Finance · FP&A · Strategy

David
Penner

At the intersection of finance and strategy, I create the structure that decisions depend on.

4.00 GPA across MBA & International Exchange
4 Countries covered
1:1 Group CFO mentorship
Get in touch
$1.1M Annual savings enabled
19.5% Operational waste identified
4.6% Unit cost reduction achieved
200–300% Sales target achievement in high-performance environment

About

David Penner

I don't just report numbers. I build the systems behind them.

My path has been deliberately unconventional. I studied in Germany, completed an exchange program in California, and am now pursuing an MBA in Finance. I've chosen depth over convention at every turn. That cross-continental trajectory isn't a quirk; it's the lens through which I approach complex problems.

At my core, I'm a builder. Whether I'm architecting a linear programming model to restructure a multinational production network, engineering a direct cash flow forecast from raw SAP data, or designing a Power BI dashboard that gives executives the variance clarity they need, I gravitate toward problems where analytical rigor and strategic judgment intersect.

I've been trusted with CFO-level work as an intern, and I've presented directly to executive leadership. I was selected for a CFA Institute Scholarship, a recognition I carry as both a responsibility and a signal of direction. I carry a 4.0 GPA not as a credential, but as evidence of the standard I hold myself to. I'm building toward a career in FP&A, corporate finance, or strategy, where the work is complex, the stakes are real, and precision matters.

CFA Institute

Recognition · March 2026

CFA Institute Scholarship Recipient  ·  Awarded by the CFA Institute in recognition of academic merit and commitment to investment excellence

Selected Experience

Where the work happened.

IDEAS Club SJSU

IDEAS Club @ SJSU

Financial Analyst

Apr 2026 Present

Joined the IDEAS Club at San José State University as a Financial Analyst, applying professional FP&A experience to a student-led investment and entrepreneurship organization.

  • Supporting financial planning and analytical work across club initiatives and investment decisions
  • Applying FP&A frameworks from professional experience to a student-led context at SJSU
FP&A Investment Analysis
GuS

GuS glass + safety

Financial Controller
(FP&A) Intern

Mar 2025 Aug 2025

Exclusively selected for 1-on-1 mentorship with the Group CFO at a multi-national manufacturing group. Contributed directly to strategic planning cycles while simultaneously building financial infrastructure from scratch.

  • Architected a financial optimization model integrating LP, ABC, and ROI to restructure global production, initiating a capital investment projected to deliver $1.1M in annual savings
  • Designed and deployed a Power BI executive dashboard from zero, integrating 24 months of data via ETL and automating variance reporting for senior leadership
  • Partnered with CFO to architect an AI-driven invoice verification workflow in SAP, automating segments of the Procure-to-Pay cycle
  • Executed a work-sampling analysis that identified 19.5% operational waste, traced to SAP master data inaccuracies, and reduced unit cost by 4.6%
FP&A SAP Power BI Linear Programming
Schulz

Schulz Gebäudeservice

Business Analyst
Intern

Jul 2024 Aug 2024

Brought in to build analytical infrastructure for a service business. Delivered a dynamic pricing strategy and funnel optimization, both of which were presented to and adopted by executive management.

  • Built price elasticity models across 7 geographic segments with sensitivity analysis to optimize margin structures
  • Optimized recruitment funnel through conversion analysis, reallocating resources to drive a 20% increase in applicant flow for critical roles
Pricing Models Revenue Analysis
Hochschule Osnabrück

Hochschule Osnabrück

Investment Analyst
Project

Feb 2024 Jun 2024

Led investment analysis as part of a structured academic project, applying professional-grade financial modeling and due diligence methodology to real capital allocation decisions.

  • Constructed investment models and ROI frameworks to quantify budget impacts and inform capital allocation decisions
  • Executed financial due diligence to stress-test assumptions, identify risk exposure, and maintain data integrity
  • Synthesized market research into investment decks that drove adoption of recommendations by project Management
Investment Analysis Due Diligence ROI Modeling
Telekom

Telekom

Business Development
& Sales Associate

Sep 2023 May 2024

Started as a sales associate and was promoted within two months to Business Development after consistently surpassing targets by 200–300%, generating over $1.1M in annualized contract value.

  • Surpassed sales targets by 200–300% in a high-velocity environment, generating $1.1M in annualized contract value
  • Promoted to Business Development; onboarded four new hires and standardized sales workflows for consistent delivery
  • Optimized lead-acquisition strategies for territory growth, driving the agency's highest lead-conversion rate
Sales Business Development Lead Generation

Key Projects

Built. Deployed. Measured.

01
Financial Optimization · GuS glass + safety

Global Production Network Restructuring Model

Problem

The Group CFO needed a data-driven framework to evaluate the restructuring of global production capacity; no existing model was in place.

Approach

Architected an integrated model combining Activity-Based Costing, Linear Programming for capacity optimization, and ROI sensitivity analysis, layered with BPMN/EPC cross-functional process mapping.

Scope

Multi-country production network; integrated with UK subsidiary capital investment decision.

Outcome

$1.1M in projected annual savings. The model was published internally and used to initiate the capital investment.

02
Data Engineering · FP&A

Executive Power BI Dashboard + ETL Integration

Problem

No automated reporting infrastructure for executive variance analysis.

Approach

Built from scratch an ETL pipeline integrating 24 months of multi-source data, connected to a live Power BI dashboard with automated KPI variance reporting.

Outcome

Deployed to executive leadership; replaced manual reporting cycle entirely.

03
Cash Flow Modeling · Working Capital

Direct Cash Flow Forecast Model

Problem

Global business unit required a structured liquidity forecast to manage working capital across entities.

Approach

Utilized SQL to extract AR/AP data from SAP, then engineered a Direct Cash Flow model to project liquidity positions and optimize working capital timing.

Outcome

Delivered actionable liquidity forecast used in CFO-level planning.

Work Samples

Power BI Executive financial performance dashboard: GE Vernova vs. Siemens Energy
Power BI Dashboard

Revenue trend analysis, segment mix breakdown, and benchmark comparison across 2022–2024. Built with ETL integration and variance reporting for executive review.

Tableau Superstore Portfolio Analysis. Multi-step market intelligence dashboard
Tableau 1

Segment-level profit and margin trend analysis across Großunternehmen, Kleinunternehmen, and Verbraucher (2021–2024).

Tableau 2

Country portfolio analysis by profit margin and market-growth CAGR. Bubble size reflects 2024 revenue, with quadrant segmentation used for strategic prioritization.

Tableau 3

R² and p-value scatter analysis by country, showing statistical significance testing for revenue growth drivers (2021–2024).

Excel Advanced Financial cockpit & linear programming investment optimizer
Excel 1

Integrated financial cockpit: revenue, margin, cash flow, inventory, and production capacity with forecast overlay. Built for real-time executive decision support.

Excel 2

Linear programming investment optimizer using Excel Solver, maximizing ROI across a constrained portfolio of four equities with budget, P/E, beta, and integer constraints.

Toolbox

Finance

  • FP&A / Budgeting
  • Long-Range Planning
  • Rolling Forecasts
  • Variance Analysis
  • Activity-Based Costing
  • Cash Flow Forecasting
  • Capital Investment Analysis
  • ROI & Sensitivity Analysis

Data & Analytics

  • Power BI: ETL, KPI dashboards, and financial tracking
  • Tableau: data preparation, visualization, and pattern analysis
  • SQL: ERP extraction, AR/AP aggregation, and forecasting data
  • Scenario & Price Elasticity Modeling
  • Performance Analytics

Systems & Process

  • Excel: advanced financial modeling, ABC costing, and LP
  • SAP: FP&A data extraction and P2P workflows
  • Salesforce: lead tracking and conversion optimization
  • BPMN / EPC: process mapping and network optimization
  • AI Workflow Automation

Languages

  • English. Fluent
  • German. Fluent
  • DE · US · UK · ES

Education

Master of Business Administration. Finance Track

San José State University
Expected Aug 2026

GPA 4.00

B.A. International Business Administration. FP&A Track

University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück
Germany · Aug 2025

Controlling / FP&A Focus

Exchange Semester. Strategic Management (Capstone)

California State University, East Bay
Aug–Dec 2024

GPA 4.00

Beyond the Work

Learning from People
Ahead of Me

A lot of what I learned didn't come from classes, but from being around people building things. I spent time in startup environments, listened to operators talk about real decisions, and watched a company grow from early idea to funding. At the same time, I started working on my own projects, small and imperfect, but real.

It made things less theoretical. You start to see how uncertain everything is, and how important it is to stay adaptable.

Plug and Play Tech Center

Plug and Play Tech Center

Startup team meeting

Inside of NVIDIA

Google campus visit

Group Session with the Consciouss AI Team

Let's connect.

Open to FP&A, corporate finance, and strategy roles. Always glad to talk shop.

Connect on LinkedIn → [email protected]
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