How do you become a business controller?

En plus des principes et normes comptables, financiers et analytiques, il doit aussi bien comprendre l'activité (le c?ur de métier) de l'entreprise dans laquelle il évolue.

Buenos días. El controller tiene la ventaja y el deber de comprender financieramente y con una visión holística la organización. ?Esto que nos permite? Poder tener un rol fundamental en el acompa?amiento y seguimiento de los planes estratégicos y tácticos de la organización.

I was invited to participate, but I'm not a "business controller (BC)", my role for more than a decade, has been Key Account Manager (KAM) and although this task includes a strategic partner relation with senior management and other stakeholders, the horizon goes far beyond, reaching or customer CEO, senior management and different business units, related to the product or service we are providing them. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a BC Manager, becoming a KAM takes usually requires 6-8 years. The main issue is to help your customer to be successful using our product/service and if they succeed, you are side by side growing with them.

Buenos días. Los estudios en análisis de datos o ciencia de datos son un gran plus para el rol del controller, o contar con ese rol dentro del equipo de trabajo. La comprensión de los datos, la manera en que debemos extraerlos y transformarlos, la generación de insights gracias al entendimiento de la correlación con otras variables, la visualización, la comunicación, etc. Son muchos los beneficios y valor que da a la organización el poder profundizar en este campo.

A BC Manager role can be handled by a CPA, CMA, CFA and in my experience, Industrial or Chemical Engineers with an MBA (great option). Engineers are not full accounting, but they can learn the required issues. The way Engineers approach a requirement is more like "forest perspective", instead of a "tree view" Engineers are practical, they handle data and have more knowledge on different areas as production, flow processes, costs and good communication skills, from the CEO/owner to senior, junior and operation levels. The "ideal" candidate, I would suggest a proactive, enthusiastic person that can identify the problem but also the possible solution, self-motivated and with charisma, to build relations in all company levels.

En plus d'une bonne formation en master finance, comptabilité, audit ou contr?le de gestion qui permet d'avoir une base de connaissances financières comptables, analytique,... il faut aussi bien maitriser les logiciels basics du pack office notamment Excel. Il y'a beaucoup de manipulation de chiffres dans les taches du contr?leur de gestion et une bonne maitrise de Excel est nécessaire, VBA en plus devient un atout. Connaitre au moins un logiciel d'analyse de données comme la BI est aussi un atout. En outre, il faut rester toujours à jours des évolutions des normes comptables notamment les IFRS.

Je conseillerai une expérience en cabinet d'audit, elle permet de - consolider les bases comptables et financières, - rencontrer la quasi totalité de leur applications du fait de la diversité des clients à auditer - rencontrer plusieurs domaines d'activités qu'il est toujours nécessaires de comprendre pour mener à bien les missions d'audit. En gros, l'expérience en cabinet d'audit permet d'avoir une grande ouverture d'esprit ainsi qu'une polyvalence dans tous les domaines de la finance.

In order to gain experience, there are 2 options: ? If you are unemployed, look for trainee program in the industry, where they accept new professionals to join their teams. ? If you are working for a company, arrange an internal training program, in which you can jump in and out of each different department in a 3 month basis (Planning/Purchases, Accounting, Operations, Production/QA and Budget/Sales, Marketing for KAM). In 12 or 18 months the BC/KAM, should be ready to understand the whole operation and the importance of the Strategic Plan, based on the HBAG, Mision/Vision and Values of the company. A well-trained BC can be the link between different company departments, to give proper follow up to projects.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A BC POSITION? Look for companies of your interest in LinkedIn and investigate if they have "Trainee" programs. This kind of programs are more common among Best Place to Work (BPTW) companies. Be a proactive searcher, in university job blogs, that is the place where they target their candidates. Usually graduated students on their first years of MBA or already with an MBA. Review your Resume and LinkedIn profile to point your open interest in BC or if the case KAM, opportunities.

The only constant to have in mind is "Keep Learning", always ask what you do not know and investigate it. In my work, many times I did not have the answer for a customer requirement but, asking other customers, internal support areas and investigating, usually I was able to resolve internal/external customer needs. A BC have a wider perspective, of how the different departments or business units of a company interrelate among them, and you became a key element on communication and internal link, between multiple areas.

Toujours apprendre, il faut rester à jour de l'évolution des normes comptables, financières, fiscales, sociales,... et spécifiquement les évolution dans le domaine d'activité dans lequel on évolue.

There is an old adage that 'executives take decisions with less than 30% of the total information.' In essence, the role of a business controller is to ensure that 'most relevant' 30% of information reaches leadership, so that decision makers are as well informed as possible. This logic can(should) also be cascaded down the organization, to product managers, production plants, etc. A controller will need to live in the detail of their business, but will require the ability to toggle back to a high level for more strategic discussions. If you demonstrate this ability, you will benefit from being a mandatory inclusion to all strategic discussions, gaining visibility and learning how executives walk through their decision making processes.

Its a combination of all above points which is developed in the controllers personality with time and additionally people management skill at different levels of management and operations. The controller's role is similar to a six sigma "continuous improvement". Need to reconcile between : What business needs to do to run efficiently/smoothly Vs What controls needed to eliminate leakage. "In short, map the flow of all inputs and outputs and be in control".

He tenido la oportunidad de estar desempe?ando mis funciones bajo el cargo de Business Controller en mi anterior experiencia laboral y no existe mejor descripción del proceso de aprendizaje que la compartida en esta peque?a rese?a. Parte del proceso de ser un controlador de negocios es permitir la participación activa de los miembros de cada uno de los equipos y con disciplina dirigir a cada uno de los componentes hacia la consecución efectiva y eficaz de resultados.