Euro Trapani
Finance Expert
Location
Paradiso, Switzerland
Toptal Member Since
September 21, 2017
An experienced CFO, Euro has 18 years of experience working for multinational corporations in the consumer retail and manufacturing industries. As a freelancer, he enjoys utilizing his expertise in challenging projects involving cross-border M&A, financial modeling, and group corporate governance redesign. Euro has worked across the world with businesses of different sizes and understands the needs of both corporations and early-stage companies.
Euro is available for hire
Hire EuroCareer Highlights
Managing Partner
EuroExecution SA
Group CFO
Ariston Thermo Group
Group CFO
Sogefi Group
Education
Bachelor's Degree
Bocconi University
Case Studies
Hedging Country Risk
Risk ManagementReorganizationCountry RiskPocket-sized Multinationals
Group Finance Department Functional Assessment
CFOPocket-sized MultinationalsOrganization AssessmentAdministrationControlling
Industry Expertise
Automotive Service & Collision RepairInvestment BankingLaw Firms & Legal ServicesManufacturingApparel & Accessories RetailSporting & Recreational Equipment RetailFinancial ModelingForeign SubsidiariesOther Expertise
Business PlanningCFOCorporate GovernanceCross-border M&AFinancial ModelingWork Experience
2014 - PRESENT
Managing Partner
EuroExecution SA
- Redesigned corporate governance for foreign subsidiaries of multinationals with $500 million of revenue and subsidiaries in 20 countries, creating a system whereby the responsibilities of senior management aligned with the board rules of the subsidiary and did not impede local management's decision-making abilities (power of attorney). Supported the client in establishing the group company's secretary department by defining its role and responsibilities.
- Designed a new group subsidiary tree to improve the hedging of country risk for a group with 30 subsidiaries and $1+ billion of revenue. Led the setup of a subsidiary located in the Netherlands, working closely with local advisors to establish the subsidiary as the primary shareholder of the group's foreign investments and as the long-term term financier of the other group subsidiaries.
- Established a Swiss subsidiary to manage spare parts supply chain for a group, improving service levels for customers of the European subsidiaries and generating tax savings for the group by domiciling $15 million in a lower tax jurisdiction.
- Reviewed the finance organization and processes for a multinational with €800 million of revenue. Supported the group CEO and the human resources department in the strengthening of controller activities and the development of a risk management framework.
- Led a shift in asset management strategy for a private Swiss pension fund with $200 million of assets by analyzing the risk profile and average duration of the investments. Updated the benefits for future pension recipients by incorporating new legal requirements and current life expectancy tables.
- Assessed the operational risks in a pocket-sized multinational with $400 million of revenue, helping to establish both an internal auditing department and group credit manager position.
- Led financial modeling, due diligence, and negotiations to establish an Indonesian joint venture with a local distributor, better positioning the company in the fast-growing renewable energy market and driving a $10+ million increase in revenue.
Focus areas: International Finance, Business Advisory, Financial Advisory, Financial Modeling, Business Planning, Risk Management, Corporate Governance
2008 - 2014
Group CFO
Ariston Thermo Group
- Redesigned the organization, processes, and systems of a Romanian administrative shared service center, reducing the number of supplier invoices with authorization failures by 20% and the time spent on data verification and cleanup by 30%.
- Implemented a new corporate finance strategy and developed international banking relationships leading to a €150 million private placement of notes.
- Reviewed the group’s transfer pricing policy, which aimed to adopt OCSE principles and accelerate the utilization of €30 million in tax loss carryforwards.
- Redesigned foreign exchange hedging strategy to incorporate natural hedging via a centralized definition of currency rules and controls, reducing the foreign exchange risk of intercompany transactions by 70%.
- Sponsored and supervised the implementation of SAP's enterprise resource planning platform in high-priority foreign subsidiaries located in China, Russia, Vietnam, and India.
- Led acquisition negotiations and post-closing integration of two Swiss competitors with $50 million of revenue.
- Led due diligence, stock purchase agreement negotiations and post-closing integration for the €60 million acquisition of a high-tech European condensing boiler manufacturer.
- Redesigned corporate governance of 35 foreign subsidiaries with total revenue of $1.2 billion, defining the rules for board appointments as well as power of attorney for members and middle management.
- Optimized net working capital through the implementation of new systems, reducing the balance as a percentage of sales from 20% to 10% in five years.
Focus areas: CFO, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Legal Counsel, Cross-border M&A, Budget Controls, Administration, Corporate Finance
2003 - 2008
Group CFO
Sogefi Group
- Established a group treasury department and implemented a cash pooling system for 15 companies in five countries on an abbreviated timeline.
- Led the implementation of IFRS accounting principles for the entire group, comprising 40 companies across four continents.
- Managed international investor relationships, helping to increase the per share value of the firm by 240% in four years.
- Supported Sofegi's transformational acquisition of an international automotive company with $1.5 billion of revenue. Served on the steering committee and helped negotiate financing for the highly leveraged transaction; worked closely with private equity sponsors as well as Sofegi’s largest shareholder CIR, a holding company controlled by the De Benedetti family.
- Reorganized the group company footprint to reduce general and administrative expense and to help utilize a €20 billion tax loss carryforward.
- Negotiated 5-year term credit facility for €100 million raised via a syndicated loan offering.
- Managed relationship with the government of West Virginia and negotiated financial support from the West Virginia Development Agency for the $20 million expansion of a manufacturing plant focused on the development of automotive diesel and oil filters.
Focus areas: CFO, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Reorganization, Cross-border M&A, Investor Relations, Cash Pooling
2002 - 2003
Group CFO
Loro Piana Spa
- Sponsored and supervised the introduction of a new financial consolidation platform, increasing productivity by 250% by shortening the time to close as well as by improving the standardization and quality of reporting.
- Implemented a foreign exchange and commodities risk hedging policy customized for business seasonality. It hedged currency and commodity exposure at the moment risk was generated and significantly reduced the group's foreign exchange and commodity risk.
- Improved standard cost accounting by tailoring the process to the manufacturing nature of the business, enhancing the visibility of input costs.
- Redesigned the finance and administration department to be compliant with public disclosure requirements in advance of a potential IPO.
- Implemented new inventory evaluation and stocktake processes that allowed more effective obsolescence provisions based on seasonal aging, product type, and conversion costs.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), CFO, Cost Accounting, Reorganization, Financial Consolidation, Foreign Exchange (FX) Hedging
1999 - 2002
Group CFO
Fila Holding
- Led negotiations that facilitated the exit of three joint ventures with local partners in France, Brazil, and Australia, resulting in proceeds of €40 million to the parent company.
- Led an equity raise of $150 million, enabling Fila to comply with the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:FLH).
- Increased the responsibility and activity of a Hong Kong-based sourcing center focused on reducing costs for $400+ million of footwear and sportswear purchases per year.
- Led the sell-side process for the sale of Fila Group, managing relationships and due diligence sessions with potential buyers and their advisors.
- Managed Argentinian foreign exchange risk during the country's 2001 and 2002 economic collapse, successfully navigating currency turbulence and achieving a $15 million gain.
- Served as the interim CFO of Fila USA, the largest subsidiary of the group.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Controller, Financial Restructuring, CFO, M&A (Sell-side), Turnaround
1987 - 1993
Business Development and Investment Control
Honeywell Bull
- Led financial modeling, due diligence, and coordination of negotiations for four completed acquisitions of software businesses that shared synergies with the parent company's hardware products.
- Implemented financial reporting systems at the acquired software companies, developing software-specific financial tracking metrics to better monitor performance.
- Served as a board member of the acquired companies, overseeing strategy execution and achievement of planned synergies, which helped to drive additional hardware sales of $30+ million per year.
- Managed relationship with the Italian government's Ministry of Business Development, which resulted in the establishment of a new software factory in southern Italy.
- Recognized as one of the top 30 employees in the world at Honeywell Bull Group.
Focus areas: Controller, Industrial & Manufacturing, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Education
1976 - 1982
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration
Bocconi University - Milan, Italy