Dea Cekada, Finance Expert in Cham, Switzerland
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Dea Cekada

Verified Expert  in Finance

Finance Expert

Location
Cham, Switzerland
Toptal Member Since
March 16, 2022

Dea is a finance professional with 15 years of experience. She worked as a controlling manager in an international company and as a manager in the Big Four. She has a keen interest in getting to know the core business and processes, including overall business acumen. Her strength is her curiosity for small things and business and finance strategy. Besides hard-core financial numbers, Dea strongly trusts in empowerment, collaboration, accountability, and developing strong teams.

Career Highlights

Certification Highlights

Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)®
Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)

Case Studies

Work Experience

Manager in Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Services

2018 - PRESENT
PwC
  • Acted as a member of the finance of the future team, an initiative that supports the transformation and digitalization of finance function.
  • Developed the IFRS 16 calculation tool that enabled the company to win numerous projects across the region.
  • Took on the digital accelerator role, contributing to business development and technology solutions, leading internal process optimization, and inspiring and educating the community.
Focus areas: IFRS Consolidation, IFRS 16, IFRS Financial Reporting, Management Reports, Product Costing, Digital Transformation, Business Development, Training, Business Planning

SAP Stabilization and Controlling Process Improvement

2017 - 2017
Lafarge Serbia
  • Supported preparation for the LafargeHolcim accounting and reporting standards certification.
  • Developed new analysis and planning tools in line with newly implemented ERP.
  • Supported the local FI/CO team for the SAP go live and stabilization.
Focus areas: Finance Process Improvement, Management Reports, QlikView, SAP FI, SAP ECC, SAP Controlling (CO), Three-statement Modeling, Financial Modeling

Controlling Manager

2013 - 2017
Holcim
  • Transformed the controlling department from a reporting unit to a value-creating team with a hands-on approach to supporting the business focused on commercial orientation and cost excellence. I was awarded the company gold card for this achievement.
  • Acted as a team member of Plan 2015+, a financial transformation project that supported the restructuring of the Holcim business unit in Croatia, resulting in positive net income after five consecutive years of reporting loss.
  • Implemented a balanced scorecard, created top-notch planning and analysis tools, streamlining processes and integrating support systems, controlling team development, SNWC initiatives, and cost savings in SGA.
  • Served as the COREP key user in SAP ECC 6.0 implementation in Croatia (FI/CO-REP); upon implementation, became a member of the European business intelligence process expert team and speaker on management awareness sessions.
  • Acted as the LHIFT project leader in Croatia (finance integration of LH group after the merger) and active participation on a regional level (CEE cluster, Poland, and Serbia).
  • Led the ASPIRE project in Holcim Croatia, new planning and reporting framework. Implemented SAP Financial Consolidation, 18-month ROFC, and mid-term plan (integration of financial plan, budget, BRM, and business plan into a single planning event).
Focus areas: Business Planning, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Consolidation, IFRS Financial Reporting, Valuation, SAP Implementation, IBM Cognos Planning, Balance Scorecards, Financial Integration, Finance Process Improvement, Functions, Business Restructuring, Operational Finance, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Key Performance Metrics, Rolling Forecasts, Three-statement Modeling, Controller, Financial Modeling

Controller

2007 - 2012
Holcim Croatia
  • Led segment monthly reporting (production, sales, and net working capital), SAP monthly closure activities, and planning, including ready-mix segment, cement, alternative fuels, and raw material segment.
  • Managed monthly analysis, including fuel cost per GJ calculation and comparison, fuel mix analysis, gross added value of the AFR business calculation, plant master plan, and support in making business decisions for new projects.
  • Acted as a Holcim Leadership Journey workstream leader, aiming to increase group profit by CHF 1,5 billion and including cross-functional implementation (customer excellence, energy, AF, AR, logistics, procurement, fixed costs) and reporting.
  • Led a cost-saving project called Efficiency in Administration.
Focus areas: Business Planning, Management Accounting, Management Reporting, SAP, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Three-statement Modeling, Controller, Financial Modeling
2009 - 2011

Postgraduate Specialist Degree in Accounting

Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka - Rijeka, Croatia

2002 - 2007

Master's Degree in Management

Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka - Rijeka, Croatia

FEBRUARY 2024 - PRESENT

Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)®

Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)

APRIL 2015 - PRESENT

Management Seminar

Duke Corporate Education

Collaboration That Works

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