SAP CO Experts in Germany

• Founded the company as a full-service consulting firm focused on purchasing and supply chain
• Commercial management of the company
• Digitalization and automation of work steps to reduce process costs
• Project management for optimization projects
• Connecting German companies with manufacturers abroad to achieve shorter delivery times and lower procurement costs at the same time
• Organizing B2B meetings between international companies
• Research on procurement markets (BestCostCountry) for the production of complex welded assemblies
• Taking on interim management assignments

• Team leadership: Prioritization and coordination of four cross-functional teams.
• Platform strategy: Development and implementation of strategies to optimize existing IT platforms.
• Stakeholder management: Active management of expectations and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Program and innovation management: Prioritization and coordination of cross-department projects as well as innovation initiatives.
• Product Owner consulting: Advising Product Owners with a focus on product development and continuous product improvement.
• Organizational development: Improving communication and decision-making structures across all organizational levels.
• Change management: Implementing best-practice change management methods to ensure continuous optimization and innovation.
• Quality assurance: Ensuring high quality standards in processes, services, and deliverables.

• Definition and setup of the subject areas
• Building a governance model for the department with the areas of responsibility
• IT strategy, project management, process management, and quality and sustainability management
• Developing a communication strategy within the group
• Creating the IT strategy
• Designing templates, guidelines, and processes for consistent work
• Capturing strategic guardrails and grouping ongoing projects – deriving a roadmap for strategic planning
• Reviewing ongoing projects
• Creating staffing calculations and volume structure
• Defining job profiles

• Goal/Motivation: PAYONE urgently needs a 360° view of its customers. So far, PAYONE has no overall master data strategy. It is not possible to identify customers across all relevant systems.

The organization is to be enabled to identify customers across all relevant systems. Creating the foundation for master data management at PAYONE

• Challenge: Due to acquisitions, the system landscape is very heterogeneous. The company is very dynamic and burdened with many system harmonization and integration projects, so resource bottlenecks and changes in project priorities are again and again almost impossible to handle.

Due to BaFin findings, the project has a central task and role. The first focus is on migrating all customers from the master-data-leading backend systems with their AML/KYC data to Salesforce. This is intended to resolve one of the largest findings and establish the corresponding ODD/EDD processes.

In addition, customer data must be harmonized in Salesforce. Previous migrations led in some cases to duplicate customer records. In the end, only one customer should be maintained in Salesforce and, with the corresponding information from the backend systems, it should also be possible to recognize which products and in which processing systems the customer uses Payone services.

Project: ONE Customer

Budget: €1.5 million

Team: 10/30 employees (full-time/part-time); 4 vendors/providers

Integration: 8 (subsystems/interfaces)

Applications: Salesforce; SAP S4/HANA; custom developments

Tools: MS Office; Jira, Confluence, SharePoint

Methods: Hands-on; Agile (SAFe); Prince2

• Building the data center in Oberkochen (defense area)
• Planning the fiber optic ring, simulation of Wi-Fi coverage
• Cable routing plan for WAN and LAN cables for office and production (infrastructure)
• Adaptation of the SAP system (R3) for the Oberkochen site (software)
• IT transformation of the SAP system to SAP HANA
• Planning network infrastructure and server technologies in the SAP environment
• Pré-sales support and setting up change management
• Independent coordination of utilities according to time, budget and quality
• Mapping the project in MS Project and SERVICENow
• Development and design of hardware and software
• Demand management and portfolio management
• Building a risk register and migration plan
• Preparation of payment-supporting documents in coordination with the responsible finance and commercial functions
• Budget: 5 Mio. - 34 FTE

• Technical leadership and further development of a team of 28 IT staff (internal & external) in the areas HelpDesk/HelpLine, RHEL (Red Hat), MUREX (trading system & applications), SAP basis operations
• Managing external service providers (including FI-TS for SAP basis operations)
• Personnel, resource and budget planning for the IT department and projects
• Introducing and establishing regular communication formats (weekly status meetings, team and cross-department meetings)
• Ensuring application operations in a hybrid environment (Windows/Linux with database and web/application servers)
• Supporting transformation projects to modernize the application landscape (e.g. DevOps approaches)
• Setting up and implementing a digital IT procurement for hardware & software (e.g. with DELL)
• Developing and managing the "IT Operations DOS" department based on corporate strategy
• Preparing management reports & decision papers on IT projects, optimization potential and automation opportunities
• Representing the department in the advisory boards of the Rentenbank and ensuring regulatory compliance (BaFin §44, GDPR, BSI, MaRisk)

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 planning, coordination and operational counting of fixed asset inventories at SGS sites across Germany
• During the count, clarification of differences and booking of the new inventory in the fixed assets of the respective site and company

• Defined S/4HANA finance solution architecture and led full project lifecycle — Blueprint through Hypercare — for global rollout.
• Designed global finance templates and COPA characteristics, harmonizing financial reporting across business units.
• Implemented role-based authorizations, SOD controls, and master data governance; managed provisioning and training for 200+ users.
• Coordinated cross-module integrations (MM, SD, PP) and third-party systems (Salesforce, SAP DRC, E-Invoicing), reducing month-end close from 5 days to 2 days.
• Prepared functional specifications, supported ABAP development, and drove problem management practices that reduced recurring incidents.

• Stream lead - Training
• Trainings – lead of the team & support of the relevant stakeholders
• Management of learning journeys & development of training plans
• Training environment & data – definition & development with the IT team
• Training documentation – management & coordination of the preparation
• Project lead - Germany
• Project management – planning, motivation, communication, execution
• Business process integration – analysis, definition, management
• Rollout management – planning, coordination, deployment
• Governance – template & project
• Test management – definition, findings, solutions, documentation
• Trainings – management of the training programs
• Business process management – integration, analysis, optimization, etc.
• Template & project governance
• Customizing FI
• Definition of the scope of acceptance test cases
• Organizing and execution of the tests – findings, development of design solutions based on business requirements, documentation, etc.
• Trainings – planning, creation, delivery, documentation, etc.
• Business process management – definition of data transfer, etc.
• Preparation and management of template workshops
• Preparation of technical and process documentation
• Agile project management
• Stream lead – process integration & governance
• Business process management – integration, analysis, optimization, etc.
• Management of the rollout quality gates
• Project governance – planning, monitoring, control of project progress
• Template governance – harmonization and standardization of business processes
• Standing governance – master data, chart of accounts, authorizations, customizing, etc.
• Standardization of repeating processes, incl. analysis and optimization, planning the transition to daily business and the activities within the month, interim, annual close, creation of a concept, checklist, etc.
• Participation in defining different interfaces (incl. concept, defining organizational structures, master data, template & standing governance, etc.)
• Definition and structuring of monitoring processes: IDocs, BI folders, etc.
• Participation in the definition and customizing of different areas in FI

• Process Owner SAP ERP 8 FI, CO & Investor Relations
• Process Owner SAP Success Factors
• Responsible for 4 teams, 39 FTE
• Full responsibility for end-to-end processes in SAP for Finance, Controlling, HR, Investor Relations
• Interface to certified public accountants for Finance IT (KPMG)
• ITIL-4 implementation for service request change request and project management with Service Now (Project Manager)

• Focus areas: restructuring, operations management, commercial management, purchasing, production
• Industries: automotive, metal processing, shipbuilding, electrical, elevators / escalators

Focus areas: knowledge transfer, reporting, cost analysis Tasks

• Ensure knowledge transfer from the outgoing controller
• Document key controlling processes
• Operational controlling (cash flow planning, reporting)
• Simplify 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

• Report to the head of accounting/finance/controlling and handle ad hoc requirements from all accounting and finance departments in SAP 4, including advance payments, payment plans, master data updates, and intercompany reconciliation
• Manage payment regulators such as Nordwest and Eurobaustoff & EDE reconciliation, AVIS reconciliation, travel expense approvals and reconciliation with credit card statements, factoring reconciliation, payment blocks, etc.
• Support the annual audit and insolvency reporting