Business group with four companies
Four companies, four ways of calculating margin and a monthly close that took seven days of spreadsheet work.
The challenge
A seven-day monthly close and figures that never matched across companies
The solution
A consolidated model with one definition of margin, EBITDA and cash position, plus an automated board report
How we did it
Each company had its own chart of accounts and its own criteria, and closing meant fitting four files together by hand until the totals agreed. We built a consolidated model with a mapping table across the four charts, so every account always lands in the same place. The group metrics (margin, EBITDA and cash position) have a written definition, signed off by the finance director and auditable down to the originating entry. On top of that sits a report that refreshes automatically once all four companies have closed and goes to the board on the second day of each month, with the breakdown by company and the comparison against budget. If one company runs late or a figure crosses an agreed threshold, the alert arrives before the report does.
Results
Project timeline
Mapping across the four charts of accounts
Single definition of margin, EBITDA and cash position
First consolidated close in a single day
Automated board report on day two
Testimonial
“The debate is no longer whether the number is right, but what we do about it. And when we have a question about a figure, they resolve it the same day.”