Inside the Group Finance Team

Control

As the Head of Group Finance, Ben Hodgson is focused on historical reporting, ensuring the financial accuracy and compliance of Colart’s consolidated financial statements. Ben’s team oversees the consolidation of financial data from all our business units, ensuring that everything aligns with international financial reporting standards (IFRS). This role is critical in providing Lindengruppen and other stakeholders with a true reflection of Colart’s financial health.

Ben’s responsibilities span various key areas, from financial reporting and internal controls to treasury and cash management. He ensures that the financial reports are not just accurate, but also strategically aligned with Colart’s long-term goals. His work on managing debt levels and relationships with external partners like banks and auditors plays an essential role in ensuring Colart’s future financial sustainability.

Key Areas of Ben’s Focus:

• Financial Reporting and Analysis: Overseeing the preparation of financial statements and ensuring local tax requirements are met.
• Governance and Compliance: Ensuring robust internal controls and compliance with company policies.
• Treasury and Cash Management: Managing cash flow, debt levels, and banking relationships.
• Collaboration with FP&A and Systems: Helping integrate accurate data into financial planning and strategic forecasting.

Ben’s role is a delicate balance of looking at both the past, to ensure accurate reporting, and the future, to anticipate risks and manage financial sustainability.

Systems

At the intersection of FP&A, Financial Reporting, and Finance Systems, Stephanie Casertano ensures that Colart’s financial systems are not only functioning but working efficiently and consistently. Her role focuses on designing and implementing processes and systems that enable financial reporting and analysis to happen smoothly and effectively across markets.

This involves optimising key systems like M3 and leading the implementation of Vena, which serves as the backbone for budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting.

Stephanie works closely with both finance and IT to drive automation and eliminate inefficiencies. Her goal is to ensure that the systems support strategic business needs while maintaining global consistency with local flexibility.

Key Areas of Stephanie’s Focus:

• Financial Systems Strategy: Leading the implementation of systems like Vena and overseeing M3 to ensure data accuracy.
• Process Design and Standardisation: Building processes that meet global and local financial reporting needs.
• Efficiency and Automation: Reducing manual processes and driving greater automation in financial systems.
• Business Partnering: Acting as a bridge between finance and technology to ensure smooth data flow.

Stephanie’s forward-thinking approach ensures that Colart’s financial systems and processes are always evolving to meet the company’s needs.

FP&A

Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) at Colart is led by Bernardo Rojas, who is responsible for guiding the company’s strategic financial decisions. Unlike financial controllers who focus on past performance, Bernardo’s role is all about looking ahead – budgeting, forecasting, and helping the business plan for the future. By providing insights, Bernardo ensures that Colart is prepared to capitalise on growth opportunities while managing risks. 

Bernardo plays a key role in strategic planning, supporting to senior management and business leaders, on addressing short- and long-term group challenges and priorities. This includes overseeing budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, as well as leading key business performance reviews, conducting scenario analysis, and supporting decision-making processes to ensure the company’s financial stability and growth.  

Key Areas of Bernardo’s Focus:  

• Budgeting and Forecasting: Leading the company’s budgeting and forecasting processes to align financial plans with strategic goals.  
• Strategic Planning: Using financial insights to guide long-term business decisions.  
• Performance Reporting and Analysis: Producing monthly and quarterly financial reports and communicating to business leaders to ensure clear understanding of company performance. Leading monthly and quarterly business reviews, focusing on performance analysis, future outlook, risk and opportunity assessment, and driving actions.
• Business Partnering: Providing financial modelling and analysis to support operational and strategic decisions.  

Bernardo plays a pivotal role in shaping company’s strategy, providing critical thinking, analysis and challenge - able to guide, support and provoke discussion, steering the company toward continued success.