1) Client situation (anonymised):
A private equity-backed medical technology manufacturer with headquarters in Germany and plant operations in Poland.
The business operated with strong margins but lacked basic organizational and financial structure.
A newly appointed CEO/CFO was tasked with stabilizing the platform before any further scaling or international expansion.
Urgency was high due to missing transparency, weak governance, and increasing pressure from the PE sponsor to support strategic decisions.
2) The challenge:
- No defined organizational structure or clear role ownership across the business
- ERP system decommissioned, leaving finance and operations without a system backbone
- No reliable monthly reporting or controlling data for management decisions
- Lack of plant-level performance visibility and inconsistent KPI tracking
- Weak alignment between headquarters expectations and plant reality
- Decision-making slowed due to missing, outdated, or unreliable data
- Risk of losing investor confidence due to lack of transparency
- Strategic initiatives blocked by missing financial and operational clarity
3) Interim role delivered (speed and fit):
CE Interim deployed an Interim CFO through rapid deployment to stabilize finance and controlling.
The assignment was structured as a 12 month mandate with full authority over finance organization, ERP selection, and reporting design.
The interim leader was selected based on:
- Strong SAP and ERP implementation experience in manufacturing environments
- Proven ability to rebuild reporting and controlling under private equity pressure
- Hands-on leadership style with focus on execution and clarity
- Experience managing cross-border structures between headquarters and plant operations
The Interim CFO worked directly with the CEO and Private Equity stakeholders while coordinating plant controllers and shared service functions.
4) What happened during the mandate:
First 30 days
- Assessed finance, IT, and organizational gaps across headquarters and plant operations
- Established immediate transparency on available financial data and key risks
- Introduced a basic reporting structure to stabilize management visibility
- Defined initial priorities for ERP reactivation and reporting rebuild
- Clarified roles and responsibilities within finance and controlling
First 6 months
- Led ERP selection and initiated implementation aligned with business needs
- Built a structured monthly reporting cycle across all plant operations
- Introduced plant-level performance reporting with clear accountability
- Established a practical reporting format focused on decision-relevant KPIs
- Aligned reporting expectations between PE stakeholders and operational teams
- Strengthened coordination between shared services and local finance teams
6+ months
- Stabilized finance operations with consistent, reliable monthly reporting
- Embedded reporting discipline across plant managers and controllers
- Improved transparency on operational performance and margin drivers
- Enabled fact-based decision-making at both management and investor level
- Supported strategic discussions, including international expansion scenarios
Handover and exit
- Prepared structured handover to a permanent CFO with clear documentation
- Ensured continuity of reporting processes and ERP usage
- Transitioned ownership of finance governance to internal leadership
- Left behind a stable finance function with defined roles and routines
5) Actions taken (execution focus):
- Rebuilt finance organization structure with clear ownership and reporting lines
- Introduced monthly closing and reporting cadence across the business
- Designed plant performance reporting with direct link to operational actions
- Led ERP reimplementation with focus on usability and speed
- Established KPI-based management reporting tailored to CEO and board needs
- Aligned plant controllers and finance teams under unified standards
- Simplified reporting to focus on actionable insights rather than data volume
- Created transparency on key financial and operational drivers
- Facilitated alignment between headquarters and plant leadership
- Enforced accountability in reporting and decision-making processes
6) Outcomes achieved (measurable proof):
- Reporting visibility restored within the first 90 days
- Monthly reporting discipline established across all operations
- Reliable plant-level performance tracking enabled
- Decision-making accelerated through clear, actionable reporting
- Reduced escalation from missing or inconsistent data
- Improved alignment between investors, management, and operations
- Finance function stabilized with defined structure and ownership
- ERP implementation initiated and integrated into core processes
- Business positioned for strategic initiatives with credible data foundation
7) Why CE Interim:
CE Interim enabled rapid deployment of an Interim CFO with the exact operational and ERP experience required for the situation.
The focus was on execution, not analysis, restoring control, reporting, and decision-making within weeks.
The interim leader operated effectively across German headquarters expectations and Polish plant reality, building trust on both sides.
Structured governance, clear communication, and hands-on leadership reduced risk for both management and investors.
8) Call to action:
If you need an interim CFO to restore reporting visibility, rebuild finance structure, and stabilize operations in a private equity-backed manufacturing business, CE Interim can deliver the right leader quickly and reliably.
CE Interim delivers proven executive interim leaders within 72 hours across borders, cultures, and industries. We specialize in high-impact interim management for private equity firms, family offices, and global corporations facing moments of transition: digital transformation, market entry, operational turnaround, post-merger integration, or crisis.
What sets us apart is not just the speed or depth of our network, it’s how we lead. Every engagement is personally guided by a CE Interim managing partner: former CEOs, CFOs, or COOs who’ve been on your side of the table, steering organizations through high-stakes decisions.
With a global talent pool and operational reach spanning Europe, the USA, and the Middle East, we don’t fill roles, we build trust, lead transitions, and deliver outcomes.
As part of the Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of Executive Interim Management companies, we ensure seamless international execution through 25+ offices and 80+ senior partners in over 50 countries.
