Group Finance Director
Webcor Group
Total years of experience :21 years, 2 Months
• Heading the group finance functions of Central Treasury, Statutory and Management Reporting, Group Consolidation, Group FP&A operations for a $1.0 billion organisation with 27 legal entities and business units across various countries and jurisdictions
• Managing the intercompany financial process, the cross country pricing policies and compliance, transfer pricing compliance, tax optimisation, efficient working capital and cash flow optimization
• Directing Industrial Finance Operations across the Group through an expanded finance team in remote locations. Leading Finance Directors across 12 factories, business partnering with Group Industry Director and entity General Managers
• Driving a portfolio of new investments of approximately $250 million within 2021-2024 through acquisitions, joint ventures and setting up new manufacturing operations
• Designing and driving the digitalisation of the group financial and reporting platforms towards a common ERP system across all countries and operations
• Restructuring the finance function with a focus on commercial finance operations and financial industrialization
Lead the finance operations with full P&L responsibility of a multimillion diversified business, including PepsiCo beverage bottling and water production facilities & top FMCG brands distribution. Financial management of more than 30 global brands such Philip Morris, Colgate, Kellogg, Heinz, Mars, Unilever and Qatar Airways in flight dining options with two major production facilities, as well as 12 retail outlets.
Main contributor and actively formulating the financial and commercial strategy, through partnering with Directors and General Managers to oversee and ensure top market execution and constantly deliver bottom line results.
Oversee all aspects of accounting, treasury, reporting, budgeting, credit control, production costing, and imports succeeding in improving the organisation’s financial position by leveraging internal recourses and developing external relationship with banking institutions and key organisational executives.
Estimate business prospects and provide strategic direction to company’s units through the development of feasibility studies, projects and financing plans.
Key Successes:
• Lead negotiator in securing a USD 100 million new diary business towards a dominant 70% country market share
• Managed a loan portfolio of USD 150 million through Swiss and local banks
• Recommended, drove and achieved a broad restructuring plan delivering $6.8M to bottom line results.
• Introduced an overhead savings plan with a value of approximately 8% of the total relevant cost base.
• Acknowledged for significantly augmenting organisation’s gross profit margin by 6%.
Directed financial planning, analysis, reporting, credit, and treasury operations of the group, through a cross-functional team of 15 members and produced reports at Board level and Stock Exchange. Enabled the achievement of bottom-line results by devising company’s financial strategies, preparing five years’ business plan, enforcing management control on subsidiaries abroad, and rendering finance subject matter expert services.
Headed a €50M loan portfolio, financial operations of two plants with €68M annual operating cost, and leading annual budget review and revisions. Streamlined cash flow through realisation of credit and collection acceleration policy.
Key Successes:
• Steered the merger of company’s subsidiaries and delisting from Athens Stock Exchange within set timeframe.
• Expedited cash flow cycle by minimising customers’ payment cycle by 11 days within eight months period.
• Known for transforming finance department into a commercial business partner.
• Ensured seamless group’s operations by raising a new loan portfolio of €50M through 7 banking institutions
• Optimised decision support systems by slashing monthly reporting cycle by nine days.
Managed planning and reporting function and presented reports to the commercial finance director for commercially astute decision-making. Generated group’s financial statements of €300M turnover in line with IFRS. Highlighted work requirements and defined annual budget accordingly. Spearheaded monthly business performance review to strengthen organisation’s financial position. Recommended corrective strategies for business units after in-depth analysis of performance indicators and variances. Deliver active functional support by monitoring commercial policy spend, drafting marketing investment reports, and managing quarterly reforecast process.
Key Successes:
• Completed chart of accounts and business performance review projects within time and SLAs.
• Reallocated a trade discount budget of €27M and improved net turnover by 2%.
• Drove the Europe wide SAP implementation project related to financial reporting modules within agreed objectives.
Managed the finance operations for the Greek legal entity and two subsidiaries in Netherlands and Denmark with a P&L responsibility of a €600M turnover. Navigated through banking crisis by ensuring zero variance in cash flow forecasting during 2008-2010. Coordinated the planning and reporting operations of four countries as part of the Greek Southern Europe Hub. Instrumental in shaping the management reporting with a new design and delivering reports to regional and group management. Managed excise tax and bank guarantees of €450M annually.
Key Successes:
• Systematically achieved planning accuracy of financial targets (0%-2% variance vs targets).
• Suggested and implemented productivity savings across the organisation resulting in reducing cost base by 5.5%.
• Drove and delivered the formulation of a 10 years Strategy Plan for the Cluster
• Team and myself recognised as the best management accounting team in Southern Europe
• Responsible for the management reporting of three group subsidiaries in Greece including eight business units and manufacturing operations
• Prepare the monthly closing of the management accounting books and segment reporting
• Prepare weekly and monthly reports to the management team for the local entity, as well as to the Group international headquarters, covering actual financial performance and variance against budget and previous years
• Assist in the budget preparation and its quarterly reviews
• Monitor capital expenditure and run investment analysis