Controllers: From Analysts to Strategic Business Partners

The controller as a business partner of senior management is crucial for the successful management of a company, especially in companies with dynamic growth plans. They are often engaged in many areas, and at the highest level of management, the controller should be part of the strategic development of the company.

This was stated by Matthias von Daacke, the director of controlling at Blanco GmbH, ahead of the third international conference ‘Controlling – Economic Partner of Management’ organized by the consulting company Kontroling Kognosko and the business weekly Lider on November 5 at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb.

At the conference, where the award for the best controlling project will be presented for the first time in Croatia, von Daacke will speak about the role of controlling in sales planning within the Blanco group. As he says, the recipe for successful collaboration between controllers and sales staff is no different from the recipe for collaboration with any other colleagues within the company – the most important thing is to listen to others and discover their needs. Given that he works in Blanco Germany and is a board member responsible for Blanco Canada and Blanco China, von Daacke emphasizes that the acceptance of controllers in Germany has changed over time – we are talking about a transition from analysts to ‘strategic business partners’.

Canadian controllers, on the other hand, often come from the field of accounting. There are many cases where accounting departments report to chief controllers, who in turn report to the chief financial or executive director, which also makes them part of management. In China, controlling is a relatively new concept. All companies must have licensed accountants who are educated solely based on Chinese tax law.

Learn more about the conference HERE.