What happens when a private-equity backed healthcare distributor in Southern Europe grows rapidly through acquisitions, but financial integration lags behind?

Situation

The client, a private-equity backed healthcare distributor in Southern Europe, was in the middle of a rapid growth phase. Several acquisitions had closed in short succession. Integration was lagging. Finance had become a bottleneck. Reporting deadlines slipped, forecasts were unreliable, and board meetings often stretched late into the evening as numbers were checked and rechecked. Investor representatives pushed hard: “We need control and predictability — and soon.”

Task

The assignment was clear:
• Establish cash flow visibility.
• Cut down the monthly reporting cycle.
• Support due diligence and integration of ongoing acquisitions.
• Stabilize the finance team and prepare the ground for a permanent CFO.

Action

The interim CFO began with a diagnostic week. He met the finance team individually, observed their closing process, and sat in on two investor calls.

Quick fixes followed:
• Introduced a rolling 13-week cash flow model that could be updated weekly.
• Streamlined consolidation across subsidiaries, eliminating multiple versions of spreadsheets.
• Standardized KPIs, so all business units spoke the same financial language.
• Set up short weekly updates with the CEO and PE backers, reducing end-of-month surprises.

This 13-week cash flow model is a short-term financial planning tool that projects a company’s cash inflows and outflows on a weekly basis for a rolling 13-week (three-month) period. The model is crucial for identifying potential cash shortfalls, allocating resources efficiently, and making informed decisions to maintain solvency and operational stability.

Equally important, the interim CFO coached two high-potential managers, preparing them to take more responsibility once the permanent hire arrived.

Result

• Reporting cycle shortened from 12 to 7 days. Not perfect, but visible progress.
• Forecast accuracy improved by about 25%, building confidence with investors.
• Two acquisitions were completed with finance fully supporting due diligence and integration.
• A permanent CFO was hired and took over a stabilized function.

Impact

The 4-month intervention showed the value of interim management in private-equity settings: stabilizing reporting, restoring trust, and ensuring continuity between periods of change.