Governance, Visibility &
Contrôle
When the numbers can no longer be trusted, every decision after them is a guess.
When the figures conflict, nobody is clearly accountable or problems reach you too late, often in a subsidiary in another country, CE Interim Management Group puts an experienced interim executive inside the business to establish the facts, make clear who decides and see that agreed actions are carried through.
Une méthode qui a fait ses preuves, adapté au mandat cadre prêt à prendre ses fonctions dans les 72 heures suivant la finalisation du cahier des charges.
Résultats intermédiaires récents de CE
60 jours
to monthly closing delivered on time
Interim CFO, Western European group in the Czech Republic
Fewer differences between local and group figures, handover to a permanent finance manager
Avec qui travaillons-nous ?
Boards and chairs
They are asked to sign off figures nobody can fully explain.
Group CFOs
The subsidiary’s figures arrive late, change after submission or do not reconcile.
Partenaires en capital-investissement
They need figures they can rely on before approving the next investment.
Owners and family offices
They want clear responsibilities without approving every decision themselves.
Group CEOs
They lead businesses abroad that they cannot oversee in person every day.
Est-ce que c'est votre cas ?
The reports arrive. The surprises keep coming.
The problem is rarely a lack of reporting. It is the gap between what the business reports and what you can confidently decide.
En bref
What is governance, visibility and control interim management?
Audit provides independent assurance. An interim executive takes management responsibility for the processes.
Governance, visibility and control interim management puts an experienced interim executive, often an Interim CFO, in charge when owners, boards or headquarters can no longer rely on a business’s figures, its decision rights or its controls. The executive establishes one set of facts that both sides accept, restores the monthly close and the reporting, makes clear who decides, approves, signs and escalates, and sees that agreed actions are carried through, so the business stays in control after the interim leaves. It is not an audit or a compliance review. It is leadership inside the business, often while the business is still profitable.
Bohuslav Lipovsky
PDG, CE Interim Management Group
It often starts in a business that is still making money. Companies bring in interim leadership for one of two reasons:
Première raison
When the numbers cannot be trusted
Two sets of books, the local accounts and the group reporting, are linked by manual adjustments that nobody owns from end to end. Figures arrive late, change after submission or do not match the cash.
Deuxième raison
When nobody is clearly in control
The rules on who decides, approves and signs are unclear. The local team follows local duties, headquarters approves from far away, and nobody owns the result.
Not every reporting problem needs an executive. When the issue sits in one report, system or process and a manager can correct it, targeted support may be enough. When it crosses functions or countries, and nobody has the authority to carry the correction through, the business needs an executive with a mandate.
The typical signs that visibility is slipping:
Adjustments nobody can trace.
Manual corrections are made every month, and nobody can trace them back to the books.
Profit and cash tell different stories.
Earnings look fine, but the cash keeps falling short.
Headquarters learns about problems too late.
The local team knows where things are weakening, but the news reaches the group only after a commitment has been missed.
The same actions return at every review.
Audit findings, reporting exceptions and overdue decisions stay on the agenda. There is plenty of activity, but no proof that anything has been corrected.
Que se passe-t-il pendant que vous attendez ?
Decisions rest on wrong figures
Differences grow
Lenders lose patience
The auditor raises concerns
The board is held responsible
Every quarter of patience gives an unexplained difference time to grow.
When does a reporting and control problem need an interim manager?
Posez-vous ces six questions :
- Do the subsidiary’s figures change after they have been sent to headquarters?
- Is there a growing gap between reported profit and cash?
- Has the monthly close, a group deadline or a report to the lenders been missed or delayed?
- Do audit findings or agreed actions come back at the next review, still open?
- Is it unclear who may approve payments, sign contracts or post entries?
- Does one person hold all the knowledge of how the local figures are built?
Three or more “yes” answers usually mean more reporting requests will not fix the problem.
And if you suspect the figures have been manipulated, do not wait for three: speak to your lawyers and a Partner now.
Vous vous reconnaissez dans cette situation ? Découvrez de quel type d'aide elle a besoin.
Ce que nous avons appris
Control is lost one adjustment at a time
More reporting requests will not fix it. Someone with authority on site has to establish one set of facts that both sides accept.
Weak controls leave room for errors and for fraud. In the ACFE’s 2024 study of 1,921 fraud cases, a lack of internal controls was the main weakness in 32% of cases, and an override of existing controls in another 19%, and the typical fraud ran 12 months before anyone found it.
Figures belong to the study named and describe fraud cases worldwide, not CE Interim’s assignments.
Cash first
Independently verified cash balances, bank access and payment controls, and a cash forecast built from real bank transactions.
One set of books
Every line of the local accounts is reconciled to the group reporting, and every manual adjustment is explained or removed.
Rules that hold
Who decides, approves and signs is written down, the close runs to a fixed calendar, and every agreed action is closed with evidence.
Authority and essential controls start on day one. Reporting and accountability grow stronger as the facts become reliable.
Mandat
Put one executive in charge of the figures and the controls
The figures cannot be fixed by someone who has no authority to change how they are made.
Avant que quiconque ne se lance, nous convenons avec vous de ce que décide la direction, de ce qui relève de votre responsabilité et de ce qui incombe à CE Interim.
What the interim executive leads
- Access to the banks, payments and accounting system from the first week
- The monthly close, the reconciliations and the reporting to headquarters
- One bridge between the local accounts and the group reporting, with every adjustment explained
- Clear rules on who decides, approves and signs, and what must be escalated
- Agreed actions followed through, with proof they are done
- The finance team, and the people the figures depend on
- A finance function handed over in a state that stays reliable
Ce qui reste gravé dans ta mémoire
- Decisions reserved for the board and owners, such as major investments
- Decisions about people, including the local management
- Legal steps and any investigation, with your lawyers
- Decisions outside the agreed scope
Les activités de CE Interim
- Defines the scope and authority with you, including any statutory appointment
- Introduces one or two executives matched to the business and the country
- Faites le point sur vos progrès avec un partenaire
- Plans the handover from the start
We start with the problem, not the job title
When cash, reporting and governance must be rebuilt together.
When the close, the accounts and internal control are the gap.
When decision rights or the local management are the problem.
When stock, cost and plant figures cannot be trusted.
How it runs
From the first week to a finance function that runs without us
The first figures you can rely on usually come within weeks. Making them stay reliable takes longer.
Most mandates run nine to twelve months. The 30, 60 or 90 days in our case studies is the time to the first reliable figures, not the length of the mandate. The executive stays until the close has run at least once without them.
This is a typical pattern, not a promise. It depends on the state of the books, the systems and the team.
First two weeks
Secure cash and access
Bank mandates, payment approvals and system access are under control, and the spreadsheets behind the figures are frozen, not deleted.
Weeks three to eight
Establish the facts
The balance sheet is checked, the local accounts are reconciled to the group reporting, and every adjustment is explained.
Up to day 90
Restore the rhythm
A fixed close calendar, one reporting pack, clear approval rules and a weekly rhythm with headquarters.
Last months
Hand over
The close runs without the interim, the processes are written down, and a permanent finance leader takes over.
Expérience professionnelle
Reporting and control CE Interim has restored
Three published examples: subsidiaries in Central Europe that headquarters could no longer see clearly.
Chaque résultat correspond à une affectation spécifique et ne constitue pas une garantie pour tous les clients.
Western Europe to Czech Republic
Czech Republic: the monthly close back on time
60 jours
to monthly closing on time
Situation : The Czech site of a listed European group, with about 400 employees, was struggling after a difficult system implementation. Local and group figures did not match, and the work depended on a few people.
Ce que nous avons fait : An Interim CFO took over the close and the reporting, aligned the local statutory figures with the group’s IFRS reporting, and wrote down the processes so they no longer depended on one person.
Résultat : Monthly closing delivered on time within 60 days, fewer differences between local and group submissions, better alignment for the group accounts, and a handover to a permanent finance manager.
De l'Allemagne vers la Pologne
Poland: plant performance visible to the owners again
90 jours
to restored reporting visibility
Situation : A private equity-backed medical technology manufacturer, with headquarters in Germany and its plant in Poland, had strong margins but no reliable view of plant performance, and strategic decisions were blocked.
Ce que nous avons fait : An Interim CFO with full authority over the finance organisation, the system selection and the reporting design worked directly with the CEO and the investors.
Résultat : Reporting visibility restored within 90 days, monthly reporting across all operations, reliable plant-level tracking, and a handover to a permanent CFO.
Germany to Slovakia
Slovakia: clear figures and no leaks before a closure
30 jours
à real-time visibility for headquarters
Situation : The Slovak plant of a German group was being prepared for closure before any announcement. Headquarters needed reliable figures, and the compliance risks had to be understood early.
Ce que nous avons fait : An Interim CFO mapped the compliance risks, rebuilt the reporting to headquarters and kept the preparation confidential.
Résultat : Real-time financial visibility for headquarters within 30 days, no unplanned information leaks before the announcement, and the compliance risks contained.
More CE Interim governance mandates
Vous êtes confronté à une situation similaire ? Parlez-en à un partenaire qui a déjà été confronté à ce genre de situation.
Gouvernance
One set of facts both sides accept
Headquarters needs figures it can rely on. The local team needs rules it understands.
Au-delà des cultures
Un cadre, à l'aise dans les deux cultures
The interim executive works with your headquarters in its language and business culture, and leads the local team in theirs. In the Czech case, bringing local statutory figures in line with the group’s IFRS reporting was at the centre of the work.
In most of the countries where we work, statutory directors are personally responsible for proper books and oversight. Where irregularities are suspected, the interim executive secures the facts and the evidence, and works with your lawyers and forensic specialists. We do not run investigations outside the mandate.
One set of facts. One close calendar. One clear line of authority.
Our published assignments include subsidiaries of Western European and German groups in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, and a French group’s site in the United States.
Most subsidiaries keep two sets of books: the local statutory accounts, kept under local law, and the group reporting. Problems grow in the bridge between them. The interim executive owns that bridge, works with both sides, and reports to the board or headquarters rather than to local management.
Board and headquarters
Get figures they can rely on, in the format they already use
Associé par intérim chez CE
Fait le point avec vous sur vos progrès ; vous accompagne, sans jamais prendre le dessus
Interim executive
Runs the figures and the controls on site, in your language and the site’s
You keep the decisions about people and any legal steps. The executive makes the figures reliable.
À quoi ressemble la réussite ?
Figures you can rely on, and a function that keeps them reliable
Success is not a cleaner report. It is a board that can explain every figure it signs.
While the mandate runs
Look for results that hold, month after month:
- Key figures have agreed definitions, a known source and a named owner
- Local and group figures reconciled, with every adjustment explained
- The monthly close delivered to a fixed calendar
- Managers know what they can decide and what must be escalated
- Actions closed with evidence, not just marked as done
At handover
La mission prend fin lorsque :
- The close and the review routine have run at least once without the interim
- Processes and controls are written down, not held in one person’s head
- A permanent finance leader is in place and briefed
- The board can see what was found, what changed and what is still open
Want to know how reliable your figures really are?
Pourquoi CE Intérim
Why CE Interim for governance, visibility and control?
An executive who has run finance under group reporting before, inside the business, with a Partner beside you.
CE Interim Management Group propose transfrontalier un accompagnement de haut niveau pour les transformations stratégiques de l'entreprise. En tant que membre de l'Alliance Valtus, nous collaborons avec des cabinets partenaires à l'échelle internationale.
10+
années de présence sur le marché
50+
pays d'intervention
95%
mandats transfrontaliers
1
norme d'excellence unifiée
Qui nous recrutons
Une responsabilité équivalente compte davantage qu'un titre prestigieux.
- Has run finance in a subsidiary of similar size, under group reporting
- Knows both the local accounting rules and the group’s, such as IFRS
- Works in your head office’s language and business culture, and leads the local team in theirs
- Can take authority over banks, systems and approvals from the first week
- Reports to the board or headquarters, not to the people whose figures are in question
- Plans the handover to permanent finance leadership from the start
Which option fits your situation?
Your auditor
Provides independent assurance on the figures and controls. Independence rules usually stop auditors from designing the controls they audit.
What we provide
An interim executive
Takes the role inside the business, runs the close and the controls, and hands over a function that holds.
An advisory or forensic firm
Designs controls, or investigates suspected fraud with your lawyers, from outside the business.
Many companies use more than one: an auditor for assurance, specialists for an investigation, and an interim executive to run the function.
If the company’s survival is at risk, see Crise et restructuration. If the figures are reliable but delivery, quality or cost are slipping, see Redressement et transformation opérationnelle.
Secteurs concernés
Comment ça marche ?
Que se passe-t-il lorsque vous nous contactez ?
You do not need to know exactly what is wrong to call us. Tell us which figures you cannot rely on, where decisions are getting stuck and what the next deadline requires. A Partner will help you judge whether interim leadership is the right answer.
Contactez un partenaire
A confidential conversation about the figures and what is at risk. No commitment.
Trouvez le cadre qui vous convient
Nous vous présentons un ou deux cadres soigneusement sélectionnés, et non une longue liste de CV. Vous les recevez en entretien et vous prenez votre décision.
Ils prennent les choses en main
The executive takes ownership of the figures and the controls, with a CE Interim Partner involved until the handover.
Je suis prêt quand tu l'es. Le premier entretien est confidentiel.
Questions
Questions boards and CFOs ask
Dans quel délai un cadre intérimaire peut-il prendre ses fonctions ?
Nous vous présentons une solution éprouvée, adapté au mandat un cadre prêt à prendre ses fonctions dans les 72 heures suivant la finalisation du cahier des charges. Le cahier des charges est considéré comme finalisé dès lors que nous nous sommes mis d'accord avec vous sur les objectifs à atteindre pour ce poste et sur les pouvoirs dont il doit disposer. Les déplacements et toute nomination juridique sont planifiés à partir de là.
Do we have a reporting problem, a performance problem or a leadership problem?
If the figures are right but the results are poor, it is a performance problem: see Turnaround. If you cannot tell whether the results are good or poor because the figures do not hold, or nobody has the authority to act on them, it is a governance and control problem. Often it is both, and the figures and the authority have to be fixed first.
Why not ask our auditor or an advisory firm?
Your auditor checks the figures, and independence rules usually stop auditors from designing or running the controls they audit. Advisory firms can design controls, but they do not run the finance function day to day. An interim executive takes the role, runs the close and leaves a function that holds.
We already have a CFO and a management team. Do they need to be replaced?
Not automatically. The first question is whether the problem comes from missing capacity, unclear authority, unreliable processes or a gap in capability. An interim executive can work alongside the existing leadership with a clearly defined responsibility, and any change in management is decided by you, not assumed at the start.
What if we suspect the figures have been manipulated?
Speak to your lawyers first. The interim executive secures the facts and the evidence, for example by freezing files rather than deleting them and restricting access, and works with your lawyers and forensic specialists. We do not run investigations outside the mandate, and decisions about people stay with you. The first conversation is confidential, and executives sign a confidentiality agreement before they learn who the client is.
What happens when the owners and management disagree about the figures?
The executive establishes the source, the definitions and the assumptions behind the disputed figures, rather than choosing the version one side prefers. The mandate also needs a clear sponsor and an agreed way to settle decisions, because better reporting alone cannot settle a dispute about who has authority.
Can this work across several subsidiaries and countries?
Yes, with an agreed scope across the companies involved. The local statutory accounts and tax filings stay correct under local law, while group reporting follows group standards, such as IFRS. Common definitions apply everywhere, and local managers keep clear responsibility for their own business, rather than sending every decision to headquarters.
How long does it last, what does it cost, and how does it end?
It depends on the number of companies, the state of the figures and controls, and how much change your permanent team must absorb; usually nine to twelve months. The first reliable figures often come within 30 to 90 days, and the executive stays until the close runs without them. Interim executives work on a flat daily rate, agreed before the start. The executive is engaged through CE Interim, not employed by you. It ends with a documented handover to a permanent finance leader.
Make the next important decision with a clearer picture.
Tell us which figures you cannot rely on and where accountability is unclear. A confidential conversation with a CE Interim Partner will show where the problem sits and who should fix it.
Bohuslav Lipovsky
PDG, CE Interim Management Group
Réserver un 20 minutes Appelez pour parler directement à Bohuslav.
Prêt à en discuter ? Le premier entretien est confidentiel et sans engagement.
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