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Ruth Liebersbach In 60 Seconds...
With over 20 years of experience as a CFO across the construction, automotive, manufacturing, logistics, and MUSH sectors, Ruth brings a wealth of expertise in driving organizational growth and financial performance. She has a proven track record of developing and implementing robust financial control systems, governance frameworks, and strategic plans that foster long-term success. Ruth excels in cash flow management, HR strategy, and capital raising, ensuring businesses are well positioned to scale and thrive in dynamic markets.
Specialist Skills
Budgeting & Forecasting
Built accurate and pertinent assumptions to support short-term and long-term forecasting, and pivoted plans based on new actual results or board directives.
Cash Flow Improvement
Built reporting on a cash basis to smooth out the effects of deferred and prepaid items on cash flows, as well as built strong AR collections processes to ensure AP systems do not permit double payments. Worked with banks to refinance at lower rates and minimal refinancing costs.
Financial Operations
Developed and implemented monthly reporting in many aspects of a business, such as KPIs, dashboards, variances to budget for operational results, cash flow plans, capital plans, people management, loans, and costs of financing.
Policies & Procedures
Ongoing review of SOPs and other governance frameworks, built from scratch for many not-for-profits.
Systems & Controls
Supported financial reporting by building systems that ensure the viability and security of company assets and resources, as well as maintaining risk matrices and ensuring insurance and other mitigation systems are in place.
Track Record Highlights
- Developed and implemented an expandable budget Excel package to incorporate Operational Costs, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, and Capital Planning modules.
- Built a national automotive body chain from 8 stores to 115 stores across Canada. (Currently 700 stores across North America, with 300 in Canada.) Instrumental in building the SOP to ensure consistency across multiple locations. Purchased existing locations and built M&A processes for effective integration. Developed consolidated reporting.
- Managed an RFP for insurance programs and developed a yearly risk table using insurance programs to mitigate risk, especially in the construction side of the business.
- Executive in charge of banking, managing an RFP to change over to a new commercial bank, and working with them over the years to borrow over $40 million for park expansion.
- An integral part of the senior management team in building a CIM to search for an investor for $1.5 billion in support of park expansion, as well as leading to source an investment banker to act as our partner in this endeavour.
- Sourced, investigated, and selected a new ERP accounting system, establishing controls within that system to aid in the tracking of construction projects and the collection of rents tracked in the Property Management module.
Sector Experience
- Manufacturing, Transport, and Logistics: Specialized trucking in temperature-controlled units, warehousing, pick-and-pack, freight forwarding, and manufacturing of dolomitic lime products for the steel industry.
- Property and Real Estate: Lease management and property development in a 250-store franchise organization and a 1,000-employee university research campus.
- Banking and Financial Services: Built relationships with corporate banking stakeholders and raised funds for continued growth and expansion. Built many 5-year forecasts in support of funding requests.
- Not-for-Profit: Served on many boards in this sector as Audit Chair and Chair and developed governance frameworks and controls.
- Construction: Part of the senior management team that built commercial and wet and dry labs using IPD methodologies.
- Automotive: Experience within a franchise environment for a national body shop repair chain, including their insurance relationships, automotive paint and parts business linkages, automotive repair software, and environmental oversight.
Looking For Something Specific?
Tell us what you're looking for and in as little as 48-hours of contacting us, we'll arrange a meeting with a Fractional CFO from our team of 100+ who has the experience you need to help you achieve the numbers that really matter to you. Let us save you (valuable) time searching. Contact us.