PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Richard Holly, CPA, CFA, is the Board of Advisors Chairman for RKA Worldwide’s Europe, Middle-East and Africa region (EMEA). He advises RKA’s President and CEO, executive committee and the firm’s senior management, on governance, operational, ethical and strategic issues. In addition, he advises and counsels the EMEA regional leadership and client services teams, on operational and client services best practices. On his full-time role, he is the CFO of the African Wildlife Foundation, and splits time between Nairobi, Kenya and home in the Washington, DC metro region.

An American who spent his formative years in the Middle East, Richard developed an international perspective early in life, an experience that helped shape the global outlook he has carried throughout his career.  Richard is a highly influential and reliable executive, and turnaround expert, with over three decades of experience driving financial transformation, operational efficiency and scalable growth across complex organizations, in the manufacturing industry and private equity environments.

Known for leading cross-functional/borders operations globally, including finance, IT, HR, legal, and administration, he’s a trusted partner to CEOs, boards, and investors. His strategic approach allows him to improve financial performance, restructure revenue strategies, and enact enterprise systems, while his expertise in international financial leadership allows him to easily cultivate relationships across the globe.

Throughout both his corporate and consulting career, Richard has demonstrated an exceptional ability to deliver results by building high-performing teams, implementing enterprise-wide financial and HR systems, and establishing robust governance, compliance, and reporting frameworks that facilitate scalable growth.

As the current Chief Financial Officer for the African Wildlife Foundation, he catalyzed $3M in annual growth in unrestricted funding, and strengthened long-term financial sustainability, while liaising with executive leadership to restructure revenue strategy and budget frameworks. He also reduced operational costs by $420K annually and administered a $3M capital renovation project for the Kenya headquarters, while directing global real estate and facilities strategy across 11 offices. His ability to maintain a balance between visionary leadership and hands-on execution, has been a hallmark of his success.

As the Deputy Executive Director – Finance & Operations for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Richard transformed financial performance, including eliminating a $4M deficit and attaining a $1M surplus within three years, while refinancing $13M in tax-exempt bonds to improve liquidity and debt structure. He headed the transition to a cloud-based Association Management System (AMS) for 60K+ members, resulting in improved data integration, operational efficiency, and member service capabilities. Known for his ability to manage cross-functional teams, he is a well-rounded mentor to future leaders.