More companies are now asking the finance function to play a bigger role in how decisions are taken and the business managed. This is of interest to Gabriel Domale Consulting.

Finance is expected to take the lead in strategy formulation and implementation, business planning, budgeting, cost management, value optimization, due diligence, compliance, funding strategy, and risk management.

Finance professionals are now beginning to earn their seats at the leadership table, creating value for their organisations and driving business growth.

As a finance professional working with a global E&P oil and gas company, I witnessed the transformation of the finance function from the 1990s to 2017, over two decades. I had a first-hand experience acquired from actively participating in the evolution of finance function from transactional finance to finance being a business partner.

Understanding Finance Transformation

Finance transformation is treated as strategic initiatives aimed at improving the finance function to be able to influence business leaders to make better business decisions and to drive value throughout an organisation.

It enables the finance function to reviews the finance processes to see which processes can be eliminated, simplified, standardised and/or automated.

The finance function should be a single point accountable for financial data integrity and should drive messages coming out of these data on behalf of their organisations.

It should also provide support, advice and challenge aimed at value and top quartile delivery throughout the full financial and business plan cycle.

Finance transformation can be costly and value-eroding if not well planned and managed as it could be difficult and time-consuming.

Thus it requires that the finance transformation journey should be supported by a management consultant who is an experienced finance professional.

Start Your Finance Transformation With Gabriel Domale Consulting

My drive is to share my experiential knowledge and insights to help finance functions in companies in Africa to actively support business leaders in business decision-making; lead cost reduction programs.

I will also co-drive capital efficiency, operational excellence, strategic planning and business planning; and steer their organisations towards value optimization for example during contract negotiations, and tender board meetings.

Gabriel Domale Consulting, a management consulting firm works with finance and business leaders to develop the right strategies for the finance transformation journey and manage the challenges that could be encountered along the way.

This includes a change in organizational culture and attitude towards finance function. We help the finance function to be seen as a trusted business partner delivering high performance, improved policies and processes, and innovative finance operating models.

Our Finance Transformation Offerings

We encourage finance transformation across organisations aimed at to empowering the finance function to continue to act as a critical business partner that supports business growth and enables their organisations to respond to changing operating environment and market dynamics.

Also, we collaborate with finance and business leaders to drive alignment and fit between the finance function and the entire organisation focusing on finance strategy, processes, people, and systems.

Core activities - The transformed finance core activities will include:

• Plan and appraise to drive delivery.
• Value-based decision making
• Governance, risk and assurance.

Core roles - Finance will find critical balance among these roles:

• Business partner – value-based judgement.
• Service provider – rules-based processes.
• Guardian – compliance and assurance

Our finance transformation offerings focus on the entire spectrum of finance activities covering finance operation, functional finance, project finance, business finance, and commercial finance.

1. Business performance management

Finance coordinates and is accountable for:

• Financial integrity of the business planning and budgeting processes.
• Confirming that changes in the business environment are reflected.
• Articulating business performance expectations and understanding.

2. Strategy coordination and review

• Finance is accountable for coordinating the strategy development processes:
• Ensures a complete financial evaluation is provided.
• Translates the strategic context & asset development plans into specific and resourced initiatives.

3. End-to-end process oversight

Finance function adopts horizontal accountability concept:

• Pursues the development and maintenance of standardized processes and guidelines.
• Optimizes the use of finance systems and technology capability.

4. Business partnering and interface management

• Knowing the business.
• As the integrator
• Interface management.

5. Project delivery support

• Support to deliver the project within cost and schedule
• Recognise the uniqueness of each project/phase.
• Manage the spend outliners.

6. Joint venture governance and management

• Maintain an adequate governance framework.
• Harmonise joint venture partners’ interests.

7. Commercial

• Provide challenge and support to commercial strategies.
• Support, challenge and negotiate commercial agreements.

8. Supply chain management

• Support the development of supply chain strategies.
• Lead on all financial aspects of contracts.
• Conduct supplier financial risk assessment and mitigation plans.

9. Cost and cash management

Finance makes transparent the competitive cost position and ensures cost drivers are known and understood by all business users:

• Drives structural costs reductions.
• Manage working capital and cash flow.
• Forecast future cash requirements.

10. Governance, risk and assurance

Develop and implement a robust risk-based internal control and response framework.

• Support a culture of ethics.
• Support effective decision review boards’ meetings.

11. Functional finance

• Corporate controller.
• Taxation.
• Treasury including fundraising.
• Internal Audit.
• Investor Relations.
• Strategy & Planning.
• M&A.
• Modelling - Capital structure and Valuation.

How Gabriel Domale Consulting creates value for clients

Gabriel Domale Consulting leverages our deep hands-on industry experience to provide consulting services including strategy, corporate governance, transformation and due diligence.

Other services are cost reduction strategy, training, financial modelling, valuation, fundraising, business model innovation, value for money audit, estimation, performance management, recruiting and executive search.

Read more: https://www.gabrieldomale.com/blog/how-to-make-companies-in-africa-to-grow-by-consulting

We provide support to business and finance leaders to help them to identify growth opportunities and create value.

Using excellence in strategy implementation, capital efficiency, building strategy, planning frameworks and the crafting of innovative cost-saving solutions. Also, we deliver projects within costs.

The growth of our firm is hinged on the strategic perspective of growing a strong relationship with our clients and working with them to achieve competitive advantage and viable market growth.

We are committed to continuously engage with clients to develop innovative solutions and to collaboratively implement business decisions to achieve sustainable outcomes.

Request our services ► https://www.gabrieldomale.com/submit-rfp.php

Call us on ► +2347034604152

Visit our website ► https://www.gabrieldomale.com 

Author

Dr Leesi Gborogbosi

CEO, Gabriel Domale Consulting – Dr Leesi Gborogbosi

Dr Leesi Gborogbosi is the CEO of Gabriel Domale Consulting, a management consulting firm based in Nigeria, that helps companies in Africa to grow, provides insights to leaders and transforms institutions.

He has about three decades of leadership experience in the oil and gas industry (Shell Nigeria). He is an expert in finance, strategy, corporate governance, transformation, cost management, leadership development and due diligence.

Dr Leesi Gborogbosi was Project Finance Manager of Upstream Oil & Gas Projects (7 projects - Headline size: $8 bln) - Southern Swamp Associated Gas System, Forcados Yokri Integrated Project, Otumara, Adibawa, Agbada and Assa North/Ohaji South Projects.

He provided advisory services namely, strategic planning, budget management, funding strategy, risk management, governance, due diligence and investment plan.

These advisory services cover the full life cycle of the seven major upstream oil/gas projects, power facilities and export pipelines.

He collaboratively works with business leaders and their organizations to identify growth opportunities and create value through operational excellence in strategy implementation and capital efficiency by delivering projects within costs, building strategy and planning frameworks and crafting of innovative funding solutions.

Dr Leesi Gborogbosi provides support to finance leaders to make crucial decisions and optimize performance through financial excellence in finance systems and accounting operations, budgeting, finance transformation, cost reduction, governance, risk, and compliance.

He has doctoral degrees in strategy and business studies and MSc (Research Methodology in Management) from IE Business School, Madrid and an MBA (Finance and Banking) from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; and BSc (Accountancy) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He had his secondary education at Federal Government College, Jos, Nigeria.

His doctoral dissertation focuses on strategy implementation, collaboration, the role of middle managers, and the dynamics of social movements (host communities).

Dr Leesi Gborogbosi leverages his professional experience as a Certified Management Consultant (CMC); Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; and The Institute of Management Consultants. He is member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, London; Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered); and Strategic Management Society, Chicago, United States.

He was nominated by the Strategic Management Society, Chicago for "Best International Conference Paper Prize Awards" in 2017 and 2015. He was appointed the Chair for the Session on “Leading change implementation processes” at the Strategic Management Society conference in Denver, United States in 2015.

Dr Leesi was a member of the Strategic Management Society “Special Committee on Diversity and Inclusion”, Chicago, USA, with the responsibility of providing the Strategic Management Society Board of Directors with a good audit of where the Strategic Management Society stands with respect to inclusiveness in its activities.