Edwin Petersen
Finance Expert
Location
Heerlen, Netherlands
Toptal Member Since
October 13, 2017
Edwin has 20+ years of international finance experience across industries, including over a decade of experience as a CFO. He has managed teams and used his financial and operational skills to restructure a subsidiary of Amadeus ITG, resulting in savings of €2.5 million per annum. A recognized top performer, Edwin leverages his FP&A, modeling, and price analysis expertise to support the optimization and growth of client businesses as a freelancer.
Edwin is available for hire
Hire EdwinCareer Highlights
Head of Finance
Traveltainment GmbH
CFO
Fort Dodge Animal Health
Finance Manager, EMEA
Fort Dodge Animal Health
Education
Master's Degree
University of Groningen
Bachelor's Degree
Hogeschool Utrecht
Select Certifications
IFRS Masterclass
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Case Studies
KPI Dashboard
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)DashboardsOperations ReviewsBusiness Planning
Industry Expertise
Accounting ServiceseCommerceFinancial ModelingStartupsTaxationOther Expertise
CFOeCommerceFinancial ModelingFinancial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)International CommerceKey Performance Indicators (KPIs)Work Experience
2016 - PRESENT
Owner and CEO
Natural Sweet
- Established an SEO strategy that resulted in high keyword conversion and strong organic traffic while implementing a KPI dashboard that leveraged Google Data Studio and Google Analytics to monitor advertising spend ROI.
- Created an accurate-and-detailed business plan and ensured that execution adhered to the proposed strategy.
- Negotiated contracts with vendors driving a reduction in costs and an increase in gross margin.
- Built the website and a system that enabled the complete automation of shipping and invoicing functions.
- Implemented a highly automated accounting system that provides legal and statutory reports.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Marketing, Finance Strategy
2010 - 2015
Head of Finance
Traveltainment GmbH
- Implemented SAP FI&CO which enabled the business to reduce headcount via improved automation and introduced increased efficiency to business processes.
- Implemented a comprehensive KPI dashboard that improved management decision-making and enhanced operational execution.
- Built a financial model and supporting analysis that enabled the business to maximize customer-level profitability including a 3% gross margin increase for a significant customer.
- Created product-level income statements to ensure that resources were allocated to the products with the highest profitability, resulting in an enterprise-wide improvement in gross profit.
- Implemented multiple transfer pricing agreements that resulted in the one-time tax saving of 3.4€ million and ongoing yearly tax savings of 1€+ million.
Focus areas: Budgeting, Forecasting, Taxation, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), CFO
2005 - 2010
CFO
Fort Dodge Animal Health
- Implemented an accurate FP&A process that was critical in ensuring the approval of investment plans by the executive staff.
- Implemented multiple software systems including customer relationship management and business intelligence platforms that led to improved customer engagement and an increase in revenue.
- Optimized distribution costs by proactively managing the geographic footprint of various warehouses, enabling the Austrian business to increase gross margin from 10% to 35%.
- Obtained a tender from the Dutch government that enabled the generation of 3€ million of incremental revenues.
- Implemented a comprehensive KPI dashboard that improved the quality and speed of managerial decision-making.
Focus areas: Internal Audits, Taxation, CFO, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
1999 - 2005
Finance Manager, EMEA
Fort Dodge Animal Health
- Collected 10€+ million of accounts previously categorized as bad debt from difficult debtors in foreign regions such as the Middle East and North Africa.
- Implemented a vendor managed inventory strategy helping to lower the frequency and method of transportation, resulting in a 20% reduction in distribution costs.
- Led negotiations with distributors that helped to increase the selling prices by up to 10%.
- Managed due diligence on new and existing distributors to ensure that distributors were not engaging in business with sanctioned countries or organizations.
- Implemented SOX-compliant internal controls that helped to mitigate the high-risk of corruption and fraud prevalent in the business.
Focus areas: Budgeting, Business Planning, Strategic Planning & Execution, Accounting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Credit Control, Financial Management
Education
1994 - 1996
Master's Degree in Finance, Accounting, and Investments
University of Groningen - Groningen, The Netherlands
1990 - 1994
Bachelor's Degree in Business Economics
Hogeschool Utrecht - Utrecht, The Netherlands
Certifications
JUNE 2010 - PRESENT
IFRS Masterclass
PricewaterhouseCoopers