Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Technology/automotive provider of integrated display solutions, especially for automotive applications Revenue €220 M, 800 employees

• Accounting, controlling & reporting, strategic procurement, tax, risk & legal, compliance, investor relations, preparation and execution of supervisory board meetings
• Investor discussions, investor relations for NYSE listing
• Expansion of reporting and compliance structures, cost controlling
• Post-merger integration
• Implementation of LucaNet
• Financing negotiations with banks
• Global responsibility for 25 employees in six countries
• Positive net cash position and decreasing NWC (-40%) with increasing revenues
• Significantly reduced cash outflow
• Initiation of profitability and restructuring projects, introduction of capex guidelines
• Establishment of hedging line, implementation of ABS program, extension of bank financings

Machinery/high-tech technology leader for laser tool machines for the solar industry, electronic products, automotive Revenue €140 M, 700 employees

• Cooperative leadership of the supervisory board, close communication with the executive board, chairing the annual general meeting, preparation and leading supervisory board meetings
• Streamlining leadership structures, including reappointment of the executive board
• Focus on return on capital and growth
• Capital market communication, discussions with banks and restructuring advisors
• Filling vacancies in the supervisory board
• Increase of market capitalization by €400 M
• Redesign of the compensation system with focus on value-oriented management, high approval at the annual general meeting
• Successful restructuring and refinancing
• Capital increase through new shares

Machinery world market leader for machine tools Revenue €2.3 B, 7,100 employees

• Accounting, controlling & reporting, cash and NWC steering, FX management, compliance, setup of structures and processes, risk management for both holding and subsidiaries
• Oversight of subsidiaries in China, Poland, DACH and Russia (greenfield)
• Expansion of control and management systems
• Compliance Officer, introduction of compliance program
• Implementation of currency hedging
• Cash and NWC management with focus on value-oriented steering
• Securing results through meaningful product costing
• Leading cost and efficiency programs, ERP system harmonization
• Direct and indirect responsibility for 45 employees in five countries
• Successful greenfield plant setup in Russia with financing (KfW) and capex underrun of approx. 10% through FX hedging and strict investment controlling
• Significant earnings contributions via cash management combined with term deposits in a high-interest environment
• Establishment of a tax-optimized holding in Switzerland
• Company-wide fixed cost reduction of 10% at a manufacturing unit in China through benchmarking and renegotiation of all procurement contracts
• Restructuring of financing in China
• Closure of a plant in China after merger with the Japanese MORI CO., LTD

Manufacturer of high-performance alloys Revenue €1.4 B, 2,000 employees

• Risk controlling, export control, compliance, transfer price management, data room setup
• Management of compliance audits and trainings
• Risk inventory, export control
• Organization of the data room for the equity carve-out
• Responsibility for transfer price management
• Successful compliance audit by external auditor
• On-time completion of the data room for carve-out

Manufacturer of high-performance alloys Revenue €1.4 B, 2,000 employees

• Operational and strategic controlling
• Leadership of corporate planning and investment evaluations, product costing
• Restructuring and cost reduction projects
• Risk and investment controlling, M&A projects
• Management of five employees
• Introduction of SAP-based sales controlling and value management
• Investment projects in the USA on budget
• Successful grant applications for energy-intensive operations

Material distributor and service provider Revenue €9.0 B, 11,000 employees

• Segment-wide corporate planning, strategic controlling
• Execution and analysis of segment-wide corporate planning
• Risk controlling
• Point of contact for the parent company (thyssenkrupp AG)
• Special assignments for the executive board
• Management of five employees
• Introduction of value-oriented management
• Expansion of working capital controlling and investment controlling with gap analysis

Energy supplier Revenue €13.1 B, 62,000 employees

• Leading M&A projects, managing interdisciplinary teams
• Identification and analysis of acquisition targets, preparation of bid documents
• Internal coordination, preparation of decision materials for the executive board
• Negotiations with cooperation and contractual partners
• Management of international engagements
• Selection and development of young talent
• Successful market entry in the Czech Republic with two companies
• Multiple end-to-end management of M&A processes
• Expansion of cooperation and investment options in Bulgaria

Supervisory board mandates in municipal companies

Institute of Business Administration, Chair of Finance, Prof. Dr. Reinhart Schmidt

three months

three months