Financial Controllers in Germany

• Prepared and reviewed quarterly royalty settlements for licensors across music, publishing and media brands, including minimum guarantees, recoupment, returns reconciliation and process optimisation.
• Reconstructed historical licensing data for an external audit by a major US studio, covering music publishing and recorded music across ROW and AUS, and coordinated the resulting statements with the licensor.
• Supported the reconciliation of music royalties with the German collecting society and its international hub for 2018 to 2024.
• Assessed licensing data for accruals and provisions, and structured metadata for contract negotiations.
• Designed target processes and SOPs for a royalty automation tool and accompanied testing during rollout.

Scope: Embedded as FP&A Data & AI Architect within the Finance function of a major European refrigeration manufacturer, leading the transformation of manual, fragmented financial reporting into an automated, governance-driven intelligence platform. Driving the shift from Excel-based controlling to structured data architecture, Power BI analytics, and AI-assisted financial operations.

Financial Data Integrity & ERP Governance

• Initiated and led GL vs. subledger reconciliation investigations, identifying and resolving structural mismatches between General Ledger and subledger data that had gone undetected prior to engagement
• Conducted asset analysis to identify items missing from General Ledger postings, surfacing gaps in fixed asset tracking and period-end completeness
• Validated SAP reports, establishing baseline data quality standards for Finance team consumption
• Established systematic SAP data validation framework ensuring ongoing integrity between ERP postings and downstream reporting outputs

Finance Reporting Transformation

• Designed and implemented a structured Transformation Project approach for converting manual Finance reports into fully automated processes
• Created and owns the Data Reporting Audit Log; a centralized tracking system capturing report owners, stakeholders, data sources, manual effort estimates, and automation opportunity scores across the Finance function
• Mapped the full reporting landscape identifying quick-win automation targets and strategic Power BI migration candidates
• Actively reducing manual Excel and PowerPoint dependency across FP&A workflows; replacing point-in-time snapshots with live, governed data models

Power BI & Analytics Enablement

• Introduced and presented Power BI as the strategic reporting platform to Finance leadership, building internal buy-in for the BI transformation roadmap
• Designed initial Power BI architecture aligned with SAP, Salesforce and Oracle data structures and FP&A reporting requirements
• Established report ownership, governance documentation, and data lineage standards enabling sustainable self-service analytics across the Finance team

Transformation Infrastructure & Collaboration

• Configured and deployed Jira as the transformation project management hub, establishing structured sprint workflows, backlog management, and progress visibility for Finance IT initiatives
• Proposed and initiated a dedicated FP&A Communication & Transformation Hub, a structured cross-functional forum aligning Finance, IT, and business stakeholders around the reporting transformation roadmap
• Positioned the Finance function as an active driver of data governance and digital transformation within the broader organization

Outcomes

• GL/subledger reconciliation gaps identified and investigation framework established within first two weeks of engagement
• Data Reporting Audit Log deployed; first structured inventory of Finance reporting landscape in company history
• Power BI transformation roadmap presented and approved by Finance leadership
• Jira-based project governance live; Finance transformation now tracked with full sprint visibility

Technologies: SAP FI/CO · Power BI · DAX · SQL · Excel (advanced) · Power Query (M) · Power Automate · VBA · Jira · Microsoft 365 · SharePoint · Salesforce (Sales Data) · Oracle HCM · Python

• Independent accounts receivable and accounts payable accounting, including posting all incoming and outgoing payments
• Preparing customer invoices and monitoring open items and dunning
• Preparing and creating monthly and annual financial statements under HGB
• Preparing VAT returns and working with tax advisors and the tax office
• Preliminary payroll accounting
• HR administration including recruiting, applicant management, and conducting job interviews
• Preparing reports and business analyses for management
• Handling complaints and clarifying accounting issues

• Consulting on complex IT, accounting, controlling, and business intelligence projects from the analysis phase through implementation to go-live support
• Work as consultant, project manager, and subproject manager
• Focus on business process analysis and implementation
• Controlling: sales, marketing, project, financial, and cost controlling
• Accounting: General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, asset accounting
• Implementation and training of SAP R/3 FI/CO
• Operational experience in controlling, sales, human resources, and commercial project management before my consulting work

• Accounting, controlling and reporting, taxes, risk management, treasury, credit management, legal affairs, internal control/SOX, HR, IT, cooperation with auditors, tax consultants and government authorities
• Logistics, production and HACCP, occupational safety and veterinary and hygiene regulations (food manufacturing)
• Due diligence, M&A, corporate split-offs, crisis management, project management

Selected interim projects:

• Twistcafe (fast-food restaurants) – Interim CFO (global): solved issues with accounting and tax documents for the year-end close of the German and Austrian subsidiaries; standardized the intercompany billing of raw material and cash transfers (CZ, SK, DE, AT, PL); automated the recharging of promotions and cashless payments; improved cost center accounting (200+ cost centers)
• VIB Vermögen AG (Branicks Group, real estate) – Interim Head of Accounting (DE): completed HGB year-end financial statements for 19 companies without complications; IFRS group financial statements without issues; automated consolidation tasks (debt consolidation, expense and revenue consolidation); automated reporting processes
• NTT (telecommunications) – Interim Senior Controller (DE): simplified, standardized and automated monthly closing activities (provisions for customer and supplier rebates, order backlogs, accrued revenues, monthly gross profit adjustments), including SOX compliance evidence; balance sheet reconciliation; improved loyalty reporting
• Lilium (aerospace) – Interim Senior Accountant (DE): tax line corrections; asset migration from Datev to Infor LN for two companies, including data quality improvements; automated processing of interim asset investments and asset additions; led successful SOX audit for fixed assets leading up to the US IPO
• Brose (automotive) – Interim Head of Controlling (CZ): successful Forecast III; simplified and automated calculations and reporting (hourly rates, temporary workers, monthly reports, scrap and external rework, direct personnel costs); platform change for the monthly board meeting
• LUST Hybrid-Technik (Pankl-SHW Industries, manufacturing) – Interim Finance Controller (DE): monthly and annual financial statements (including inventory valuation, cost accounting), plan vs. actual comparisons, variance analysis, ad hoc reports, forecast preparation, automation
• Gebr. Bode (Schaltbau Group, manufacturing) – Interim Head of Accounting (DE): year-end financial statements without complications; simplified and automated liquidity planning; automated open items report, standardized intercompany reconciliations; implemented and automated the fixed assets report
• Hyva Georg Hydraulik (manufacturing) – Interim Senior Accountant/Finance Manager (DE): simplified and automated VAT returns, Intrastat and other statistical reports; automated fixed assets report; implemented and automated the cost center report/forecast and temporary labor reserves; master data correction
• Beiersdorf (FMCG) – Interim Finance Manager (DE/SK): oversaw transfer of the local finance department in Slovakia to the SSC Hamburg
• Trèves (automotive) – Interim Plant Controller/Head of Finance & Controlling (CZ): identified weaknesses; implemented controlling processes for the procurement process (PR/PO/GR), payroll, energy costs, ICO accounting, cost center reporting
• Hella Slovakia Signal-Lighting (automotive) – Interim Head of Controlling (SK): 10% reduction in receivables open items; automated reporting (capex, cost center, maintenance costs); standardized and automated inventory and receivables write-offs
• Tunap Cosmetics (FMCG) – Interim Finance Manager (DE): reduced DSO by 21 days within four months; balance sheet cleanup (fixed assets, provisions, prepaid expenses); reduced unprocessed invoices in the workflow by EUR 1.2 million during year-end; automated write-offs, controls and reporting
• Hanon Systems Autopal (automotive) – Interim Finance Controller (CZ): identified weaknesses; automated cost center reporting and purchase orders; automated inventory and receivables write-offs
• Drägerwerk (manufacturing) – Interim Finance Controller (CZ): FI/CO management, process audit, investment incentives, accounting accuracy, SAP settings (FI/CO, MM)
• Maxim Chicken (FMCG) – Interim Head of Finance and Controlling (CZ): introduced new gastronomy products leading to increased sales; implemented cash flow forecasting; reduced variable and fixed costs (raw materials, property leasing); successfully passed veterinary audit
• Trelleborg Automotive Czech Republic (automotive) – Interim Plant Controller/Head of Finance (CZ); Carbody Czech Republic (automotive) – Interim Plant Controller/Head of Finance (CZ): corrected accounting; corporate split-off with SAP separation; implemented cash flow forecasting; factoring
• Kantar Media (WPP Group, media) – Interim Finance Manager (CZ): automated US GAAP reporting; reduced fixed costs (supplier contracts, personnel expenses); implemented standard processes; successful SOX audit; production relocation

• Interim Head of Controlling at a medium-sized industrial group in mechanical engineering: setup of group controlling, preparation for the planned IPO, realignment of monthly reporting
• Project at a medium-sized company in the steel and mechanical engineering industry: further development of cost and performance accounting; setup of a structured overhead cost sheet to determine hourly and overhead allocation rates for pre- and post-calculation; setup of a profit center accounting system to show the P&L by business unit
• Interim CFO at a startup in optics / photonics: preparation of financial and liquidity plans to prepare for financing rounds and funding projects; contact person for investors in due diligence processes; setup of monthly reporting for internal and external stakeholders; preparation of annual financial statements together with an external tax advisory firm (inventory valuation, provisions, etc.); contact person for project sponsors in funded development projects; optimization and digitalization of business processes in finance
• Interim Head of Finance at a startup in robotics: introduction of business processes; support during financing rounds
• Project at a medium-sized mechanical engineering company: introduction of cost and performance accounting

Founded in 1968, MLD today employs over 350 people at various locations in and around Düsseldorf. The academic team, made up of 17 specialists, colleagues from biology, chemistry, pharmacy, drinking water hygiene, and medical training assistants, supports more than 1,500 office-based doctors and more than 30 hospitals with more than 5,000 beds in the Düsseldorf, Cologne and Lower Rhine regions as a reliable partner in laboratory medicine. It is a subsidiary of the Sonic Healthcare Group based in Sydney, Australia. Group: 37,000 employees, direct reporting line: Managing Director

Responsibilities:

• Disciplinary and technical management responsibility for 16 employees, sub-ledgers, general ledger, controlling, IT, purchasing, HR
• monthly reporting according to IFRS, consolidation of several domestic subsidiaries
• preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements of the companies according to IFRS and annual financial statements according to HGB of several companies, as well as preparation and support of the annual audits
• budgeting, forecasting
• accounting-related execution of incorporations, liquidations and transformations of the companies
• main contact person for auditors, tax advisors and tax authorities.

• Management reporting
• Analysis of COGS and close collaboration with accounting
• Variance analysis vs plan/forecast
• Establishing sales controlling
• Business partnering for the CSO area

Focus areas: Knowledge transfer, reporting, cost analysis Responsibilities

• Ensuring knowledge transfer from the departing controller
• Documentation of key controlling processes
• Operational controlling (liquidity planning, reporting)
• Simplification of the cost center structure to improve cost analysis Results
• Transparent knowledge transfer and sustainable documentation of controlling processes
• Improved cost analysis and more efficient reporting

• Controlling project work: implementation of customer quotation calculation and development of a trading and forward calculation for sales
• Development of a cost of goods manufactured calculator
• Theoretical design and practical implementation: temporary Excel-based solution introduced quickly; embedding into INFOR LN and creation of the requirements specification
• Majority of project management using modern tools (Loop, Jira, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Regular reporting on quotes submitted (contribution margin 1 and full cost coverage) and comparison with post-calculation

• Acting as project controller for the STEAM sub-project within Iqony's long-term modernisation programme for an industrial water demineralisation plant at the BP refinery site in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven alongside the parallel WATER sub-project
• Managing cost control, SAP PS data integrity and project tracking in a challenging data environment

• Process optimization, process design
• Business partnering, target vision
• Teambuilding
• Workflow design
• Budget, MEC
• SAP S4/Hana, Board

• Leading the finance and accounting department of the TR PLAST GROUP

• Responsibility for monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements as well as group consolidation under HGB

• Working with banks, leasing companies, tax advisors, insurance brokers, lawyers, auditors, tax auditors, and authorities

• Reporting to the managing director and advising on all business management topics

• Signing authority for leasing and hire purchase agreements up to €325,000

• Building and expanding the areas of controlling, accounting, and finance with a six-figure contribution to company success

• Implementing and building cost and performance accounting, liquidity management, company planning, and group consolidation

• Correct company results through the setup of internal cost allocations and accruals

• Reducing budget costs by 24% through digitalization and automation of processes

• Lowering interest expenses by 44% and increasing cash discount income by 23% through the introduction of liquidity management

• Six-figure reduction in maintenance costs through the introduction of cost accounting

• Preparation and support of the year-end closing for the Austrian site