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Rhys Callahan

Chief Financial Officer
Chicago, United States

Professional Summary

Seasoned CFO with 15+ years leading finance for mid-market and growth-stage companies. Strengths in FP&A, capital structure, M&A diligence, board reporting, and building lean finance organizations. Track record of improving cash conversion, securing credit facilities, and partnering with CEOs on profitable growth.

Employment History

Chief Financial Officer
Meridian Industrial Group · Chicago, IL
2019 · Present
Lead finance, accounting, FP&A, and treasury for ~$420M revenue industrial services company. Built rolling 13-week cash forecast and cut DSO by ~11 days over 18 months. Negotiated $85M revolving credit facility and refinanced term debt at lower rate. Drove monthly board package redesign; shortened close from 12 to 7 business days. Partnered on two tuck-in acquisitions totaling ~$60M EV; led diligence and integration finance.
VP of Finance / Controller
Lakeshore Consumer Brands · Chicago, IL
2014 · 2019
Owned P&L for multi-brand CPG portfolio (~$180M revenue). Implemented driver-based planning; improved forecast accuracy to within 3% of actuals. Led ERP financial module rollout; cut month-end journal adjustments ~40%. Supported PE sponsor reporting and annual audit with clean opinions.
Senior Finance Manager
Northwind Logistics · Evanston, IL
2010 · 2014
Managed FP&A for regional 3PL; built unit economics by lane and customer. Supported pricing desk with contribution-margin models that lifted gross margin ~2 pts.
Financial Analyst
Midwest Capital Advisors · Chicago, IL
2007 · 2010
Built valuation models and diligence analyses for middle-market transactions.

Education

MBA, Finance
University of Chicago Booth School of Business · Chicago, IL
2012 · 2014
Concentration in corporate finance and strategy.
BS, Accounting; CPA (Illinois)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL
2003 · 2007
Illinois CPA; accounting and finance honors.

Skills

FP&A
Treasury
M&A diligence
Board governance
ERP (NetSuite/SAP)