From back-office support to informed business insights at OMP

How step-by-step improvements strengthened Finance

OMP is a global leader in supply chain planning, renowned for helping companies navigate complex planning challenges through advanced digital solutions. Its client portfolio reads like a who’s who of global industry, including Nestlé, P&G, Roche, J&J, BASF, ArcelorMittal, and Smurfit Kappa. At the heart of OMP’s success lies a strong company culture built on five core values: People, Passion, Pride, Promise, and Partner. These values don’t just shape daily operations, they guide how the organization approaches growth, innovation, and collaboration.

Stabilizing finance operations

In May 2024, Victor-Andreas Jorissen joined OMP as a Finance consultant to provide continuity during the long-term absence of a team member. While the initial mandate focused on continuity, Victor-Andreas quickly aligned with OMP’s ongoing evolution of its Finance function. Finance at OMP was moving beyond processing & reporting towards a stronger business partnering role, and his assignment allowed him to actively support and accelerate this transition.

Identifying key challenges

Victor-Andreas’s first task, calculating the cost of a marketing event in São Paulo, highlighted the underlying challenges. “I enthusiastically built a visually appealing dashboard,” he says, “but was quickly asked by my manager to explain the data behind it.” That conversation became a starting point for identifying where finance processes could be further reinforced:

• The use of general ledger (GL) accounts and cost centers had evolved over time, creating opportunities to further improve consistency and data quality.
• Marketing expenses were distributed across multiple entities, reflecting OMP’s international footprint and increasing the need for consolidated insights.
• Reporting towards budget owners could be further strengthened to support more proactive, insight-driven decision-making.

At the same time, the monthly consolidation process in LucaNet required careful coordination. In the fast-growing environment of OMP, integrating two new entities into the system naturally added complexity.

A structured approach to Finance improvement

Recognizing that the solution required both technical precision and human insight, Victor-Andreas adopted a structured, step-by-step approach. He started out laying a solid foundation, after which he could expand the scope of his work. He then proceeded systematically.

1. Laying the groundwork: standardization and clarity

For every cost account, Victor-Andres created an expense manual with detailed booking instructions, establishing a single source of truth for the accounting team. This standardization contributed to the more correct allocation of bookings in 2024, ensuring that the data feeding into reports was more accurate and reliable.

2. Building reporting step by step

With this foundation in place, he turned to reporting, building basic Excel reports and gradually automating data consolidation using Power Query. Over time, these reports were integrated directly with LucaNet, enabling automated budget-versus-actuals reporting and significantly reducing manual work.

As an example, for Marketing, he provided visibility into committed spending by linking open purchase orders to the reports. This gave Marketing a full view of both actuals and upcoming commitments, improving budget planning.

3. Strengthening consolidation processes

Taking ownership of the monthly consolidation cycle by making sure that all entities reported on time to HQ, the TriFinance expert executed detailed checks to ensure accuracy and reliability.

4. Growing soft skills

Equally important was his development of soft skills. Early on the project, meetings with senior business leaders were daunting, with the project consultant struggling to gather relevant information efficiently. “I discussed these challenges with my mentor and TriFinance. They gave me practical tips. So, I learned to prepare focused questions in advance, steer conversations back on track, and confidently summarize key takeaways.” Over time, this approach earned him credibility, trust, and greater access to insights across the organization.

5. Supporting daily operations

Victor-Andreas also demonstrated adaptability beyond the scope of his initial mandate. During the absence of an accountant, he stepped in to upload payroll files, complete balance sheet reconciliations, and process journal entries. These tasks not only kept operations running smoothly but also deepened his understanding of OMP’s processes, systems, and cross-functional dependencies.

Supporting Finance’s evolution into a proactive business partner

By the conclusion of the project, OMP’s finance function had taken further steps in its evolution towards a proactive business partner. Reports evolved from simple numerical summaries to actionable insights that supported decision-making across departments. Data accuracy had improved significantly: the accounting manual created a reliable data foundation, while automation reduced errors and freed up time for strategic analysis. There was better control over budgets, with better insights into both committed and actual spending allowing for more informed budgeting and resource allocation.

“This project demonstrated that controlling is about far more than numbers,” Victor-Andreas says. “It is about understanding the business, building trust, and delivering clarity through structured processes and storytelling.

“More specifically, I came to understand that data integrity is the foundation for creating real value, that meaningful transformation requires a deliberate, stepwise approach, and that soft skills are as critical as technical expertise in influencing decision-making.”

Quote OMP: Victor-Andreas has been a valuable addition to the team, providing hands-on support during a busy period. With strong analytical skills and a proactive approach, he quickly integrated into our processes and helped drive key deliverables forward. His flexibility, expertise, and collaborative mindset have ensured continuity in our operations and contributed to maintaining high-quality outcomes for the department.