Freelancer profile translated to English.

Description

Over 20 years of experience in retail, including 12 years internationally (Greece, Belgium, and Switzerland) and 8 years in LBO contexts.

Recognized leadership, focused on operational management to restore economic performance.

Experienced in transformation, restructuring, and rapid growth contexts.

Complete expert in the finance function focused on cash management.

Proven ability to optimize processes and ensure the reliability of financial information.

Areas of Intervention

• Structuring of the CFO function for SMEs, mid-cap companies, or growing group subsidiaries, post-acquisition integration.

• Transformation, team restructuring, management of cost-saving plans.

• IT project management and process digitalization.

• Relocation management, strengthening finance teams.

Sectors of Activity

• Known: specialized retail, pharmacy groups.

• Targeted: multi-site service sectors, B2C or B2B.

Industry field of expertise

Languages

English
Native or bilingual

Workplace preferences

Can work on-site

Paris (up to 50km)

Evecial
Group Chief Financial Officer
RETAIL (SMALL BUSINESS)
December 2016 - July 2025 (8 years and 7 months)
Paris, France
Evecial
Revenue €100M - 220 employees - B2C (pharmacies and e-commerce) – B2B (pharmacy groups)
Management of 12 people

Phase 1: 2016 – 2018

**Context**: PE fund ownership, build-up of the core network of 12 pharmacies under the Boticinal brand, development of the website and a private label (Revenue +110%)

**Objectives**: Build the group's financial department

**Actions**:

- Recruit 10 employees
- Implement Finance-IT tools (Sage X3, Yooz, Exabanque)

**Achievements**:

- Monthly reporting in place to manage EBITDA
- Reliable accounts for the group's 30 companies (2 consolidated and 10 fiscal integration groups)

Phase 2: 2019 – 2021

**Context**: Investment pause and Covid crisis

**Objectives**: Secure cash, improve the performance of the existing scope, simplify the legal structure

**Actions**:

- On working capital, manage inventory, increase supplier credit, and accelerate the recovery of back margins.
- Negotiate state-guaranteed loans.
- Secure cash: daily management and forecasts.
- Merge 3 group companies.

**Achievements**:

- PGE in place for 90% of pharmacies.
- Accelerated collection of back margins: +€0.7M

Phase 3: 2022 – 2025

**Context**: Business model transformation (pharmacy divestment, development of the affiliate network and acquisition of pharmacy groups)

**Objectives**: De-leverage the group, reorient capex towards the group activity.

**Actions**:

- Organize pharmacy reconciliation processes.
- Manage pharmacy divestments (account closures, settlement of bond loans).
- Restructure reporting by BU for better understanding and valuation of the group (creation of the reporting & performance manager position).

**Achievements**:

- Net debt halved, divestment of 4 pharmacies and investment in 5 pharmacy groups.
- Profitability x 2
Team Structuring Change and Transformation Management Financial Reporting FP&A LBO
Fnac France
Finance Project Manager
RETAIL (SMALL BUSINESS)
November 2015 - June 2016 (7 months)
Paris, France
**Context**: Annual negotiations of supplier framework agreements

**Objectives**: Optimize payment terms. Validate the legal compliance of contracts.

**Actions**: Coordinate the actions of internal stakeholders (purchasing and legal departments).

**Achievements**: Improvement of cash position by €40M as of 06/30 (annual projection of €125M)
Fnac Belgique & Suisse
Subsidiary Chief Financial Officer
RETAIL (SMALL BUSINESS)
October 2009 - October 2015 (6 years)
Brussel, BU, Belgium
Fnac Belgium & Switzerland
Belgium: Revenue €190M - 470 employees - B2C (9 stores and website)
Switzerland: Revenue €110M - 250 employees - B2C (5 stores)
Managed team of 40 people

**Context**: Decrease in physical store sales, growth in online sales, excessively high operating costs.

**Objectives**: Restore subsidiary profitability. Coordinate cost-saving plans with the group and local teams.

**Actions**:

- Reorganize management control (creation of a management control manager position through internal promotion, centralization and reduction of staff).
- Reorganize accounting (implementation of invoice EDI and team downsizing).
- Manage transversal cost-saving plans for both subsidiaries. Recruit and lead an indirect purchasing project manager.
- Negotiate the logistics service contract.

**Achievements**:

- €16M in savings realized between 2013 and 2015.
- Finance-IT-Logistics team restructured: 30% payroll savings in 3 years.
- Finance team reorganized and re-engaged: internal promotion of 2 managers (management control manager and accounting manager).