Commercial Pricing Executive AI Margin Architect $100M+ Growth Leader
More About MeSeasoned Revenue and Pricing Strategist with deep expertise in unlocking profitability across the retail and hospitality landscape. Backed by over 20 years of industry experience, I specialize in transforming complex, data-rich environments into clear, actionable pricing strategies that drive sustainable revenue and margin growth.
My approach blends market intelligence, customer behavior insights, and cost structures to identify pricing opportunities that maximize financial return and strategic value. I bring a strong command of data integration, system implementation, and category alignment—ensuring pricing models are not only data-driven but also responsive to market shifts and business needs.
Known for leading cross-functional collaboration, I work across analytics, merchandising, and executive leadership to shape high-impact strategies that improve performance and streamline execution. I thrive in environments that value AI-driven innovation and operational precision, leveraging advanced tools and techniques to elevate decision-making and future-proof pricing infrastructure.
Driving enterprise-level pricing transformation through:
Advanced tools enabling data-driven decisions:
Drawing upon over 20+ years of expertise across diverse industries, I've led impactful pricing initiatives, optimized profitability, and fostered collaborative data-driven decision-making across teams.
June 2024 - Present
Driving enterprise-wide pricing transformation through AI-powered strategies and cross-functional leadership. Key achievements:
Data-Powered Margin Growth:
Architected pricing strategies for 12+ categories contributing $10.3M (25%) of
$41.5M annual margin gains through Python-based elasticity models and
competitive benchmarking.
Competitive Intelligence Platform:
Led RFP process and vendor selection for enterprise pricing system, reducing market
response time by 30% while managing ross-functional collaboration with
IT and Procurement stakeholders.
Operational Excellence:
Automated 15 pricing reports using Power BI/Alteryx, saving 468 annual
hours and enabling faster merchant decision-making.
Leadership Impact:
Mentor to 7 pricing analysts, elevating team capabilities in SQL/Python while aligning
category strategies with C-suite objectives for FY25 planning.
November 2020 - June 2024
Catalyzed pricing transformation through analytical innovation and category strategy:
FY24 Margin Leadership:
Delivered $74.2M margin growth (12% revenue lift) via perishables
pricing optimization and promo ROI analysis, outperforming category targets by 8%.
GM Acceleration Toolkit:
Developed Python-based category launch framework that reduced time-to-market by
6 weeks while achieving 15% cost optimization.
Competitive Positioning:
Redesigned price zones for 5 regional markets, improving price index from 94 to 98
against key competitors.
Talent Development:
Led upskilling program for merchant teams on pricing analytics, improving strategy
adoption by 30%.
January 2016 - October 2020
Led data-driven menu pricing strategies across multiple branches and brands to
optimize
revenue and unit profitability. Leveraged over a decade of experience in:
Brand Analytics:
Conducted in-depth analysis for major brands like
Popeye's, Roy Rogers,
Burger King, and Tim Hortons.
Menu Development & Optimization:
Provided leadership and analytics
to
drive sales
through menu development and concept reviews.
Pricing Strategy Implementation:
Spearheaded the implementation of
pricing strategies
for over $35 million in annualized gains (2019).
Branch Support:
Supported branches with combined annualized sales
of
$700 million in
menu development, pricing options, RFPs, new store pricing/comparisons, local
marketing
support, and leading price sweeps.
September 2013 - January 2016
Ensured cost optimization and compliance within a complex restaurant supply chain.
Here
are some key highlights of my contributions:
Streamlined reporting:
Developed and maintained comprehensive
supply
chain reports,
including contract compliance and cost changes, for informed decision-making.
Improved efficiency:
Reduced turnaround time for cost optimization
reporting by 50%,
enabling faster cost-saving measures.
Supported major transitions:
Developed tracking tools for a smooth
transition to
Foodbuy, minimizing disruption for field locations.
March 2013 - September 2013
Leveraging my 10+ years of experience, I provided critical ERP support and
spearheaded
process improvements within HMSHost's operational systems.
Automated Reconciliation (504 Labor Hours Saved Annually):
Facilitated
the development
and implementation of an automated reconciliation process between the sales audit
system
and PeopleSoft financials. This automated solution eliminated manual tasks, saving
the
company a substantial 504 labor hours annually.
Improved Data Analysis (Common Field Implementation):
Initiated and
led
a project to
introduce a common field ("RVC") within the PeopleSoft Financials department table.
This
addition significantly streamlined data analysis across HMSHost, allowing for easier
comparison and reporting.
Streamlined Uploads (1200 Labor Hours Saved Annually):
Collaborated
with PeopleSoft
developers and functional teams to optimize AR and billing processes by implementing
Excel-to-PeopleSoft uploads. This initiative saved HMSHost approximately 1200 labor
hours per year.
December 2007 - March 2013
Ensured accuracy and efficiency in revenue accounting processes for a $2.6 billion
travel
food, beverage, and retail services company. Led a team of five and spearheaded
initiatives that strengthened financial infrastructure and streamlined
operations.
Standardized Accounting Practices:
Planned and executed projects to
establish consistent
finance and accounting procedures across diverse business units, creating a stronger
financial infrastructure.
Enhanced Revenue Integrity:
Led cross-functional teams in auditing
and
analyzing various
accounting systems, contributing to the identification and reduction of revenue
leakage.
Improved Efficiency & Team Management:
Streamlined revenue
accounting
processes and
managed a team of five, ensuring efficient credit card connectivity for over 2,000
locations and resolving escalated customer and business disputes.
Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Accounting
I worked with
Melissa for several years at HMSHost. She was the pricing and analysis partner
for me and my team of category managers. Melissa has a top rate analytical mind
and is both thorough and deep in her pursuit of insights, patterns, and
inconsistencies in data she analyzed. But she also understands how to think
through and propose practical applications of her findings. For example, she
took on the onerous task of mapping thousands of rows of sales data that were
reported with inconsistent names. She proposed a coherent hierarchy and naming
convention, and mapped the data, eliminating the monthly process step of manual
data clean up my team would perform, and enabled us to talk about business
performance in a more accurate and meaningful way. She is an extremely hard
worker and is not afraid to put in A LOT of extra time to get done what needs to
get done. Melissa would be a great addition to any team!
I truly
appreciated the opportunity to work with Melissa. She was direct in her
communication to help us quickly understand her organization's needs, but
professional. My team helped to support the education and launch of new
procurement initiatives with customers. Together we were able to create our
tools and resources into solutions with her input. Melissa knew how to
prioritize and group challenges and then transition quickly to the next project.
She provided value add guidance to help ensure the success of the program as we
moved into maintenance. She's a team player and understood the need for
partnering to achieve the goals of the program.
Melissa is
a self starter. When she works on a task or a project, she doesn't hesitate to
seek out help or gather more information from cross functional teams. She is
also a creative thinker. There were several initiatives she has done that has
contributed to cost savings. It was a pleasure to work with her.
I had the
pleasure of working with Melissa for a number of years as her manager in
HMSHost’s Revenue Accounting department. Melissa always brought a can-do
attitude to all tasks, processes and projects. She is very accomplished in data
analysis and GL reconciliations. She is a great Team player and has very good
eye for process improvement opportunituies. Melissa is a very fast learner and
has advanced excel skills along with smartsheet, PeopleSoft Financials. She will
be a great addition and an asset to any team she joins.
I had the
pleasure of working with Melissa for a number of years as her manager in
HMSHost’s Revenue Optimization department. Melissa brings a great deal of
experience in different areas, including Accounting, IT, Business Analysis,
Strategic Pricing, etc. She is a great Team player and always looks for ways to
improve processes to gain efficiencies. During her time in my Team, Melissa
developed and further improved many of the tools and models used by the group,
helping us achieve outstanding results. Some of Melissa’s biggest strengths
include: analytical thinking, strong communication skills and attention to
detail. Technically, she is proficient with Excel (advanced), PeopleSoft
Financials, SmartSheet, and a very fast learner on any application needed to
complete her daily job - taking tasks to the next level. Based on my experience
working with Melissa, I can confidently say that she would be a great asset for
any Team she is part of. She will bring new ideas to make the Team stronger and
will always deliver above and beyond what is expected of her.