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Mark Arakelyan
Sr Finance Manager at Advance Auto Parts
Professional Background
Mark Arakelyan is a well-rounded senior finance leader recognized for his exceptional skills and contributions to financial management across various prestigious organizations. With a robust career foundation, he has accrued extensive experience in financial planning and analysis, financial reporting, variance analysis, and internal control improvement. Throughout his career, Mark has been trusted by leading companies to assume vital roles in managing significant investments and operations, particularly in fast-paced and dynamic work environments.
Mark's professional journey has seen him take on critical positions in notable organizations, including serving as a Senior Finance Manager at Advance Auto Parts, where he played a pivotal role in overseeing financial operations. His keen analytical mind and adeptness in financial forecasting have made him a valuable asset, helping to shape the financial strategies and operational efficiencies of the companies he has worked with.
Earlier in his career, Mark held key roles at prominent firms such as Shire PLC/Baxalta Inc. and Warner Bros., where he demonstrated significant prowess in financial management. His experience managing operating and capital costs, as well as capital investments through metrics such as Net Present Value (NPV) and Return On Invested Capital (ROIC), showcases his solid grasp of financial performance and strategic analysis. Additionally, his tenure at The Boeing Company, in the area of Business Planning & Analysis, further solidified his ability to blend financial insights with operational requirements, contributing to effective decision-making within cross-functional teams.
Education and Achievements
Mark Arakelyan's educational background is equally impressive and complements his extensive professional achievements. He earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis in Finance from the esteemed Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, a program renowned for its focus on business leadership and innovative finance strategies. This educational foundation empowers him not only with the theoretical knowledge of finance but also with practical insights necessary for real-world applications in corporate finance and financial planning.
Before pursuing his MBA, Mark obtained his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from California State University, Northridge. This robust academic grounding has provided him with the analytical framework to excel in numerical and financial analysis, creating a seamless blend of education and experience that augments his professional capabilities.
Mark is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in North Carolina, a credential that signifies his expertise in accounting principles and financial regulations. This certification enhances his credibility as a senior finance leader and establishes him as a trusted professional in his field.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Mark has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence in financial leadership. His achievements span a variety of areas, including:
- Financial Planning and Forecasting: Mark has excelled in crafting comprehensive financial plans that align with organizational goals, maximizing both operating efficiency and profitability.
- Financial Reporting and Variance Analysis: He has implemented robust financial reporting mechanisms that facilitate accurate variance analysis, thus allowing organizations to adjust strategies promptly and efficiently.
- Internal Control Improvement: Mark's initiatives in improving internal controls have enhanced the integrity of financial systems, thereby reducing risk and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
- Mentoring and Development: A natural leader, Mark enjoys mentoring and developing others, nurturing the next generation of finance professionals and fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment.
His ability to identify process improvement opportunities has not only streamlined operations but has also led to significant cost savings across departments. Mark’s analytical mindset, combined with a passion for mentoring, makes him a highly respected figure in the finance community.
In conclusion, Mark Arakelyan stands out as a distinguished finance leader with a proven track record in financial planning, reporting, and process improvement. His educational credentials and diverse experiences across several reputable organizations equip him with the skills necessary to thrive in today's challenging financial landscape. Mark continues to seek opportunities for growth and impact, shaping the financial futures of the companies he serves with confidence and expertise.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.