Esko | How Ufinity helped Esko overcome key FP&A challenges with Jonas

Esko faced a significant hurdle when a key, long-serving member of their Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) team announced their departure. This was especially challenging as it coincided with the implementation of a new financial consolidation system, OneStream. Bartosz described the situation:

“The challenge was to retain the knowledge from the leaving person, train junior team members, and at the same time support the implementation of OneStream. Additionally, we had inefficiencies and complexities built into our forecasting and reporting processes that we wanted to optimize.”

This combination of challenges required a solution that would address immediate needs while laying a foundation for streamlined processes moving forward.

Esko turned to Ufinity because of the personalized and responsive approach provided during the initial consultation process. Bartosz highlighted why Ufinity stood out:

“Inge was a great help, listening to our needs and finding the right candidates quickly, even in the middle of the summer period. I think she fully grasped the specifics of Esko and the role, and was able to point us to the right consultant.”

The selected consultant, Jonas, was instrumental in tackling Esko’s challenges. Bartosz praised Jonas’s dual expertise:

“Jonas was great! He had both the hard and soft skills to get the job done. He has substantial experience managing financials for a company and is very hands-on when it comes to IT. He quickly understood the complex connections between finance and IT. On the other hand, he was very open-minded, flexible, and proactive, which made him fit into the team very well.”

Through Ufinity’s tailored support and Jonas’s proactive approach, Esko saw immediate improvements. Jonas not only played a pivotal role in stabilizing the FP&A function but also worked closely with the team to optimize their forecasting and reporting processes.

The collaboration yielded measurable improvements for Esko across various areas. Bartosz shared some key outcomes: “The process around forecasting and reporting improved in several areas: Working Capital, P&L, and the Balance Sheet, to name a few. Jonas also had a great impact on optimizing our OneStream reporting system landscape.”

Beyond the tangible results, the communication and partnership with Ufinity stood out as a major highlight: “Communication with Ufinity is great! Inge is always very responsive and understanding. She’s proactive in reaching out and open to workshops to discuss potential future solutions.”

The overall experience exceeded Esko’s expectations, setting a new standard for their FP&A function. As Bartosz summarized: “We were impressed with the consultant’s ability to adapt to our corporate culture and work collaboratively with our internal team. Their contributions not only met but exceeded our expectations.”

When asked if he would recommend Ufinity, Bartosz’s response was enthusiastic: “Yes, absolutely. Professional finance people with high IT affinity, great interpersonal skills. And Ufinity is very responsive and flexible in finding the right solution!”