Experience Counts
Deliver a Self Service Financial Information System for a $3 billion turnover division
Scenario:
Decentralised, manually compiled, limited lineage, inconsistent classification and consolidation hierarchy, open access, slow to generate, limited documented financial data validation workflow for a highly volatile $3bn turnover business.
Desired Outcome:
Self service enabled, centrally delivered and governed suite of financial reporting and supporting data points, able to be scaled and integrated into existing cross functional governance suites, fully transparent auditable lineage, with reporting available with 3 days of financial close.
Delivered Outcome, pilot within 6 months
Collaboration between risk and finance streams with agreement to utilise a common data hierarchy and select a delivery partner, controlled open access framework endorsed by management board with full transparency of utilisation and misuse triggers embedded into workflow. Automated reporting and data interrogation tools rolled out to management together with standardised management reporting, removal of duplicative data storage, enablement of live query and commentary. Enabling management to focus on the right conversations and business drivers rather than questioning the numbers. Pilot rolled out across the company with significant $ and efficiency savings, together with clearance of longstanding internal audit control issues.
Scenario:
Team leader removed, complex cross geography critical control function with people and cultural issues reported including multiple bullying and harassment claims. Loss of business confidence and trust, employee engagement score of less than 40%.
Team Re-build
Desired Outcome:
Stabilise and re-build trust both internally and externally, improve team depth and de-risk resourcing concentration, improve control operations and return to normal business operations.
Delivered Outcome:
Opened communication lines wth directly impacted staff and select partner functions, putting in place clear timeline and opportunities for engagement to re-build trust together with a direct whistleblower line. Over a 6 month period re-structuring the function, increasing the depth of leadership in key locations, significantly improving diversity metrics and increasing engagement score to 75% with 98% participation.
Building financial confidence in disadvantaged youth
ANZ encourages its staff to support not for profit communities through company sponsored annual giving days. As finance professionals we can do so much more than help paint walls or pack food bags, noting those are valuable things too. Each year different teams are encouraged to focus on different community issues that we are passionate about. Homelessness is one of mine so under my leadership the Institutional finance team partnered with the Lighthouse foundation to create a one on one mentoring program, supporting a small group of youth who had experienced homelessness into the running of a small business focused on their art, and using that to improve their financial literacy. Much of this work found its way into the ANZ financial literacy program and through match funding raised more than $30,000 for the foundation.
Re-locate and establish financial operations offshore
Scenario:
Lead the consolidation of a finance team of 120+ spread over 8 counties and 10 different locations, supporting a highly regulated, complex business with daily reporting requirements and an annual turnover of over $3billion.
Desired Outcome :
Over an 18 month period successful relocation of all transactional reporting and associated key control functions to offshore location, engagement of all staff, including retention of existing resources for parallel operations and re-investment in onshore capability, implementation of new regulatory reporting system.
Delivered Outcome :
Implementation program endorsed as the blue print for future offshoring of markets control platforms
Financial re-set - lead an iconic brand to return to more financially sustainable operations
Scenario:
An iconic Australian performing arts company with a need to make strategic investments and changes to its operations. Balancing a reducing share of government wallet, changing consumer behaviours, community expectations with the need to maintain a product renown for excellence on the world stage in a financially sustainable way.
Desired Outcome:
Stabilise people resources and mobilise teams around key initiatives that strengthen the underlying organisational infrastructure in a transparent and well governed way. Provide the building blocks to introduce different revenue streams and enhance existing ones with stronger community connections and audience experiences that delight and retain the quality the company is renown for. Create the business frameworks to prioritise investments that ensure a sustainable financial future. Monetise existing assets by introducing whole of life return management.
Outcome: Early days but the future is bright
With a forward looking business planning cycle re-introduced, reporting designed to support decision making and governance frameworks established that are transparent and directly linked to key strategic pillars. Activities designed to build trust are being rolled out across the organisation.
Scenario:
Private Equity, complex corporate structure, multiple industry focus, circa 100 employees, hybrid working practices, no standard finance or risk infrastructure, limited brand presence
Creating & Executing Corporate Strategy
Delivered Outcome:
Executive governance framework created incorporating reporting, corporate delegation policy, strategic roadmap, brand presence (website, LinkedIn) with full stakeholder and marketing strategy, well managed exit of non-strategic businesses and capability profiles created for key leadership roles. Staged technology roadmap aligned to growth strategy, with clear milestones initiated. Defined “core product” providing clarity for each team on their part in creating a better model for delivering quality accessible accomodation in the places that we would like to live.
Desired Outcome:
Set strategy to transition from a family owned property development & corporate services business to a market leading social infrastructure champion with scalable control of supply chain within 5 years.