Announcement of FMS Support Services Leadership

Dear FMS colleagues,

I am pleased to update you on an exciting organization change.

After much thought and conversation, Sandip Darji and Anne Sweeney have agreed to co-lead the Financial Management Consulting and Support organization.  In addition to current roles, Anne will lead the Client Advocacy and Education group and Sandip will lead the Financial Support Center.  Anne and Sandip were part of the founding leadership of the Consulting and Support group.  I believe this uniquely qualifies them to continue to build upon the group’s many successes to date. 

In thinking about this important function, it has been very important to me that we not lose sight of the FMS guiding principles.  I believe in the concept of the Consulting and Support model and want leaders who will continue to advocate for and espouse these underlying principles which are instrumental to the success of the group. The Support Services functions are best led by those who understand the University, FMS, and our vision for Consulting and Support services. 

Since its inception five years ago, Financial Management Consulting and Support has been very well received by the campus community; this organizational change further improves the alignment of the individual groups, supporting our vision to continue to improve the effectiveness of this organization. This change will also enable us to apply robust data analytics from the support and outreach functions to inform better process improvement and design better systems and reporting tools.  The partnership between teams focusing on client priorities and business solutions, and those specializing in data management will help ensure a high quality of service across the diverse client groups of FMS. 

These expanded responsibilities capitalize on the strengths developed through the prior career experiences of Anne and Sandip.  Prior to joining Stanford, Anne had engagements focusing on training and change management activities at an enterprise-wide level while a consultant at Booz Allen and then at KPMG/Bearing Point.  When presented with this opportunity, Anne told me “When I used to deliver training in a prior role, I really enjoyed the moment that I saw the ‘light bulb’ go on.  I am eager to reengage in this area.”  As many of you may be aware, Sandip was one of the original founders of the Financial Support Center.  He said,   “Frontline support for the University community continues to be one of the most direct ways FMS provides value to our clients.  I’m excited to help FMS use this wealth of information and apply it to improve our FMS solutions.”

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Belinda, Jessica and their teams, the members of the Client Advocacy and Education and Financial Support Center teams, who have continued their excellent work during this transition period. 

Please offer your support to Anne and Sandip as they transition into their new roles in the coming months. I know they are up for the challenge.

Warmest Regards,

Susan

Susan Calandra
Senior Associate Vice President for Finance

Stanford University

Financial Management Services

3145 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304
T: +1 650.723.1564

C: +1 650.799.4417
E: calandra@stanford.edu

Assistant: Jules Thompson

T: + 1 650.723.4110

E: julie8@stanford.edu

http://fingate.stanford.edu