Last-minute takeover of the European Finance Department | Duration: 12 months + extension
Sector: Food Industry
Context: A food group, partly owned by an Asian investment fund, relocates its corporate headquarters to Switzerland. At the same time, the European CFO is reassigned to other responsibilities. The immediate need is to take over the financial leadership for Northern Europe—including the commercial side, four key countries, and two joint ventures—while awaiting a new organizational structure.
NIMSuisse’s intervention: Three managers were proposed, each with the required functional experience, the ability to manage a finance team of over 10 people, and a specific skill: fluency in Flemish. One of the selected managers started the assignment after a two-week handover with the outgoing CFO and immediately handled the May 2022 closing and reporting. During this time, he familiarized himself with all direct reports and team members, ensuring essential responsibilities were covered. This was followed by staff rotations, operational optimizations, and the launch of an SAP S/4HANA project.
Outcome: The role was successfully managed to the full satisfaction of the Group CFO. Team challenges were better understood and addressed, and the SAP S/4HANA transition progressed. Meanwhile, the manager was appointed Chairman of the Board for several subsidiaries, including the Russian JV, navigating the Russia-Ukraine crisis with support from a NIMSuisse partner. After one year, his mission was extended for a final period focused on problem-solving and knowledge transfer to his successor.
