San Francisco Bay Area
- Current
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- Financial analyst at Vast.com
- Vice-chair, Steering Group at DataPortability Project
- Past
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- Senior Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers
- President at Sydney University Journalists Society
- Education
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- Institute of Chartered Acountants
- University of Sydney
- Recommended
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2 people have recommended Elias - Connections
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155
connections
- Industry
- Internet
- Websites
Elias Bizannes’s Summary
Professionally, I want to spend my life building Internet businesses that add value to our world.
The Information Sector is seeing legacy industries within it (like publishing) and new industries (like web services) transform our way of life. The Internet gives us ubiquitous access to information and computing from anywhere in the world, which is creating new possibilities.
I want to be a contributor in that evolution, working as an executive, entrepreneur, and evangelist.
Elias Bizannes’s Experience
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Financial analyst
Vast.com
(Privately Held; Internet industry)
July 2009 — Present (1 month)
Reporting to the CEO, I manage the overall finance and accounting functions of the company.
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Vice-chair, Steering Group
DataPortability Project
(Non-Profit; Internet industry)
November 2007 — Present (1 year 9 months)
The DataPortability Project advocates an improved way that society can work in the information economy. It is challenging the economics of the information sector, by examining the rights people have over their personal data and what they can do with it.
I am one of the co-founders and leaders of the movement, and involve myself in policy development, communications, and administration of the organisation.
Visit DataPortability.org for more. -
Senior Accountant
PricewaterhouseCoopers
(Partnership; Accounting industry)
December 2005 — June 2009 (3 years 7 months)
Variety of roles in assurance, innovation, and other ad hoc work in technology and climate change.
1) Assurance
- Provided assurance to technology, media, and entertainment companies, so that they could comply with legal obligations and manage their business effectively. We did this by assessing their business, performing audits, and making recommendations.
- My role as a senior accountant in this function had me working in team environments that I'd manage, ranging for 2 to 10 people over a 1-10 week period.
2) Service Innovation.
- I independently pitched an idea leveraging new technologies and a new cultural approach, that was considered a transformative way in people collaboration and knowledge sharing, in the world's largest knowledge firm.
- I lead the formal pitch for funding which went up to the CEO level; managed stakeholder approval in IT, Communications and General Counsel; implemented a 12 month pilot period; and initiated the systems that eventuated it in becoming a firm-wide tool.
- Pilot groups included a $40million account team; an entire business unit in its own geographic office; as well as a graduate skills development programme for 500 graduates.
3) Ad hoc
Outside of assurance and service innovation, I worked on a variety of other projects that were related to work I formally did in those groups but eventuated into separate efforts.
- Formally performed the first carbon audit for a client on behalf of the firm
- Wrote chapters to publications like the PwC Entertainment and Media outlook
- Involved in a half dozen unofficial and official efforts by teams across the firm that saw technology innovation (such as RSS and micro-blogging).
- Identified weaknesses in the firm's policies and made a recomendation to the General Counsel that was later incorporated into all engagement letters
- Lobbied, educated, and help build PwC capabilities in catering for the Internet startup industry -
Intern
PricewaterhouseCoopers
(Partnership; Accounting industry)
January 2005 — March 2005 (3 months)
Intern in the assurance practice.
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President
Sydney University Journalists Society
(Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)
September 2002 — November 2004 (2 years 3 months)
I was the co-founder of a grouping called the Sydney University Journalists Society in 2002 (now the Sydney University Media Society). It gave me the opportunity to combine my twin interests of journalism and business. I experimented with various forms of new media, whose lessons still provide value for me.
I coordinated 200 members and provided leadership and inspiration as president, to create alternative media publications. I worked the equivalent to 20 hours a week, without pay, and learned the challenges of motivating people and managing a team despite not giving them any monetary incentive.
Examples of what we produced include:
- In 2003, editing and publishing a funded magazine with a print run of 4,000, with involvement over the entire process
- In 2004, the creation of a weekly online publication, called the "News Digest", that grew in popularity purely through word of mouth and produced well over 25 editions
Elias Bizannes’s Education
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Institute of Chartered Acountants
Graduate Diploma , 2006 — 2008
- Diploma is post-graduate study. Modules cover Australian taxation, management accounting and analysis, audit and assurance, financial reporting, and ethics.
- Required three years work-experience to qualify
- Requirement to be working while you study -
University of Sydney
Commerce , Accounting and Finance , 2002 — 2004
- Activities and Societies:
- Sydney University Journalists Society
