There are different financial indicators to monitor the financial results of a company. Focussing on ‘value creation’ is sometimes considered ‘rocket science’ for the local management team. However, by explaining the steps of calculating ‘value’, management will quickly see what is meant by it and how they create it.
Richard Reinderhoff
Richard Reinderhoff is a CFO/FP&A expert, turned advisor. He has worked for corporations from different continents, at local BU and holding level. His experience in an emerging market has developed him into a strategic finance business partner.
Richard uses his strengths to develop learning management teams, improve capital allocation decision-making, and eliminate misperceptions on strategy. He is a specialist in Zero-Based Budgeting and promotor of FP&A, as the next frontier in finance business partnering.
Author's Articles
The strength of those working in FP&A often comes when they worked in different industries or with BU’s from different countries. They learned a little bit more about the impact management can have on the numbers under different circumstances. To develop a long-range forecast, financials need to look beyond current events and steer away from business plans based on extrapolation.
Sometimes, what you forecast needs to change dramatically, due to e.g. market disruption or internal changes. You also might not monitor every business the same way, because each might be in different development stage or ´situation´. By looking at the company itself, but also possible (management) crises, you can determine what the focus of the forecast should be.
Being critical of one’s own work, is even more important for the financial doing the forecast. A forecaster will undoubtedly have his or her bias and blind spots. However, some can be avoided by looking at the forecast itself, and some by looking at person doing the forecast. The aim here is to create deeper awareness of ‘forecasting’ by presenting some structural elements.