; Investment Banking industry)

July 2007 — December 2008 (1 year 6 months)

Provided global and domestic financial budgeting, analysis and reporting for the firm’s capital projects in New York, US Branch offices, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
• Provided Senior Management with financial reports on 150 global projects totaling $500 million that significantly improved data accuracy on capital expenditures.
• Saved approximately $5 - $10 million by creating user-friendly reports to track status of $500 million and $330 million data centers.
• Identified $40 million in P & L savings by developing capital projects report that determined which projects could be deferred or cancelled with financial impacts.
Senior Associate

Lehman Brothers

(Public Company; LEH; Capital Markets industry)

March 2000 — July 2007 (7 years 5 months)

Provided financial budgeting, forecasting and accounting for Corporate Real Estate in NY, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Allocated and tracked all costs associated with the firm’s real estate holdings to ensure proper accounting methodologies were adhered to. Worked with vendors and contractors to ensure proper billing and timely delivery of payables. Setup and closed General Ledger accounts for tracking various assets for both Real Estate and Technology. Administered changes in depreciation schedules for real estate assets on the firms fixed asset system and ledger.
• Increased efficiency 50% and attained annual savings of $5 million by designing online tracking system that improved tracking accuracy and eliminated lost or duplicate data requests.
• Attained annual savings of $10 - $20 million by standardizing capital planning process and reporting with an overall budget of $850 million.
• Developed and maintained the Strategic Plan report with an overall budget in excess of $120,000,000. Improved efficiency 15% by designing report for Senior Management to determine status of capital projects and expedite issuance of purchase orders and invoices.
• Developed a paperless project initiation system for Lehman Brothers’ Facilities Work Requests (FWRs). Performed detailed analysis for the insurance claim due to the losses incurred as a result of September 11th. Compiled all supporting documentation for review.
• Facilitated the migration of CRE financial systems to PeopleSoft for Procurement, Accounts Payable and Fixed Assets.
Assistant Vice President

Merrill Lynch

(Public Company; MER; Financial Services industry)

November 1991 — August 1999 (7 years 10 months)

Assistant Vice President-Corporate Services Information & Technology
Improved the performance of five real estate departments, controlling multi-billion dollars worth of assets. Provided analytical and technical support to division.
• Created a new comprehensive report which pinpointed for first-time division’s contributions to bottom line which became model for company.
• Assisted in retrieval of up to $130,000 in uncollected revenue for operating costs through preparation of in-depth supplements to existing base building systems.
• Supported approximately 50 end-users in projects ranging from minor software problems to major initiatives. Instrumental in rolling our new software systems such as SPANFM and AssetCenter.
Assistant Vice President-Real Estate Cost Management & Leasing
Provided financial management of 35 tenants and subtenants valued at over $84 million. Acted as a liaison between tenants, building management and lease negotiators.
• Generated $400,000 per year in income from cafeteria usage fees by conducting analyses of operating expenses.
• Supported lease negotiators in dealing with various issues, including expansion, construction, and delinquent rent payments.
Project Financial Controller-Real Estate Cost Management & Leasing
Provided financial budgeting, tracking, reporting and accounting for in-progress construction in NY/NJ region. Coordinated the work of contractors and vendors for projects up to $15 million.
• Devised “first of its kind” database to track costs for capital construction projects (Facilities Project Tracking System) which increased staff productivity and reporting accuracy and served as model for company since on-line inception.
• Analyzed data to reduce costs in many areas, including architectural, furnishings and moving fees.
• Led effort to set up a project control website on company intranet.
• Established a quarterly newsletter for HQNY describing construction progress.