Talented financial leader well-versed in accounting principles and regulations. Motivated to keep company financial operations compliant, accurate, and cost-effective. Ready to bring [Number]+ years of experience and take on challenging new role.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
10
10
years of post-secondary education
3
3
Certifications
2
2
Languages
Work History
M&A Finance Controller - International Market Business Unit
Cigna US
11.2021 - 2 2023
Successful M&A Fulfillment: Effectively executed the responsibilities of a M&A Finance Controller for the International Supplemental Health Solution (SHS), skillfully guiding the transition from Cigna's international SHS business unit to Chubb, valued at US $5.4 billion
This critical position entailed strategic oversight and expert management of key financial processes, contributing significantly to the smooth and successful completion of the merger.
Budget Control for M&A Initiatives: Successfully steered budget management for various M&A initiatives, demonstrating acute financial acumen and control
This responsibility was crucial in maintaining fiscal discipline and ensuring resource optimization during a significant disruption period of organizational change and merger.
Financial Work-stream Development: Demonstrated expertise in developing, coordinating, and managing Finance, Actuarial, Tax, UW, Claims, and Investment work-streams across six merged countries such as HK, Taiwan, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Korea
Ensured smooth integration and consistency with the required 'To-Be' processes, showcasing my deep understanding of complex international finance-related operations in each country.
Effective Communication Leadership: Led the facilitation of ongoing communication with principal business stakeholders from Cigna and Chubb during the merger and acquisition phase
Proactively addressed concerns and devised specialized solutions to satisfy their complex and varied requirements
My role was key in ensuring stakeholder consensus and cultivating a collaborative environment and solutions through the transition.
Business Financial Officer - Supplementary Health Solutions (SHS) Business Unit
Cigna US
05.2020 - 10.2021
Leadership in Driving Profitable Growth: Steered the SHS unit to notable market successes, doubling its annual revenue to reach US $260 million, coupled with a robust 20% target margins
My strategic leadership was instrumental in establishing the unit as a top-tier performer within the highly competitive market
This achievement not only reflects financial strength but also underscores the ability to excel the business consolidation with core healthcare solutions in a multiple dynamic market environment.
Strategic Business Planning: Developed a detailed annual and a strategic five-year business plan, aligning these with the company's long-term vision
This included formulating corresponding budgets and competitive strategies
This role entailed extensive financial analysis, in-depth communication with business partners and top senior management, regular updates to forecast models indicating new preferred direction, and the implementation of precise corrective actions to ensure continuous improvement.
Comprehensive Performance Analysis: Produced monthly financial reports comparing actual performance against planned objectives, complete with detailed variance analyses
In collaboration with key business partners, I developed and executed required action plans driven by a range of data-informed KPIs to achieve both immediate and long-term business goals
My duties encompassed conducting thorough key variance analyses, identifying performance gaps, and providing strategic solutions through updated forecast modeling for effective performance management.
Supervision of Pricing and Sales Incentive: Ensured the financial integrity and efficacy of new product pricing strategies and sales incentive programs, meticulously aligning them with the company's strategic objectives
This pivotal role involved a comprehensive assessment of potential opportunities and risks, with the aim of sustaining and elevating competitive edge in the market
My focus on these key areas ensured that pricing and incentives not only met financial standards but also effectively supported the long-term strategic vision and market positioning.
Talent Optimization and Leadership: Led FP&A and pricing teams within the SHS unit, focusing on identifying and retaining high-performing individuals, fostering potential talents, and enhancing cross-functional collaboration among accounting, actuarial, sales, marketing, underwriting, operations, and product development team
This strategic approach to talent management was crucial in creating a synergistic work environment that significantly contributed to achieving the key business growth objectives
My leadership fostered a culture of excellence and innovation, ensuring that teams were not only skilled but also perfectly aligned with overarching business goals.
Business Analytics Lead – Cigna Group Insurance (CGI) including SHS
Cigna US
12.2015 - 04.2020
Financial Leadership for SHS Growth Initiatives: Developed and delivered intricate financial models, encompassing extensive profitability analyses, to support various SHS growth initiatives
These forward-looking projections were integral in crafting and refining growth strategies with the objective of positioning SHS among the top three market players in the coming five years
My approach combined rigorous financial flexibility with strategic foresight, ensuring that growth plans were both viable and ambitious, aligning perfectly with the long-term market aspirations.
Evaluation of New Initiatives in CGI: In partnership with the data science team, spearheaded in-depth evaluations of several innovative initiatives focused on cost reduction and improving customer retention at CGI
Employing stochastic analysis tailored to each business partner, I enabled informed, data-driven decision-making
This approach was grounded in exhaustive evaluations, ensuring that each initiative was scrutinized for its potential impact and feasibility, thereby aligning the strategic efforts with CGI's overarching business objectives.
Formulation of Business Analytics Roadmap: Orchestrated the creation of a comprehensive business analytics roadmap for both CGI and SHS, meticulously integrating new analytics requirements and essential business metrics
This roadmap was expertly tailored to align with CGI's strategic objectives, ensuring that all analytics initiatives were not only robust but also effectively contributed to the broader business goals
This strategic plan served as a guiding framework, setting a clear direction for future analytics efforts and fostering a data-driven culture within the organization
Utilized Tableau and Excel to automate new business intelligence reporting, focusing on the seamless integration of the sales pipeline with comprehensive market data
This innovative approach markedly enhanced analytical capabilities, boosting efficiency and significantly improving the accessibility and utility of the data.
Business Analytics Team Management: Directed the CGI Business Analytics team, encouraging a culture of collaboration, guiding the team to work closely with business partners to ensure seamless and effective business execution
I consistently emphasized strict alignment with the company's strategic priorities, guaranteeing that the team's contributions were not only impactful but also in complete harmony with the overarching corporate objectives
This leadership approach was instrumental in integrating analytics insights into key business decisions, thereby enhancing overall organizational performance.
Worksite Marketing Strategy Development: Crafted a comprehensive worksite marketing strategy, which encompassed a thorough analysis of market opportunities, detailed forecast modeling for diverse growth scenarios, a strategically targeted profit structure, and a clearly articulated implementation plan
The primary objective of this strategy was to bolster market positioning, catalyze new revenues for growth, and enhance operational efficiency, all while maintaining cost-effectiveness
This strategic initiative was designed to not only expand market presence but also to optimize resources, ensuring a sustainable and profitable trajectory for future growth.
Chief Financial Officer
Cigna - Korea (LINA Korea)
06.2007 - 11.2015
Financial Leadership for Sustainable Growth: Provided pivotal financial leadership, driving a threefold increase in revenue to US $2B, earnings of US $0.4B, and net asset value to US $4B
This remarkable growth was the result of implementing transformative and disruptive innovation
My approach included the introduction of new distribution channels, the adoption of advanced predictive modeling techniques, the development of differentiated products, process innovation, and strategic allocation of resources between current and future customers development
These initiatives not only fueled impressive financial growth but also positioned company at the forefront of industry innovation and sustainable success.
Oversight of Financial and Actuarial Control Cycles: Managed the enhancement and integration of comprehensive control processes spanning key business functions
This included the refinement of financial closing procedures and actuarial control cycles, encompassing aspects such as targeted risk selection, early sales indicators, claims A/E ratio study, and profitability analysis segmented by business units and customer profiles
Furthermore, I implemented new, standardized methodologies for billing and customer communications, achieving a notable increase in customer retention rates and surpassing industry benchmarks
I also developed and enforced stringent evaluation frameworks to gauge the effectiveness of sales, marketing, and operational strategies against set benchmarks
The successful deployment of these control processes not only improved efficiency and uniformity across multiple departments but also provided invaluable insights for strategic planning and decision-making
My consistent application of these benchmarks and proactive approach to managing deviations ensured that business operations remained aligned with the company’s strategic goals, while continually fulfilling customer needs and exceeding their expectations.
Strategic Facilitation of Dynamic Business Activities: Executed both annual and strategic financial planning processes, developing and integrating monthly new KPI metrics, detailed variance analysis, and agile corrective actions, complemented by updated quarterly forecasts
My approach to budget management was meticulously calibrated to balance immediate customer needs with long-term objectives, involving thorough variance analysis and planning for future development
I led robust, data-driven financial analyses, encompassing comprehensive profitability reviews and integrated analyses of opportunities and risks associated with strategic initiatives
In partnership with business stakeholders, I adeptly transformed latent challenges into actionable opportunities, thereby contributing significantly to the strategic and financial success
This holistic approach ensured not only the financial health of ongoing operations but also the strategic positioning for future growth.
Enhanced Financial and Operational Risk Management: Strengthened the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) control frameworks, employing strategic measures to refine earnings management through advanced reinsurance techniques
This involved the meticulous enhancement of accounting practices and corporate tax procedures to ensure the delivery of high-quality financial reports characterized by precision and reliability
Furthermore, I spearheaded the creation of comprehensive risk scoring models and robust Business Continuity Plans (BCP), laying the groundwork for a resilient operational structure
This comprehensive approach not only fortified compliance posture but also refined risk mitigation strategies, guaranteeing robustness and continuity of operations under a variety of conditions
My leadership in this domain was pivotal in cultivating a more secure, strategically adaptable financial and operational infrastructure within the organization, aligning with both current needs and future growth objectives.
Enhanced Forecast Modeling Initiatives: Orchestrated a series of sophisticated forecasting initiatives, utilizing predictive modeling techniques and Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) measurements to deliver precisely tailored value propositions to targeted customer segments
I implemented financial models for the accurate estimation of net intrinsic value and profit & loss projections
This comprehensive approach ensured an accurate assessment of current financial standing while proactively anticipating future financial trends and developments
The strategic modeling efforts played a crucial role in enhancing the financial foresight and strategic decision-making capabilities within the organization.
Executive Leadership in Corporate Project Management: As the acting COO, successfully led critical corporate projects, including the acquisition of a corporate building, comprehensive preparation for the launch of a new administrative system, the establishment of a charity foundation contributing certain rate of annual earnings, and the creation of a subsidiary dedicated to optimizing sales distribution channels
Led the transformation of intricate operational processes with a keen focus on identifying and addressing customer pain points, resulting in a substantial enhancement of the overall customer experience
This strategy entailed the development of unique value propositions that distinctly positioned the company as a leader in the market
My efforts in these endeavors were instrumental in driving operational excellence and fostering sustainable growth for the organization.
Leadership in Strategic People Management: Guided team leaders and members across diverse functions, including accounting, FP&A, actuarial, pricing, product development, underwriting, investment, and risk management
My focus was on attracting, nurturing, and retaining exceptional talent, ensuring that the human capital was optimally aligned with the company's strategic goals
This approach was key in fostering a high-performance culture where continuous professional development and alignment with organizational objectives were paramount, thus driving the company's success in achieving its strategic vision.
Actuarial Valuation and Pricing Manager
Cigna - Korea (LINA Korea)
09.1998 - 05.2007
Enhancement of GAAP and Statutory Reporting Processes: Enhanced the GAAP and statutory reserving reporting processes for both the US and Korea by integrating more sophisticated factors and methodologies
This strategic initiative played a crucial role in elevating the precision of forecasting results and in-depth variance analyses across multiple operational and financial dimensions
The implementation of these advanced practices not only improved the accuracy of financial reporting but also brought a new level of analytical depth to financial operations, aligning them with best-in-class international standards
My leadership in this area was key to ensuring financial reporting processes were robust, transparent, and fully compliant with regulatory requirements.
Refinement of Forecast Modeling and Financial Projections: Revolutionized the approach to forecast modeling and financial projections, spearheading the integration of a sophisticated new data mart and cutting-edge projection tools
This overhaul significantly enhanced the accuracy and efficiency of the financial planning processes
Additionally, I led the implementation of crucial new GAAP requirements, including Deferred Acquisition Cost Recoverability, Loss Recognition Testing, and Gross Premium Valuation
This initiative was pivotal in elevating financial compliance and precision, ensuring the financial practices not only met but exceeded industry standards
My leadership in this area was instrumental in fortifying the financial forecasting and reporting capabilities, thereby supporting more informed and strategic decision-making across the organization.
Pioneering Innovative Product Development: Spearheaded the introduction of revolutionary insurance products in the South Korean market, most notably the trailblazing 'No Question and No Underwriting' guaranteed issue product, along with dementia and dental insurance offerings
These pioneering products played a pivotal role in propelling the company's revenue growth, which saw an unprecedented increase of nearly twentyfold over a decade
My strategic leadership in product development was a key factor in charting this impressive growth trajectory, solidifying the position as a frontrunner in market innovation and significantly enhancing market share
This accomplishment not only demonstrates the dedication to innovative solutions but also highlights the ability to foresee and address the evolving needs of customers in a rapidly changing and uncertain market landscape.
Strategic Reorganization for Enhanced Team Dynamics: Led a strategic overhaul of the new product development organization, instituting dedicated teams specifically for product idea generation and pricing/filing, thereby placing a strong emphasis on customer-centric innovation
Furthermore, I established a valuation and modeling team from the ground up, laying a solid groundwork for sustainable growth and development
This restructured approach not only streamlined the processes but also maximized team's potential, enabling a more focused and efficient pursuit of innovative product solutions
The creation of these specialized teams marked a significant step towards fostering a dynamic and adaptable organizational structure, poised to meet the evolving demands of the market and drive future success.
Actuarial Analyst
Cigna - Korea (LINA Korea)
01.1993 - 08.1998
Enhancement of Reporting Process through Automation: Re-deigned the reserve reporting process, focusing on automating the conversion of raw data from the mainframe into Lotus and/or Excel reporting formats
This was accomplished through the development of advanced macro programming
This initiative greatly streamlined the data processing and reporting operations, enhancing efficiency and accuracy
By implementing this automation, we were able to significantly reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and expedite the reporting cycle, thereby improving overall operational productivity and reliability.
Upgrades to GAAP and Statutory Valuation Models: Enhanced both US and Korean GAAP and statutory reserve valuation models to ensure full compliance with the latest regulatory standards
This strategic upgrade significantly strengthened the reliability and accuracy of company's financial reporting, providing a more robust framework for the valuation processes
These improvements not only aligned with regulatory requirements but also enhanced the transparency and trustworthiness of financial disclosures, thereby reinforcing commitment to financial integrity and excellence.
Actuarial and Financial Modeling Tool Deployment: Pioneered the introduction of a sophisticated actuarial modeling tool in the Korean market for the first time
This tool played a critical role in facilitating a variety of key financial processes, including cash flow testing, asset-liability management (ALM) projections, profitability analysis, and strategic business planning
Its deployment was a critical catalyst in the company's strategic pivot from traditional face-to-face sales to a direct-to-consumer telemarketing approach
This innovative tool not only streamlined the financial forecasting but also significantly contributed to refining the business strategy, aligning it with prioritizing business goals and technological advancements.
Innovative Product Development for the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Market: Pioneered development of a revolutionary product designed specifically for DTC distribution, marking a first in the Korean market
This product was distinguished by its disruptive, low-cost driven strategy, which was adeptly tailored to meet the needs of target customer segment
Its market introduction was a key catalyst in transforming a startup into a leading, profitable, and innovative player in the Korean insurance market
This strategic endeavor showcased my ability to not only identify and exploit market opportunities but also to reaffirm the commitment to offering differentiated products and services
Executed comprehensive new pricing and control metrics, seamlessly integrated with a sophisticated sales incentive compensation framework for DTC business
This strategic design was meticulously aligned with the company's overarching financial and business objectives, with an acute focus on achieving targeted DTC key milestones, thereby contributing significantly to the organization's success.
Education
Master of Business Administration -
YONSEI UNIVERSITY
Seoul, Korea
01.2008 - 04.2011
BS Mathematics - undefined
YONSEI UNIVERSITY
Seoul, Korea
01.1986 - 04.1992
Skills
Staff Management
undefined
Certification
Member of American Academy of Actuaries, 2021
Software
Leadership
Timeline
M&A Finance Controller - International Market Business Unit
Cigna US
11.2021 - 2 2023
Business Financial Officer - Supplementary Health Solutions (SHS) Business Unit
Cigna US
05.2020 - 10.2021
Business Analytics Lead – Cigna Group Insurance (CGI) including SHS