Métiers of Finance

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) teams are in charge of managing company’s M&A processes by screening acquisition targets, conducting due diligence, and integrating acquired businesses, mainly based on the corporate strategy and risk management considerations. They play a crucial role in building the relationships with the acquisition targets and identifying and reassessing synergy expectations.

Risk Management teams are in charge of identifying, evaluating, prioritising and mitigating risks (both internal and external) that affect a company and its functions. The team communicates risk policies and processes for an organisation. It provides hands-on development of risk models involving market, credit and operational risk, assures controls are operating effectively, and provides research and analytical support. Risk Management can also help to maximise opportunities by being aware of market changes and investment opportunities that can increase the company’s profitability. In this regard it is closely collaborating with the M&A team.

Accounting teams are in charge of managing the process of recording, summarizing and reporting financial transactions pertaining to a business. It includes summarizing, analyzing and reporting these transactions to oversight agencies, regulators and tax collection entities. It includes Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Record Keeping. 

Consolidation teams are involved in the analysis, control and the consolidation of the accounting and financial data of a company's various international subsidiaries, in order to accurately reflect their economic reality. In close collaboration with the administrative and financial director, the consolidator is mainly responsible for drawing up a single financial statement based on all the accounting and financial elements of the employer's subsidiaries, for use by management and the group's shareholders.

Financial Planning & Analysis teams are in charge of amining, analyzing, and evaluating the entirety of a corporation’s financial activities, and mapping out the company’s financial future (often in form of a budget). The Financial Planning & Analysis team utilizes both quantitative and qualitative analysis of all operational aspects of a company in order to evaluate the company’s progress toward achieving its goals and to map out future goals and plans. It defines the objectives, KPIs and measures the performance of the company in order to optimize its financial profitability. It considers economic and business trends, reviews past company performance, and attempts to anticipate obstacles and potential problems, all with an eye toward forecasting a company’s future financial results.

Internal Audit & Control teams are in charge of evaluating a company’s control processes, including its corporate governance and accounting processes. It ensures that all financial processes follow legal guidelines and compliance regulations in regards to fraud and theft by implementing certain internal controls. It oversees all financial activities to ensure that they all reconcile and that all transactions add up. Financial controllers also liaise with external auditors. The Internal Audit & Control team also provides suggestions for improvements to current processes not functioning as intended, which may include information technology systems as well as supply-chain management.

Tax teams are in charge of filing and reporting tax returns, ensuring compliance with tax laws, accounting for income taxes and filing transaction taxes. In addition to this, it provides support and consulting to business units on most beneficial tax structures and decides on transfer pricing. Eventually, the Tax team defines global tax strategies that minimize the overall tax load by optimizing across the regulatory requirements of the different countries.

Treasury/Credit Management are in charge of involving the management of money and financial risks in a business. Their priority is to ensure the business has the money it needs to manage its day-to-day business obligations, while also helping develop its long term financial strategy and policies. Treasury includes a company's collections, disbursements, concentration, investment and funding activities. It also runs all of a company’s activities aimed at ensuring that customers pay their invoices within the defined payment terms and conditions. It makes decisions concerning credit limits, acceptable levels of risk, terms of payment and enforcement actions with their customers. The Treasury/Credit Management team also liaises with banks and rating agencies, as well as credit insurers for the sake of procurement of finance. Getting it right reinforces the company’s financial or liquidity position, making it a critical component in any business. It should not be confused with Accounts Receivable in Accounting that is responsible for raising invoices and maintaining the ledger.

Financial Communication and Investor Relations teams are in charge of providing present and potential investors with an accurate account of company affairs and ensures that the company's publicly traded stock is being fairly traded through the dissemination of key information. This helps private and institutional investors make informed decisions on whether to invest in the company. This subfunction covers a part of public relations as it seeks to support and strengthen the company's stock market value and prospects, but also its credibility to shareholders and investors.

Finance Information Systems & Technologies teams are in charge of helping the Finance function perform at its best by driving its digitization, automating core processes and implementing major financial software (e.g., in Accounting, for statistics etc.). It manages the collaboration between the Finance and IT teams in the course of projects.