Mandates
Here is a selection of my previous projects. I am happy to give you more information on individual projects in a private meeting.
05-2024 – 09-2024
Zürich
Outdoor Sports (Bikes, Footwear, Apparel, Equipment)
Key information: 1'100 employees, turnover of CHF 850 Mio.
Role: Group CFO
Project goals:
- Lead the teams of Group Accounting and Group Controlling
- Stabilize the Finance team after the company separated from the Group CEO and Group CFO. Avoid further terminations after 4 people in the Finance team resigned due to the circumstances.
- Transformation of the Group Controlling team by building three main teams and reorganizing their processes. Including pay rise and promotions.
- Process of hiring/replacing the four colleagues who left.
- Negotiation with Shareholders, banks, suppliers, and customers for a transparent Cash Flow Forecast for the business year 2024/2025 and get the additional funds needed.
- Enable financial transparency of the status of inventory values worldwide, proceed with the required additional reserves for year-end close in September, coordinate with parent company and auditors.
- Build a solid Group Management and Board Reporting with the essential information and graphs.
- Run the Group Treasury.
- Lead the Budget 2025 process.
- Plan for year-end close 2024
- Lead the Korean SOX (K-SOX) project with the proper Controlling Team, the parent company in South Korea, the local consultants, and the auditors.
07-2023 - 04-2024
Zürich
IT-Engineering in an international environment
Key information: 1900 employees, turnover of CHF 270 Mio.
Role: Head of Group Controlling
Project goals:
- Build and lead the Group Controlling Department
- Lead the two Corporate Senior Controller and coordinate all Controlling activities on Group level
- Ensure monthly Reporting and Controlling activities
- Lead the Budget 2024 process on Group level
- Introduce a Rolling Forecast Model on SAP Analytics Cloud for 2024
- Plan and proceed with the ERP/SAP systems upgrade for FI/CO
- Further develop SAP Power BI as an information tool on Group level
- Finalize introduction and set up of SAP Analytics Cloud as a planning tool on Group level
(re-)define KPIs and reporting tools for 2024 on Group level - Coordinate Accounting and Controlling activties and timetable on Group level with Head of Group Accounting
- Support Head of Group Accounting in planning and proceeding with Year-end closing 2023
- Support Group CFO with the permanent hiring of new Head of Group Controlling and Senior Controllers
02-2023 – 06-2023
Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Food Industry
Key information: 800 employees, turnover of 180 Mio. CHF
Role: CFO
Project goals:
- Lead the teams Accounting and Controlling
- Coordinate HR and IT
- Coaching activities for Team Head Accounting
- Work out and present strategy plan 2024 – 2030 to Group Management, present options and define priorities
- Perform presentation beginning April 2023
- Further develop the options choosen by Group Management
09-2022 to 01-2023
Berne
Information Technology (IT) Service Provider
Key information: 400 employees, turnover of 90 Mio. CHF
Role: Senior Controller
Project goals:
- Management and Coordination of all Controlling-related activities together with 2 Controllers
- Establish and implement various processes, such as month-end and year-end procedure, Budgeting-process
- Make out and presenting Budget 2023 to Management Team and Group Management
- Manage the complete Year-end procedures for YEC 2022, prepare Audit (by PWC)
- Establish procedure for month-end closings and Reporting starting with February 2023.
- Align various processes with Group Management
- Extend ABACUS capabilities with Project Management
- Introduce “purchase to pay” process within ABACUS ERP
- Prepare and clean Excel Database for Asset Management to upload in ABACUS ERP
03-2022 to 09-2022
Ticino
Public Transportation
Key information: 350 employees, turnover of CHF 70 Mio.
Role: Business Unit Controller
Project goals:
- Monthly Closing, Reporting and Business Review Meetings
- Mid-Term Planning 2023 - 2027
- Budget 2023: Preparation and Coordination
- Forecast 2022: Preparation and Presentation
- Financial Steering and Management of Project Portfolio
- Financial Support to Business Unit Heads
- Make Out and Presentation of Project Proposals to Group Management
- Coordination between BU in TI and Group Management in BE
- Build bridges between the Ticino/Italian and the Swiss German Culture within the Group
- Prepare introduction oft the new Business Unit Controller
09-2021 to 01-2022
subsidiaries in Zurich & Geneva
Law Firm
Key information: 180 employees, turnover of 50 Mio. CHF
Role: Head of Finance
Project goals:
- Integrate the finance/accounting teams in Zurich and Geneva
- Streamline and unify the relevant processes in Finance
- Digitalize the Vendor Information Process/Flow by means of a SW tool
- Automize cash collection with ERP tool
- Plan and process month-end closes 2022 and year-end close 2021
- Clean up interface between ERP-system and accounting SW
- Lead/keep the General Ledger and supervise the auxiliary ledgers
- Account for the monthly salaries and insurances
- Lead the Finance team in Zurich and Geneva
- Restructure the tasks and responsibilities of the finance teams in Zurich and Geneva
04-2021 to 09-2021
Schaffhausen
Sensor solutions for access systems
Sensor solutions for access systems, 150 employees, turnover of 30 million CHF
Role: CFO, Controller
Project goals:
- Monthly Closing and Reporting to Board Members
- Prepare and proceed with Forecast II in August
- Review and update all product calculations
- Periodical Business Review with subsidiaries
- Special projects for CEO
- Put in place of a project controlling for the R&D sector
- Draft the Transfer Pricing concept/project
- Bring the French affiliate on SAP-One FI/CO
02-2019 to 06-2021
Switzerland
Group of suppliers and Luxury brand; Swiss watch industry
Key information: 450 employees, turnover of 110 Mio. CHF
Role: Group CFO
Project goals:
- Introduce and implement Corporate Governance procedures on a group level
- Introduce and implement a monthly MIS Reporting increasing transparence
- Reduce due dates of monthly reporting package to best practice
Year-end close and audit for 2019 and 2019 - Balance Sheet restructuring/Impairment as per end of 2019
- Financial Planning 2019 – 2023
- Review and improve system of Industrial/Management Accounting, processes, procedures, increase transparency, action plan and implementation.
- Negotiate a new partnership and supply contract with one of the most important customers
- Business case to commercialise a new technology in the area of the clockwork
- Immediate actions to guarantee cash needs during Covid-19 crisis
03-2018 to 09-2018
Germany
Cable connection systems and accessories
Key information: 220 employees, turnover of 85 million CHF
Role: CFO/Controller
Project goals:
- Legal financial statement for 2017 and audit
- Audit of two sites
- Team management and stabilization
- Team expansion in accounting and controlling
- Start project SAP HANA
- Creation/implementation of project ‘Transfer pricing’
- Integration of French branches
- Due diligences for acquisition of Italy
10-2017 to 02-2018
Aargau
Medium sized industrial group
Key information: 1200 employees, turnover of 225 million CHF
Role: Group controller
Project goals:
- Forecast III/2017
- Budgeting for 2018 and mid-term planning
- Financial statement/ consolidation
- Audit of the corporation
- Evaluation/introduction of new consolidation SW
- Project ‘Transfer pricing’ for a business unit
02-2017 to 09-2017
Schaffhausen
Project business for system controls
Key information: 140 employees, turnover of 25 million CHF
Role: CFO
Project goals:
- To improve the quality of the monthly financial statement
- Financial transparency in the project business
- Analysis of all financial processes
- Design and introduction of MIS on the basis of KPIs.
- Replacement of IT system for finance
- Financial process improvements for factory in Czech Republic
06-2016 to 02-2017
Basel-Land
Manufacturing firm, ancillary construction sector
Key information: 70 employees, turnover of 25 million CHF
Role: CFO
Project goals:
- Complete analysis and revision of processes
- Establishment of transparency in project reporting
- Company restructuring
- Securing liquidity
- Negotiations with creditors and banks
- Reduction of staff and overheads
- Divestments
- Raising fresh shareholder capital
10-2015 to 04-2016
Berne
B2B manufacturer of high quality cosmetics
Key information: 150 employees, turnover of 25 million CHF
Role: CFO
Project goals:
- Focus on development of controlling and treasury
- Takeover of two accounts departments
- Financial statement and audit (March/April 2016)
- Reworking calculations and price adjustments
- Forecasts and budget for 2016
- Developing management information system- KPI
- Optimising property and personal insurance
- Recruiting an employee for the financial department
- Projects for the CEO (cost saving)
- Training the new finance manager
11-2014 to 05-2015
Curitiba/PR, Brasil
Machinery industry
Key information: 90 employees, turnover of 15 million
Role: CFO
Project goals:
- To clarify and deal with cases of corruption
- Establishing risks, completing integration
- Financial statement and audit
- Business plan with catalogue of measures
- Developing risk management
- Developing management reporting – MIS – KPI – RM
- Successful presentation April 2015 and start of implementation
- Recruitment and induction of local successor
12-2012 to 08-2014
Mendrisiotto region
Transport, logistics, haulage
Key information: 30 employees, turnover of 6 million CHF
Role: Business administration Manager- CFO
Project goals:
- Gentle turnaround (the company is financially healthy)
- Revitalising staff, modernising IT
- Increasing returns on investment
- Divestment where assets are not necessary
- Invest the freed-up funds in new SEP
01-2012 to 11-2012
Luganese region
Machinery for the packaging industry
Key information: 25 employees, turnover of 8 million CHF
Role: Manager/ CEO
Project goals:
- Complete turnaround across all units
- Introduction of quality management and monitoring
- Development of customer service
- Strengthening and focussing on sales (eg. KA)
- Development and introduction of risk management
- Development of robust financial planning
- Negotiations and eventual sale of the company
before 2012
worldwide
Professional Experience
Swatch Group:
6 years as Controller / Legal Unit CFO / DMA Controller
Dade Behring:
2 years as Legal Unit CFO
Schering-Plough:
2 years as European Regional CFO
Swisscom Systems:
2 years as Legal Unit CFO
Dictaphone Europe:
3 years as CFO Continental Europe
Macroswiss:
3 years as Legal Unit CFO and Operations Director