Bill Stolte

Providing leadership to optimize how information is managed and leveraged as a critical asset to maximize value. Working closely with business and IT leaders to improve the impact, quality and risk profile of New York Life's most important information assets, improving customer experiences and business productivity, enabling novel insights and innovative actions, and decreasing operational risk. Focusing on data strategy, governance, accountability and decision-making, making smart investments, improving business processes, modernizing data management capabilities, optimizing operating models to generate strategic insights, and protecting sensitive information.

Established and expanded an enterprise-wide data science and analytics capability focused on business performance, with a concentration on the opportunities in Research & Development, Supply Chain, Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, Compliance and Facilities. Lead a unified data science and analytics portfolio management process for all IT analytics initiatives globally and championed a value realization methodology that facilitated essential changes in business to grow revenue, optimize costs and working capital. Lead a comprehensive global program to advance Merck's data science and analytics practice including portfolio management, talent management, operating model, data management, knowledge management and technology platforms.

Developed strategy and lead execution of business analytics and data sciences via Shared Services. Managed a global team and portfolio worth several hundred million dollars that included optimization of customer and supplier services, working capital, travel and meetings, compliance, fraud, and employee experience with enterprise portal and contact centers. Designed and established global data governance and operational data management services for the master data that powered Merck’s Customer Order Management, Billing and Accounts Receivables, Procurement, Purchasing, Payables, Payroll, Professional Networking and Financial Supply Chain. Provided leadership for the delivery of Merck’s Enterprise Portal. Successfully delivered Release 1.0 via MS SharePoint integrated with SAP concomitant with Merck’s global SAP implementation for Human Resources.

Responsible for the information & technical strategy and delivery of Merck’s global ERP/SAP initiative, and contributed as a member of the Program Management Office which drove successful implementations of Order to Cash, Supply Chain Management, Source to Settle (procurement), and Finance Business Management for Mexico and Puerto Rico markets. Provided management oversight of more than 300 people from multiple IT services providing the design and development of more than 1200 SAP RICEF objects including 400 interfaces, and data converted from more than 100 legacy sources. As Program Architect, lead a team of architects to define various program strategies including data governance, master data management, data migration, business intelligence and integration. Leveraged the significance of this program to gain executive support to establish data governance and stewardship globally.

Held a variety of positions and roles ranging from Summer Intern in 1981, Programmer, Database Architect, Manager, and Director. Provided leadership in the development of IT solutions for Research & Development as well as Enterprise roles spanning all Merck divisions and geographies. Lead architect and delivery manager for the Discovery System - an integrated biological and chemical information system. Automated the data collection from laboratory instruments and subsequent data analysis for hundreds of research laboratories spanning all R&D projects.