The Situation
A high-growth global beverage manufacturing client presented a critical need to hire a talented financial planning and analytics (FP&A) leader at a pivotal moment: there was no structured finance team, and critical FP&A functions needed immediate leadership.
The manufacturer boasts a unique culture—rooted in health, wellness, calm, and embracing “Oregonian values” of organic and local while simultaneously being fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and focused on global expansion.
It was important that the FP&A leader be able to thrive in this unique environment and for Acumen to have specific cultural competency in hiring for European leadership, as well as competency in the CliftonStrengths psychometric tools the client leveraged to assess, hire, and develop talent.
The Process
Leveraging Acumen’s deep networks in food & beverage manufacturing, the new FP&A Manager was identified in a week and was onboarded shortly thereafter. While the organization initially thought this finance leader would need to hail from global F&B and work remotely from the Midwest or East Coast, Acumen was able to find the ideal candidate through trusted relationships—right in their own back yard.
The Chief Financial Officer remarked, “How was the ideal candidate right in our own backyard, and did we not know them?”
Not only was Adam well-versed in financial and business analytics and designing business intelligence solutions, but he was also ideal for this role due to his own track record of helping optimize the work of sales and marketing teams in addition to his own ability to develop compelling marketing content and ideate “outside the box” branding initiatives.
Challenges
Upon joining the team, the new FP&A leader was tasked with spearheading the implementation of Vena, a new FP&A software, while managing broader financial operations.
He quickly realized that automating the integration of global data into the company’s ERP had stalled, particularly in Europe. The system was designed to automatically flow data at the end of each day, but the process had fallen by the wayside, resulting in fragmented insights across regions.
Additionally, his role required him to:
- Take ownership of Vena, from SQL queries and data transformations to report building and user training.
- Expand financial visibility by incorporating volume data, not just monetary values, to improve cost accounting across North America (NA) and Europe (EU).
- Standardize global financial reporting to ensure consistent metrics for comparing EU and NA operations.
- Work cross-functionally to address data integrity issues, build a Power BI environment, and develop executive dashboards for timely decision-making.
Key Accomplishments
Automating Global Data Flow & Improving Cost Accounting
- Adam successfully automated daily data integration into the ERP, resolving European implementation hurdles.
- Introduced volume metrics into financial reports, allowing for apples-to-apples comparisons between EU and NA.
Becoming a Global FP&A Expert
- In just two months, Adam was sent to EU to participate in the European budgeting process alongside EU leadership — a significant vote of confidence in his abilities.
- Developed automated budgeting templates in Vena, improving efficiency and consistency.
- Trained EU finance teams, reinforcing his role as the company’s go-to expert for FP&A systems.
Earning Leadership Recognition
- Adam regularly meets one-on-one with the Chief Growth Officer and participates in high-level strategy discussions.
- He became a key partner to the CFO and VP of Finance, working closely on early morning (6 AM) problem-solving sessions. Their technical expertise and hands-on approach have placed the company among the top 1% of Vena users globally, with their reports serving as models for the industry.
- He also was quickly able to advocate for title and salary adjustments, ensuring his contributions were recognized and rewarded.
Building a Scalable Analytics Infrastructure
Adam also spearheaded the development of Power BI dashboards, providing executives, sales, and marketing teams with reliable, real-time financial insights and is actively addressing data integrity challenges, ensuring accurate and trustworthy analytics.
Future Outlook
Adam’s trajectory at the company is clear: he is already earmarked for a higher-level managerial role, with four quarters left in his current scope before potential leadership promotions. His ability to blend technical expertise (SQL, Power BI, Vena) with strategic thinking and cross-functional collaboration has made him indispensable to the company’s financial transformation.
As the Head of Finance put it:
“If we could clone Adam, we wouldn’t ever need to hire anyone else.”
With a strong work-life balance, a team that respects his time, and a clear path for career growth, Adam has successfully positioned himself as a future leader within the global manufacturer’s finance organization.
Working with Acumen
“I couldn’t be happier with Molly’s performance and the results. Her clear and consistent communication, advocacy, and diligence impressed me throughout the process. I felt prepared for each step, and she promptly answered questions as they arose. Her ability to build relationships is excellent, and it’s evident that she genuinely cares about those she works with. She made the hiring process seamless. Molly is a consummate professional and I consider myself fortunate that she reached out to me.” ~ Adam B. FP&A Manager, F&B manufacturing