Kenji Watanabe

Own monthly FP&A and variance analysis for a 5-company industrial and consumer portfolio (~$390M combined revenue); cut unexplained opex variance by 28% by rebuilding contribution and management-fee bridges. Build rolling 13-week cash and 12-month driver-based forecasts with portfolio CFOs; held forecast accuracy within ±3.2% for four consecutive quarters. Produce quarterly board packs (P&L bridges, KPI scorecards, covenant dashboards) used in LP updates; shortened pack cycle from 7 to 4 business days. Automate weekly portfolio EBITDA and working-capital dashboard in Power BI + Excel, saving ~6 analyst hours per week across the deal team. Partner with operating partners on annual planning; modeled pricing, headcount, and working-capital scenarios for two add-on diligence packs.

Supported monthly close for a 3-banner CPG portfolio; reconciled trade spend, COGS accruals, and inventory reserves, helping move close from T+7 to T+5. Built SKU- and channel-level margin analysis covering ~12k active SKUs; flagged $1.8M of underperforming assortment for merchandising action. Owned promotional ROI and trade-spend flash packs for brand VPs; standardized templates adopted by two new brand finance hires. Prepared weekly flash P&L and contribution packs; surfaced mix and price/volume bridges that informed mid-quarter forecast resets. Assisted year-end audit with flux analysis and supporting schedules for external auditors across inventory and deferred revenue.

Built peer-comparable valuation and three-statement case packs for lab pitch competitions; contributed to a Midwest finals placement (Top 6 of 32 teams). Maintained Excel models for lab operating budget (~$38k annual) and event ROI tracking for faculty advisors. Led workshops on variance analysis and driver-based forecasting for 35+ students each semester. Sourced and cleaned public filings for industry briefs on Midwest consumer and industrials used in weekly lab meetings.

Minor in Economics · Dean’s List (5 semesters) · CFA Level II candidate