“Controller Magazin Spezial”, August 2009, www.controllerverein.de
In times when black clouds gather above many companies, there is a growing awareness of how important it is to create a sustainable business value. These difficult times will certainly become a turning point for the development of the financial sphere and in particular for the Polish controlling.
A proof in this respect is the impressive number of participants at the 3rd International Controller‘s Congress (18 -19.06.2009, Poznan, Poland), which was organised by the Internationaler Controller Verein. The interesting discussions of controlling practicians, financial directors, consultants and experts provide excellent guidelines for controllers in many companies during the stormy times. Of course, there were numerous presentations meant to depict the experience and difficulties in the controlling field within the financial and banking sector, which is regarded as the cause of the economic difficulties all over the world.
Building controlling from the scratch and the related difficulties and successes were the subject of a lecture delivered by Witold Skrok, Managing Director of Alior Bank S.A. Impressive ideas and solutions in the controlling field allowed this bank to carry the burden of crisis despite its going into business at a very early stage of the crisis. Mikołaj Wozniak, Director of the Controlling and Risk Management Department of Volkswagen Bank Polska S.A., talked about two issues: How the current situation is modifying the perception of the Risk Manager, recently regarded as “hindrance” to sales and today referred to as the “voice of (sub)conscience”; How the controller becomes an internal adviser and a businessman in hard times.
The shift in positioning finance staff members towards business advisers, who support the process performance, could also be noticed in Paweł Kiełczykowski’s speech (CFO of Schenker Sp. z o.o.) as well as in that of Aled R Wynne- Joyce (a BPP trainer in London, in charge of such training as CIMA and ACCA), who additionally presented an innovative approach to the salary system for employees involved in the inflow of receivables from the contractors. This is a way of involving the employees in improving the liquidity, which leads to the maximisation of the market value through the analysis of the EVA ratios for individual products.
A practical model of such analyses was presented by Rafał Wilczynski, Controlling Director of ROHLIG POLAND Sp. z o.o. Bogusław Krawczyk, Manager&Advisory from KPMG; referred to a possibility of improving the operating performance on the example of IT departments. The pursuit of different solutions in receivables management was the topic of Dariusz Szulc from Coface Poland Credit Management Services Sp. z o.o..
Dr Walter Schmidt, Member of the ICV Executive Board, presented sample methods of an everyday liquidity analysis and modern budgeting methods focusing on sales strengthening, wise analysis of the cost reduction and on innovation. The budget sets out a certain framework of action for the company in terms of reaching its objectives. It can change along with the changing environment; yet, it will not exceed the limits adopted, so that the goals assumed can be achieved. Controllers working in the environment of foreign exchange fluctuations can sense very well that a flexible and multi-scenario planning of the financial standing is necessary. Przemysław Masłowski, the Financial Controller at ZT KRUSZWICA S.A., is one of them. During his presentation he showed a sample analysis of the foreign exchange exposure and solutions to the foreign exchange problem, which he encounters every day.
The volatility of the controller’s working environment, so peculiar to the current economic situation, was also emphasised by Magdalena Swoboda, Financial Controller of KLIMA-THERM Sp. z o.o. The multi-scenario approach to the future planning provides guarantee that the company will be ready for each and every case, this being quite difficult for companies dealing with public procurement. Such problems are faced among others by Przedsiebiorstwo Dróg i Mostów SA (Roads and Bridges Construction Company, a joint-stock company), which was represented at the Congress by Dariusz Gulczynski, Director for Economic Affairs.
The years to come are going to emphasise the increasing importance of the controllers’ skills in terms of building the bridge between finance and business, partnership and integration of particular elements in the organisation. Dr Herwig R. Friedag, head of the ICV PR Committee, presented some guidelines on the subject, put in a systematic order, including the Management 2.0 methodology.
At the end of the congress the participants had the unique opportunity to see and listen to the retransmission of a speech by Dr. h.c. Albrecht Deyhle, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Controller Akademie AG and Founder of the ICV. Despite the ‘stormy’ times, the congress certainly brought many ‘sunny’ ideas that could be applied by controllers in their every-day work. The whole meeting was held in an excellent atmosphere with valuable discussions, the continuation of which can be expected already during next meetings of the work-groups of the controlling practicians.
Info: Edyta Szarska
