Olivier Brunet, Finance Expert in Deva, Hunedoara County, Romania

Olivier Brunet

Finance Expert

Location
Deva, Hunedoara County, Romania
Toptal Member Since
March 21, 2022

Olivier launched his own consulting practice after a twenty-five-year financial career in Eastern Europe, working as CFO or controller for Fortune 100 and CAC40 subsidiaries (Publics, Alstom, Mondelez), combined with audit lead roles at KPMG and Mazars. He enjoys freelancing because it provides him with the opportunity to meet fascinating entrepreneurs and work on challenging projects, allowing him to leverage his corporate best-practice experience to improve accounting and financial processes.

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Career Highlights

Interim CFO and Consultant for Entrepreneurs
Self-employed
Chief Financial Officer
Publicis Groupe
Interim CFO
Alstom

Education

Executive MBA
University of Bristol & Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees
Diploma
London School of Economics and Political Science
Master of Science Degree
EDHEC Business School

Select Certifications

ACCA | Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
ACCA | Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

Case Studies

Image of Monthly Management Reporting Package project
Monthly Management Reporting Package
Profitability AnalysisIncome StatementsBudgetingManagement ReportsBusiness ManagementCash Flow+ 15 more
Image of Due Diligence Report on Sellers' Side project
Due Diligence Report on Sellers' Side
FinancialsIncome StatementsCash FlowDue DiligenceRevenue & Expense ProjectionsForecasting+ 3 more
Image of Financial Management Training Material for Startup Projects project
Financial Management Training Material for Startup Projects
Business SetupBusiness ManagementBusiness PlanningCapital Structure OptimizationReturn AnalysisCash Management+ 7 more

Expertise

AccountingBudgetingCost AccountingFinancial ManagementFinancial ReportingIFRS Financial ReportingProfitability Analysis

Work Experience

2017 - PRESENT

Interim CFO and Consultant for Entrepreneurs

Self-employed
  • Implemented monthly management reports at a leading European bicycle producer (€80 million in sales), with significant growth in the electric bike segment.
  • Redesigned accounting and financial processes to accelerate a monthly financial close and shortened it by around five days at the leading Romanian music recording house (€10 million in sales).
  • Lectured on financial management matters at the Business Faculty and the Entrepreneurship Academy in Bucharest, delivering valuable tools and insights to around 100 students.
  • Performed a sell-side M&A diligence for a Romanian IT-services related company, acquired by a global player, and a buy-side M&A for a European archiving service company who identified a target in Romania; dealt with values of a few MEUR.
Focus areas: Financial Reporting, IFRS Financial Reporting, Taxation, Budgeting, Modeling, Cash Management, Financial Training, Statutory Audits, Process Design, Process Redesign, Management Reports, Due Diligence, Income Statements, Balance Sheets, Cash Flow, Financials, Business Planning, Forecasting, Spreadsheets, Reporting, CAPEX, CAPEX Budgeting & Inventory Management, Operating Expenses (OPEX), Revenue & Expense Projections, CFO, Interim CFO, Financial Modeling, Cash Flow Management, 13-week Cash Flow, Three-statement Modeling, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), Small Business Consultants, Business Models, M&A (Sell-side), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), M&A (Buy-side), Startup Consulting, Startups, Financing, Fractional CFO, Manufacturing, Finance, Business Services, Business Proposals, Pitch Decks, Due Diligence Consultant, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Internal Financial Reporting, Revenue Projections, Cryptocurrency, Cryptocurrency Development, Valuation, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), DCF Modeling, Early-stage Startups, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Transfer Pricing, Depreciation, Pricing, Financial Analysis, Cash Flow Modeling, Revenue Management, Retail & Wholesale, Business to Consumer (B2C), B2B, Clothing, Cash Flow Forecasting, Travel, Hospitality
2011 - 2016

Chief Financial Officer

Publicis Groupe
  • Coordinated the seamless merger and integration of three Leo Burnett agencies into Publicis Romania.
  • Oversaw the growth of the business from €12 million to 24 million billings while maintaining the net margin at 4%.
  • Supported the Client Service Division in negotiating contracts with clients and supervised financial control over commercial activities.
  • Achieved clean statutory audit reports and a satisfactory first-time-ever internal audit by group auditors.
Focus areas: Financial Reporting, IFRS Financial Reporting, Accounting, Hyperion, Contract Review, Taxation, Profitability Analysis, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Internal Control Evaluation, Forecasting, Spreadsheets, Reporting, CAPEX, Operating Expenses (OPEX), Revenue & Expense Projections, CFO, Cash Flow Management, Financing, Finance, Business Services, Internal Financial Reporting, Revenue Projections, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Policies & Procedures Compliance, Depreciation, Pricing, Revenue Management, B2B, Cash Flow Forecasting
2010 - 2011

Interim CFO

Alstom
  • Accompanied the implementation of a financial shared service center across Alstom 4 business units in Romania, ensuring the smooth collaboration of the non-outsourced financial processes with the SSC setup, achieved with KPMG consultants in 8 months.
  • Re-engineered the finance function to support the subsidiary of the worldwide leader in power production, Alstom Group, Power Division, with €15 million in revenue, in the frame of a one-year contract.
  • Developed the first model of hedging effect forecasting on foreign currency projects, ensuring all relevant costs were included in the bid.
Focus areas: Financial Reporting, IFRS Financial Reporting, Internal Control Evaluation, Taxation, Shared Service Centers, Forecasting, Spreadsheets, Reporting, CAPEX, Operating Expenses (OPEX), Interim CFO, Cash Flow Management, Foreign Exchange (FX) Hedging, SAP FI, Financing, Finance, Policies & Procedures Compliance, Depreciation, B2B, Cash Flow Forecasting
2009 - 2010

Internal Audit and Control Consultant

Groupama Insurance
  • Defined a new set of internal procedures and built the foundation for the proper setup of the internal audit function. Designed the first internal audit program and started its implementation in a time frame of six months.
  • Developed and implemented the collection of procedures across the entity resulting from the merger of three insurance companies and coordinated the elaboration of a sample of model procedures.
  • Changed the board’s view on the internal control system, role band attributions by clarifying the related functions (internal control, internal audit, risk management, quality management) and instruments (policies, procedures, norms, and rules).
  • Directed internal control assignments on key processes (claims management, fraud detection, IT reporting requirements, operations at the head office).
Focus areas: Internal Control Evaluation, Internal Audit Function, Spreadsheets
2008 - 2009

Audit Manager

KPMG
  • Conducted audit assignments for one season on a diversified portfolio of clients, including those in the telecommunications, real estate, pharmaceutical, construction, and hospitality industries. Ten assignments performed.
  • Supervised the Cluj regional office, implementing commercial development activities.
  • Took part in the improvement of an internal client acceptance tool.
Focus areas: Statutory Audits, Group Reporting, Due Diligence, Spreadsheets, Reporting, Accounting, Finance, Business Services, Business Proposals, Depreciation, Financial Analysis, Data Analysis, Financial Data Analytics, B2B
2007 - 2008

Regional CFO For Central and Eastern Europe

GPV Groupe
  • Enhanced the financial supervision of the regional activity for the head office and addressed strategical organizational issues within GPV Romania. Total sales of €10 million.
  • Supervised the financial departments of the five subsidiaries of GPV Group, the European leader in envelope production, based in Central and Eastern Europe, coordinating 18 employees in total in the region.
  • Redesigned financial processes and tools for credit control (innovative use of a call center), including cash planning, intragroup reconciliation, and standard cost calculation and deviation analysis.
Focus areas: Cash Management, Financial Reporting, IFRS Financial Reporting, Taxation, Debtor & Creditor Management, Costing, Modeling, Budgeting, Capital Budgeting, Forecasting, Spreadsheets, Reporting, CAPEX, CAPEX Budgeting & Inventory Management, Operating Expenses (OPEX), Revenue & Expense Projections, CFO, Cash Flow Management, Cost Accounting, Management Accounting, Credit Control, Internal Control, Financing, Manufacturing, Finance, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Internal Financial Reporting, Depreciation, B2B
2000 - 2006

Head of Audit Department

Mazars
  • Conducted the growth of the audit division activity from a team of three and €100–200,000 revenue to a seven employee workforce and revenue nearing €1 million.
  • Directed the audit activities of the Romanian subsidiary of Mazars, a second-tier key audit player: acquisition due diligence, M&A on the buy and sell-side, consolidation package review, parent company reporting, and statutory account audit.
  • Enlarged portfolio of audit clients from four to about 50 companies in diversified operational areas, like FMCG, construction and related materials, retail, advertising and media, IT development, insurance broker, manufacturing, gaming, and services.
  • Promoted the firm within the French business community as treasurer and board member of the French Chamber of Commerce, treasurer of the French Expats Society, and realized advertorial and specialty articles for the MOCI and CCIFER magazines.
  • Prepared tenders for local or international bidding prospects such as Dacia-Renault, Gaz de France, and Lafarge and developed the consulting services business line.
Focus areas: Statutory Audits, Group Reporting, Business Development, Due Diligence, Reporting, Spreadsheets, M&A (Buy-side), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), M&A (Sell-side), Finance, Business Services, Business Proposals, Due Diligence Consultant, Depreciation, Financial Analysis, Data Analysis, Financial Data Analytics, B2B
1998 - 2000

Financial Controller

Mondelez
  • Supervised translation of statutory to USGAAP accounts and reported financial statements to the parent company Kraft Foods International Inc., N.Y., USA, and the regional head office in Vienna, Austria.
  • Completed first-time consolidation process smoothly, with no question from head offices, at the 1999 year-end in Hyperion Enterprise application.
  • Managed 14 persons and developed Plant Cost Controlling and Marketing Controlling departments, easing tensions between Chief Accountant and team.
  • Developed and monitored internal control procedures; Liaised with internal (Philip Morris Corporate Audit Department) and external (PwC) auditors.
Focus areas: Accounting, Reporting, Group Reporting, Hyperion, Controller, Controlling, Spreadsheets, Internal Control, CAPEX, CAPEX Budgeting & Inventory Management, Credit Control, Cost Accounting, Management Accounting, Manufacturing, Depreciation, B2B
1994 - 1997

Audit Junior to Auditor-In-Charge (AIC)

KPMG
  • Executed audit assignments for a diversified portfolio of clients, mostly on local subsidiaries of multinational corporations.
  • Took part in due diligence assignments for the acquisition of local companies by foreign investors.
  • Joined the executive MBA program conceived as a career enhancement path with the University of Bristol and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees.
Focus areas: Statutory Audits, Group Reporting, Financial Reporting, Spreadsheets, Accounting, Due Diligence Consultant, Data Analysis

Education

1996 - 1997

Executive MBA in Business Administration

University of Bristol & Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees - Bristol, UK & Paris, France

1993 - 1994

Diploma in Accounting & Finance

London School of Economics and Political Science - London, UK

1991 - 1994

Master of Science Degree in Accounting & Finance

EDHEC Business School - Lille, France

Certifications

FEBRUARY 2019 - PRESENT

ACCA | Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

ACCA | Association of Chartered Certified Accountants