Laura Riquelme
About Laura Riquelme
Laura Riquelme serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Zep Inc., where she has worked since 2022. With extensive experience in finance and leadership roles across various companies, she has successfully implemented strategies that improved EBITDA and reduced costs.
Work at Zep
Laura Riquelme has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Zep Inc. since 2022. In her role, she has focused on financial strategy and organizational transformation. Riquelme has successfully delivered a 400 basis points improvement in EBITDA percentage in 2023 compared to the previous year by identifying inflationary areas and implementing a targeted pricing strategy. She has also achieved a 20% leaner organization through finance organizational transformation and implemented initiatives that resulted in a 35% cost reduction. Additionally, she has partnered with the commercial organization to drive profitable organic growth by targeting specific channels and areas of opportunity within the portfolio.
Previous Experience in Finance
Before joining Zep Inc., Laura Riquelme held various finance roles at General Electric (GE) across multiple divisions. She worked as the Supply Chain Finance Integration Leader during the Alstom Acquisition at GE Power from 2014 to 2015. Prior to that, she served as the Global Supply Chain FP&A Leader at GE Power from 2011 to 2014. Riquelme also held positions as VP Finance for Power Services North America South and Executive FP&A Leader for Power Services North America between 2016 and 2019. Her early career included roles in corporate audit and finance at GE and Universal Pictures.
Educational Background
Laura Riquelme holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, where she studied from 1998 to 2002. She also attended Simon Fraser University for a year, focusing on Finance. Additionally, Riquelme completed her International Baccalaureate at Greengates School Mexico from 1992 to 1998, which provided her with a strong foundation in liberal arts.
Achievements in Organizational Transformation
At Zep Inc., Laura Riquelme implemented a finance organizational transformation that resulted in a 35% cost reduction. She also achieved a 20% leaner organization through strategic changes in the finance department. Her initiatives have significantly improved operational efficiency and financial performance within the company.