Celebrating the 5th Annual Oracle Change Agents Awards

We often talk about change, but over the last two years finance and supply chain leaders have faced changes of epic proportions forcing many to rethink every aspect of their business—across finance, operations, workforce, and supply chains.

Through it all, we’ve partnered closely with our customers to help them succeed. We’ve witnessed leaders overcome nearly every possible kind of disruption and prove, time and time again, that they can adapt quickly and redefine what best looks like with continuous innovation, so they were ready to meet any challenge thrown their way.

That’s why I’m so proud to announce the winners of this year’s Oracle Change Agents Awards, which celebrate finance and operations leaders who have used technology to drive innovation and meaningful impact at their organizations.

I’m honored to congratulate the following 12 business leaders for their accomplishments:

• Best Use of Oracle Cloud in Finance Award: Daniel Hopgood, senior vice president and chief accounting officer, Eaton
  • This award recognizes a finance professional who has led the way in applying strategies and best practices that position their company for sustained innovation and the return to prosperity.

• Best Use of Oracle Cloud in Supply Chain Award: Senthil Kumar, senior director of IT, Western Digital Corporation
  • This award recognizes an individual who has succeeded in smoothing out supply chain disruptions—by reimagining sourcing strategies, minimizing risk, leveraging automated intelligence, and rationalizing product portfolios—to exceed the current and future expectations of their customers.

• Fulcrum Award for Excellence in Shared Services: Ahmed Kahlout, group head of ICT, United Al Saqer Group
  • This award recognizes an individual who has successfully navigated all challenges to create and sustain a shared services operation that exceeds the expectations of stakeholders.

• Insight Award for Leadership in Finance and/or Supply Chain Data and Reporting: Lindsay Kutzer, senior manager of financial systems, T. Rowe Price
  • This award celebrates an individual who has guided their team in closing the books fast despite challenges, such as organizational complexity, business model diversity, or accounting practices.

• Pivot Award for Excellence in Supply Chain Agility: Marc Weinstein, chief supply chain officer, Santa Cruz Nutritionals
  • This award recognizes a leader who has demonstrated their ability to stay light on their feet, dodge the blows, and match supply with demand in the face of adversity.

• Prediction Award for Innovation in Planning and Scenario Modelling: Gerald Epperly, managing director of finance and accounting systems, United Airlines
  • This award goes to the professional who is adept at producing precise plans and clear scenario models for finance, marketing, workforce management, or projects.

• Spendwise Award for Purchasing Performance: Cherie Humphries, vice president chief procurement and digital transformation officer, The Williams Companies
  • This award goes to the professional who has steered their department or organization in the right direction to maximize margins and increase profitability.

• Summit Award for Excellence in Process Standardization and Innovation: Jeannine Altrogge, senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, Amerisource Bergen
  • This award recognizes an individual who has succeeded in crafting and deploying standardized processes—across an organization or entire enterprise—to accelerate innovation, streamline operations, lower costs, or achieve their company’s mission.

• Teamwork Award for Best Strategic Back-Office Operation: James Purko, chief financial officer, Skygen USA, LLC
  • This award honors the finance professional who successfully turned their team into a band of strategic advisers and led this transformation to the delight of their stakeholders.

• Inclusivity Award for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Finance and/or Supply Chain: Edwin Donato, director of financial systems, AARP
  • This award goes to the professional who has built and empowered teams to not just celebrate, but also leverage their multiplicity to drive exceptional and innovative outcomes.

• Velocity Award for Excellence in Financial Close: Diane Johnson, senior director of corporate accounting and reporting, S&P Global, Inc. (Posthumously awarded) Our condolences go out to Diane’s family and co-workers.
  • This award celebrates an individual who has guided their team in closing the books fast despite challenges such as organizational complexity, business model diversity, or accounting practices.

• Unleashed Award for Best Adoption of a New Business Model: Michelle Green, vice president of financial systems, Discover Financial Services, Inc.
  • This award goes to the visionary finance, technology, or operations professional who has enabled their company to expand its portfolio or adopt new ways of doing business.

The Oracle Change Agents Awards is a peer-driven program with winners selected by our customer community and peers.

These leaders represent the very best in finance and supply chain, and the future of the industry. We at Oracle and your industry peers applaud you!

For additional information on this year’s award winners, please visit the 5^th Annual Oracle Change Agents Awards.