HGB Expert

CFO | Head of Finance | Corporate Finance Experienced finance manager with extensive expertise in group accounting, corporate finance, and business management. Long-standing responsibility for complex financial structures and corporate groups with 17 entities. Solid experience in HGB financial statements, real estate refinancing, investor and bank communications, liquidity management, and developing integrated reporting and KPI systems. Also brings leadership experience, M&A/PMI practice, and a strong track record of improving commercial processes and organizational structures.

Competency profile – Finance, Corporate Finance & Business Management

• CFO responsibility and commercial business leadership
• Holistic responsibility for and management of finance functions
• Strategic and operational advice to management
• Commercial management of company and group structures
• Analysis of business performance and development of recommendations
• Assessment of financial risks and development of appropriate measures
• Entrepreneurial thinking and business decision support
• Management sparring partner on financial and organizational matters
• Group accounting and accounting
• Responsibility for the finance and accounting function of a corporate group with multiple entities
• Preparation of annual financial statements under HGB
• Preparation and consolidation of consolidated financial statements
• Handling and reconciliation of intercompany matters
• Coordination of auditors and tax advisors
• Ensuring accurate and timely financial statements
• Analysis and assessment of profit and loss statements
• Optimization and standardization of accounting processes
• Corporate finance and real estate financing
• Structuring and implementing large-scale real estate refinancing
• Designing and supporting traditional bank financing
• Managing and monitoring existing financing structures
• Preparation and management of project-specific investor reporting
• Communication with banks and investors and preparation for negotiations
• Profitability assessments and business case calculations
• Controlling, reporting, and financial performance management
• Design and implementation of standardized reporting and planning systems
• Development, definition, and ongoing improvement of meaningful KPI systems
• Conducting plan-versus-actual and variance analyses
• Analysis of earnings, cost, and liquidity drivers
• Preparation of management reporting and decision-making materials
• Assessment of company performance and profitability
• Linking financial metrics to operational and strategic business management
• Liquidity management and financial planning
• Preparation and management of liquidity plans
• Monitoring and ensuring the ability to meet payment obligations
• Planning short-, medium-, and long-term financing needs
• Managing capital requirements and financing structures
• Assessment of liquidity risks and development of appropriate measures
• M&A and post-merger integration
• Participation in and support for business sales
• Involvement in the integration and merger of entities
• Coordination of commercial and organizational interfaces
• Integration and alignment of finance and accounting structures
• Adjustment of group-wide reporting and planning processes
• Support for intercompany reconciliations and process harmonization
• Support for realizing synergies
• Leadership and human resources management
• Professional and disciplinary leadership of employees
• Leadership and organization of a team of five employees
• Management and development of employees and areas of responsibility
• Advising management on personnel decisions
• Involvement in hiring, dismissals, and resolving employee conflicts
• Assessment of employment law matters based on intermediate-level knowledge
• Responsibility for digital personnel records
• Process management and digitalization
• Analysis, optimization, and standardization of commercial processes
• Design and implementation of workflow-based structures
• Digitalization of finance and administrative processes
• Introduction and development of digital workflows
• Use and optimization of digital and AI-supported tools
• Improving transparency, efficiency, and process quality
• Development of organizational and administrative structures
• Stakeholder and interface management
• Management and coordination of external stakeholders
• Collaboration with banks, investors, and financing partners
• Communication and coordination with auditors and tax advisors
• Coordination of internal departments and external service providers
• Ensuring transparent, quality-focused, and timely reporting
• Confident communication at executive and management level
• Personal and professional competencies
• Strong entrepreneurial and analytical thinking
• Structured, self-reliant, and solution-oriented approach to work
• Strong numerical aptitude and understanding of business relationships
• Strategic outlook combined with strong operational execution
• Strong organizational and process management skills
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Experience working with complex company and group structures

• Supported monthly and annual closing activities
• Checked incoming invoices for formal and factual accuracy
• Posted incoming invoices
• Contact person for internal departments on accounting matters
• Created and maintained vendor master data
• Processed open items
• Took on additional accounting-related special tasks
• Managed the functional mailbox
• Performed payment runs

Training and knowledge transfer – Accounts Payable:

In addition to the tasks above, I was responsible for training and transferring knowledge to 8 employees of an external service provider in India who took over the accounts payable activities:

• Conducted structured training and practical guidance throughout the accounts payable process
• Trained employees in checking and posting incoming invoices, including formal and factual checks
• Taught vendor master data maintenance, open-item processing and payment runs
• Trained employees in using the functional mailbox and communicating effectively with internal departments
• Explained accounting procedures, controls and company-specific accounts payable requirements
• Conducted “Training on the Job” using practical posting cases and real business transactions
• Supported the team in independently carrying out accounts payable processes and resolving accounting questions
• Checked the quality and accuracy of work results and provided continuous feedback and coaching
• Supported the transfer of accounts payable processes to the external service provider and ensured structured knowledge transfer and an orderly handover
• Supported a smooth transition by documenting processes, clarifying responsibilities and ensuring consistent application of accounting requirements

Software: JDE, ELO, SAP Concur

Programming custom indicators with ProBuilder (for the ProRealTime platform)

6 months at RCP - Rabe Academy (basics - trading account - TWS Interactive Brokers) Focus: ETH price history - NVIDIA stock (NASDAQ and CBOE)

• 500 hours total (TradingView & ProRealTime), including approx. 1,500 hours of tick data analysis using ProRealTime

Systematic market analysis, development of custom indicators, pattern recognition.

• Redesign of legal operations: standardised workflows reducing routine effort by up to 80%, with source citation, hallucination check as quality gate, role model, logging and audit trail.
• Compliance-by-design operating model (EU AI Act readiness, GDPR, eIDAS) with documented, releasable process steps.
• Roadmap, sprint planning and release management for an agentic RAG platform with counsel-in-the-loop approval, audit trail and German hosting.
• EU AI Act readiness, GDPR and eIDAS requirements managed as first-class project deliverables; go-to-market for two customer verticals.

• Audit, advisory and interim management in the areas of corporate governance, compliance, risk management (GRC), Internal Control Systems and Internal Audit.
• Design, implementation and optimization of control and compliance structures in international corporations and mid-sized companies.
• Support with transformation projects, organizational development, audit management, process optimization and executive coaching.

• Processing of a five-month backlog of incoming documents;
• Clarification of residual items and overdue open items;
• Review, reconciliation and clarification of accounting matters;
• Analysis of existing workflows and implementation of process improvements;
• Processing of accounting transactions in SAP FI and MM

Reporting to the Head of Group Accounting / VP Finance.

• Preparing and monitoring weekly cash flow forecasts for four entities
• Handling VAT matters with the tax authorities
• Submitting monthly VAT returns
• Leading the team during the annual audit conducted by Deloitte
• Preparing and analysing monthly financial statements (under HGB and IFRS) for four entities
• Compiling annual financial statements—including management reports and notes—for the auditors
• Conducting segment analyses and associated reporting

Asset of GPP (Private Equity)

• B2B, Provider of cooled packaging solutions for the pharmaceutical industry
• €20m in revenue, 50 employees, 2 locations

Responsibilities:

• Responsibility for all commercial and financial activities
• Establishment of a finance and reporting structure
• Carve-Out / Post-closing transition management

Achievements:

• Preparation of investor reporting package (sales, financials, cash) using Power BI
• Development of a sales funnel
• Business process redesigns and implementation of regular business reviews

• Implemented optimized management control and PowerBI solutions for the Power and Gas departments
• Perform a value chain analysis and create a business case with three scenarios and a value creation roadmap

• Led a 16-person finance and accounting organization during a restructuring phase; strengthened closing discipline, financial control, cash transparency and accountability.
• Supported cost programs with approximately €2 Mio. in annual savings; established regular KPI reviews for P&L, working capital, POC and cash topics.
• Responsible for monthly, quarterly and annual closing under HGB/IFRS, management/group reporting, audit, tax and GoBD compliance.
• Finance automation with clear business benefits: 13-week liquidity planning, cash flow reporting, P&L versus plan, variance analysis and bank reconciliation; reduced manual work by 40–60 %.
• Improved accounts payable processes through OCR-supported invoice processing and three-way matching with exception handling.
• Sparring partner to management on restructuring, liquidity, working capital, risks and process simplification.

• Operational leadership (Fast Close): Structuring and managing the entire close process for complex German and international client portfolios (Real Estate, Private Equity, HNWI).
• Audit readiness & governance: Ensuring compliance in the timely preparation of annual financial statements and tax returns under IFRS, HGB, and LuxGAAP.Efficient
• Audit support: Successful interface management and coordination with auditors (Big Four), which demonstrably shortened the audit duration.
• Special situations & complexity: Professional leadership of cross-functional teams in clearing and working through historically grown accounting backlogs.

• Independent planning, coordination and operational counting of fixed asset inventories at SGS sites across Germany
• During the count, clarification of variances as well as posting of the new inventories in the fixed assets of the respective site and company