Meet the finance team
"Our team mainly focuses on financial controlling," say Bas Hondshorst, Manager Finance. "This involves financial planning, reporting and compliance, performance measurement and monitoring so that Koudijs can make well-informed business decisions. For instance, we conduct margin analysis and report the results to the group.
In addition, we monitor our trade account receivable position and work with the auditors to prepare our annual statutory accounts." Koudijs has business entities in the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique, and Bas's two colleagues are responsible for financial controls in these regions. Nick Logtenberg, Business Controller, covers the African countries, while Hanneke Janssen, Financial controller, is responsible for Ireland and the UK.
Entrepreneurship and diversity
Bas, Nick and Hanneke come from different financial backgrounds but all of them enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit at Koudijs. "I like being part of a commercial organisation that's expanding into new markets." says Bas. Nick feels the same. "Koudijs is always seeking new opportunities," he says. "But while entrepreneurs see opportunities, finance people see risks, so we have to be the voice of reason sometimes." The diversity of the work is also a big plus for the team. "Finance is involved in every part of the business," says Bas. "Particularly when we set up new entities like we did in Ireland and Mozambique last year." Because the team collects data throughout the company, they work with a wide range of colleagues. "We have direct contact with sales, marketing, sales support and other departments which makes the job interesting," says Hanneke.
Extensive collaboration
The team collaborates with other parts of the organisation in many different ways. "It depends on the issue," says Nick. "Sometimes it's strategic questions like: How are we doing? Where do we need to focus more? Other times it's administrative matters like helping our sales team create orders and invoices." The department also handles finance-related questions from people across the company. "Our door is always open," says Bas. "At the same time, we walk in and ask questions too. Our job is information management, but the knowledge is with other people."
“Finance is involved in every part of the business,” says Bas. “Particularly when we set up new entities like we did in Ireland and Mozambique last year”.
Challenges of international business
Working in finance for an international organisation has its own challenges. "We have to comply with financial rules related to other countries," says Bas. "It's just part of doing business internationally." Political instability and changing regulations can also complicate the work. As a result, the team monitors financial regulations carefully. Working directly with Koudijs' overseas entities, Nick and Hanneke also have to deal with cultural differences. "In Africa, people work in a more hierarchical structure where decisions come from the top, while in the Netherlands, open debate and direct communication are key parts of how decisions are made," says Nick.
Every day is different
The diversity and global nature of the work means that no day is the same in the Finance department. "What we do on any given day depends on the time of year," explains Bas. "In the first quarter, our main task is preparing for the auditors and supporting them. In the second and third quarters, we have more time to work on projects, and in the fourth quarter, we're budgeting and preparing for the next year." The projects the team implements include improving the quality of the data they collect, continuously improving the company's way of working and refining reports.
CSRD reporting
In the last two years, the department has become more involved in reporting related to the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). "We know everything about the carbon footprint of our feed production," says Bas. "This year we've managed to get insight into the footprint of our ship transport." The Finance department gathers this data from Koudijs' shipping supplier and passes it on to the Sustainability team who analyse it and incorporate it into the company's CSRD report. "We're currently collaborating with suppliers like trucking companies, packaging manufacturers and external producers to align our systems and improve our data as everyone is required to report on CSRD," says Nick.
The constantly changing demands of the job may keep the team on their toes, but in the end it leads to a very engaging workday. "The diversity and challenges are the fun part," adds Nick.
