Jose Ramon Romero

Delivering multimillion-euro efficiencies and digital transformation for manufacturing and FMCG operations | CFO & Shared Services leadership in food, beverage & consumer goods

Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, Spain

About

Global FMCG CFO with 25+ years of international leadership managing up to a €1.65B P&L across 20 countries and multiple complex manufacturing plants. Proven track record of elite financial engineering, including securing a €450M syndicated loan and executing a €400M corporate bond issuance listed on the NYSE. A transformational leader at the intersection of finance and technology who has built 3 global Shared Service Centers (20% OPEX reduction) and steered enterprise-wide SAP S/4HANA upgrades for multicultural teams of up to 240 professionals. Uniquely combines rigorous capital restructuring expertise with deep operational scale to drive immediate cash flow and long-term enterprise value. Native/Bilingual: English & Spanish. CORE COMPETENCIES · Strategic Leadership & Vision: Business Strategy Definition, Mid & Long-Term Projections, Financial Forecasting, Corporate Budgetary Control, Stakeholder Influence, Decision-Making under Volatility. · FMCG Financial Management: Corporate Controlling, International Tax Strategy, Accounting & Group Consolidation (IFRS, US GAAP, SOX), Market Trend Analysis, Risk Mitigation (FX, Commodities). · Financial IT & Systems: IT Financial Strategy, Enterprise ERP Upgrades & Implementations (SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, Navision, Baan), Financial Analytics & KPI Dashboards. · Capital Markets & Stakeholders: Investor Relations Management, Investment Institutions Liaison, Debt Restructuring (€450M Syndicated Loans), Bond Issuance, M&A Due Diligence. · People & Team Excellence: Multicultural Team Leadership, Cross-Border Management, Talent Development, Shared Service Centers (SSC) Architecture.

Experience

  • Group Business CFO at Itema
    Aug 2013 - Present · 12 yrs 11 mos

    Family Office with two type of businesses: Fund Management and Real Estate portfolio ·  Portfolio & Real Estate Strategy: Direct financial strategy and mid-to-long term wealth projections for a prominent Family Office overseeing an investment portfolio (€4M) and a commercial real estate portfolio (€11M). Serve as an active Board Member driving cash flow governance.

  • Group Business CFO & Shared Services Director at J. GARCIA-CARRION
    Mar 2019 - Apr 2021 · 2 yrs 2 mos

    Context: Led financial strategy and operations for a top-ranked, global FMCG manufacturer operating across 3 sectors (Wine, Juices, Food) with 10 manufacturing plants and a €1.0B P&L spanning 150 countries. Managed a 50-person multicultural finance and IT team, reporting directly to the CEO & President. ·     Business Strategy & Forecasting: Collaborated directly with the executive management committee to define mid- and long-term business strategies, delivering advanced financial reporting and KPIs that supported data-driven corporate recommendations. ·     Investor Relations & Financing: Managed complex relationships with international investment institutions and banking syndicates to negotiate and secure a €450M syndicated loan, successfully stabilizing the group's capital structure through 2026. ·     Financial IT Systems Upgrade: Promoted digital transformation by directing the corporate financial system implementation and upgrade to SAP S/4HANA; led full data migration to enable high-performance financial analytics and real-time reporting. ·     Operational Budgetary Control & Scale: Designed and launched the Global Shared Service Center (SSC) for Finance, Accounting, and Procurement, centralizing transactional operations to achieve a 20% OPEX reduction and shortening the monthly reporting cycle by 5 days. ·     Consolidation, Accounting & Tax: Orchestrated flawless group financial consolidations and general accounting under IFRS and US GAAP frameworks by harmonizing accounting and tax policies across all global corporate entities. ·     Corporate Development & M&A: Steered international expansion by performing comprehensive due diligence, strategic planning, and rigorous financial modeling to identify major market difficulties and develop entry solutions.

  • Asian Business CFO & Corporate Controller & Shared Services Director at Grupo AJE
    Jul 2011 - Apr 2016 · 4 yrs 10 mos

    Context: Directed financial and economic resources for a premier global FMCG industrial soft drinks multinational. Held full P&L oversight of €1.65B across 20 countries, 20 subsidiaries, and 15 industrial manufacturing plants. Led a multicultural team of 150 finance professionals. Board Member for Aje Asia. ·   Investor & Investment Relationships: Built, inspired, and managed critical strategic relationships with global stakeholders, external auditors, rating agencies, and bond investors, leading a highly successful €400M corporate bond issuance listed on the NYSE and LuxSE. ·   Mid/Long-Term Projections & Cash Flow: Redesigned working capital and mid-term cash forecasting models (confirming, factoring, zero-balance), improving DSO by 30% and unlocking €10M in trapped liquidity while maintaining strict budgetary control. ·   Group Consolidation & Reporting: Unified 20 regional GAAPs into a singular, cohesive IFRS/US GAAP reporting framework, streamlining complex multinational consolidations and accelerating the monthly closing cycle by 8 days. ·   Financial IT Architecture: Spearheaded the end-to-end financial IT system implementation of Baan ERP integrated with CRM modules across all Asian subsidiaries, ensuring absolute alignment around shared operational goals. ·   Market Trend Analysis & Growth: Analyzed global market trends and executed M&A due diligence to expand international presence into high-growth continents, creating successful market-entry strategies for Thailand, Indonesia, Egypt, and Nigeria.

  • Business CFO at GT Global
    Feb 2008 - Dec 2010 · 2 yrs 11 mos

    Context: Exercised full financial command over a €650M multi-sector industrial conglomerate spanning 5 divisions, including a major Coca-Cola bottling business representing 70% of group sales. Managed and developed a massive finance and operational team of 240 people, reporting directly to the CEO & President. ·     Strategic Divestitures & Advisory: Collaborated with the Board of Directors to orchestrate the strategic sale and M&A advisory of the Coca-Cola bottling division to FEMSA, executing accurate valuations and risk assessments. ·     Institutional Negotiations: Led high-stakes negotiations with an international banking consortium to restructure a €200M debt portfolio under optimized commercial terms, strengthening corporate liquidity. ·     Financial Systems Optimization: Acted as a transformational leader by introducing a centralized finance organization (1 SSC) and simultaneously deploying a comprehensive SAP ERP system (with CRM and BI integrations) across all 5 business divisions. ·     Market Trend & Risk Analytics: Developed and managed an integrated risk-mitigation framework to address exposures in FX, commodities, interest rates, and credit, allowing the company to anticipate business difficulties and protect margins.

  • Corporate Treasurer at Mabe
    Feb 1999 - Feb 2008 · 9 yrs 1 mo

    Context: Mabe is a JV with General Electric (GE). Supervised global treasury operations and economic resources for a €4.1B industrial manufacturer with 15 manufacturing plants across 15 countries. Managed an $850M corporate debt portfolio and a 20-person team, reporting directly to the CFO ·     Capital Markets & Investment Institutions: Executed critical capital market operations, including a $200M bond issuance, a $400M syndicated loan, and structured a $250M future export receivables securitization program. ·     Built treasury shared service center - centralized operations and faster FFSS reporting. ·     Budgetary Control & Cost Management: Championed supply chain finance initiatives and optimized inventory turnover rates by 30%, while eliminating non-profitable SKUs and improving DSO by 20 days. Generated $10M in direct interest and financial contract savings. ·     Drove M&A and corporate development doing IPOs in Guatemala and Canada plus company acquisitions in Brazil and Russia