Imran
Venjara
Strategy &
Operations Professional
Strategic in thought and tech-driven in execution, solving today's problems with tomorrow's tools
"You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take."
Work Experience
Director, Corporate Strategy & Venture Building
EY-Parthenon, Philadelphia (September 2022 - current)
I worked with clients to design and execute corporate strategies, using analytics to drive insights and solutions for growth, operational alignment, and market positioning
Select Corporate Strategy Cases:
💼 Professional services:
Executed a 12-week AI strategy engagement for a top professional services firm, identifying ~20 AI opportunities with $1B+ in potential value across 8 business support functions. Developed and applied a tailored AI opportunity assessment framework, resulting in:
• Prioritization of 5 long-term AI investments
• Launch of 3 immediate PoCs for testing and validation
• Secured $150M in funding for these initiatives, driving strategic growth and innovation
AI Strategy Case Study →
🏢 Advanced manufacturing & mobility:
Developed a three-year digital strategy for executive leadership of a light industrial staffing firm; traditional brick and mortar staffing firm undergoing digital transformation amidst disruption from digitally native competitors:
• Led the development of a 3-year digital strategy, including vision, priorities, product roadmap, and build/buy/partner recommendations
• Projected $20M–$30M EBITDA growth over 3 years through new digital products, improved fill rates (staffing KPI), and optimized branch
costs, enabling a bolt-on acquisition that accelerated digital transformation
Digital Strategy Case Study (Coming Soon)
Director, Strategy & Analytics
EY-Parthenon, Philadelphia (January 2020 - September 2022)
In this role, I led projects across EYP subservice lines, including Commercial Strategy, Deal Finance, and Working Capital
Select Strategy & Analytic Cases:
📊 Commercial Strategy
Environmental services company used M&A to grow yet lacked insight into profitability drivers and a cohesive go-to-market (GTM) approach, impacting valuation ahead of a planned exit by PE parent:
• Directed a team in creating a data-driven go-to-market strategy by conducting cost-to-serve and pricing analyses to identify key profitability drivers, which informed customer segmentation, geo-spatial acquisition targeting, and CAC/LTV evaluations, resulting in actionable growth initiatives
• Identified a run-rate EBITDA opportunity of $4M-$6M through improved pricing strategies, enhanced customer segmentation and prioritization, and detailed profitability analysis
Commercial Strategy Case Study (Coming Soon)
📚 Deal Finance
Automated two critical finance processes for a leading player in the food and beverage industry during a complex divestiture involving three separate buyers and multiple ERP systems:
• Re-engineered reporting processes to deliver a 90%+ reduction in daily sales reporting time and a 95%+ improvement in journal entry efficiency
• Delivered 1,200+ hours of annualized time savings, enhancing deal accounting processes and enabling strategic focus during the transition
• Leveraged Python, Azure SQL, Power Query, and Excel to design scalable data models, and automate processess
Manager, Finanical Accounting Advisory Services - Digital Team
Ernst & Young LLP, New York (October 2017 - December 2020)
I guided healthcare, telecom, technology, and AM&M companies through divestitures and post-acquisition transformations, streamlining financial reporting processes, improving close timelines, aligning accounting policies, and implementing M&A-specific reporting frameworks to support seamless transitions
Senior Associate, Finanical Accounting Advisory Services - M&A Team
Ernst & Young LLP, New York (July 2014 - September 2017)
Supported M&A due diligence and integration efforts, performing in-depth financial analyses, evaluating accounting treatments, and assisting in developing standardized reporting practices
Education
Master of Science in Accounting
St John's University
Bachelor of Finance
SUNY Old Westbury
12-Week AI Strategy Delivers Clear Prioritization and Actionable Business Cases for Maximum Impact
Problem Statement: The leadership of a professional services firm faced challenges in establishing a capital allocation process for AI initiatives across its eight business functions. The firm struggled to assess these initiatives and allocate funds effectively.
Solution:
- Led a 12-week AI strategy initiative, collaborating with cross-functional teams
- Developed an AI opportunity assessment framework for a matrixed organization
- Created detailed business cases with stakeholder input
- Built robust financial models for data-driven decision-making
Skills Utilized:
AI Initiative ROI Analysis
Results:
$1B+ in potential annual benefits unlocked
5 long-term AI initiatives were prioritized 3 pilot-ready projects (PoCs)
$150M in investments across AI initiatives secured