Head of Commercial Finance at Diageo

Purpose of Role
This role will be focused on embedding best financial and commercial practice within the Diageo South Africa business incorporating the highest standards to shape the future and drive business performance.

Top Accountabilities

• Translate the business priorities into required system and business process changes, using industry expertise and conceptual framework to deliver high quality analytical tools and reports supporting key stakeholders.
• Design data visualisation that makes complex data understandable and usable and helps the users to understand root causes and identify insights.
• Assist in framing delivery of the commercial finance business partnering objectives, bringing structure and best practice to a complex business environment, specifying key processes and methodologies and coaching teams to deliver executional excellence.
• Deliver fully simplified and faster core Commercial Finance processes including those related to customer planning, pricing, forecasting, profitability and ROI assessments.
• Use internal and external radar to generate breakthrough ideas for real competitive advantage as well as understand trends and developments in the external environment to identify new possibilities, manage volatility through and course correct.
• Re-frame issues and opportunities from multiple perspectives to deliver new insights that drive efficient growth.
• Support and pro-actively engage on strategic decisions in order to make medium to long term step changes to our business

Qualifications

Qualifications and Experience Required

• CA (SA)

Experience

• 10+ years’ experience gained in commercial finance in an FMCG environment (non-negotiable)
• Leadership experience
• Experience of financial analysis and modelling techniques, practically applied within a commercial FMCG environment
• Track record of success in highly demanding environment
• In market knowledge – understands the TBA market as well as industry drivers and and key performance drivers
• Proven track record of influencing at senior management level

Key Skills

• Inspirational leadership
• Highly numerate, analytical and interpretive skills
• People management and coaching
• Ability to frame solutions in a complex environment and engage and enrol others with the appropriate context
• Process improvement and change management
• A pragmatic disciplined executor

Barriers to Success in Role

• Inability to grasp complexity of market (complex entity structure, multiple channels and markets, languages, cultural differences, norms and practices)
• Inability to influence people across all the levels in the organization
• Inability to balance multiple priorities and work to a series of tight deadlines
• Lack of technology literacy and interest
• Lack of understanding of FMCG industry