Thomas Zickler

Group Chief Financial Officer at Sulzer

Winterthur, Zurich, Switzerland

About

PERSONAL PROFILE: Dynamic result driven senior manager with broad financial and strategic competence as well as international business experience, supported by outstanding interpersonal skills, more than 20 years leadership experience and the ability to interact and influence at all levels. AREAS of EXPERTISE: Treasury, controlling, accounting (US-GAAP, IFRS, Swiss GAAP FER, HGB), process & project management, change management, business partnering, customer financing, Swiss tax and customs regulations. In-depth experience in the design and optimization of processes and organizations.

Experience

  • Sulzer (10 yrs 10 mos)
    • Group Chief Financial Officer
      May 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 3 mos

    • Head Group Corporate Finance & Shared Services
      Apr 2022 - Sep 2022 · 6 mos

      • Heading Group Liquidity Planning, Capital Controlling & Credit Management • Heading Finance Shared Services in India, China, Spain, Poland • Heading HQ Accounting Services (incl. Sulzer US Holding in Houston) • Heading Group Treasury function • Support Group CFO on group finance topics

    • Head of Group Treasury
      Oct 2015 - Mar 2022 · 6 yrs 6 mos

      Group Treasurer of Sulzer Group (revenues CHF 3.2 billion), 9 direct reports with 23 FTEs Responsibility for Corporate Finance, Trade Finance, FX & Cash Management, Corporate Credit Cards, Data Analytics & Financial Risk Management, Treasury Governance & Processes, Regional/ Country Treasury Managers and two Group Treasury teams in Pune, India • Strengthened Treasury strategy and governance • Built up global treasury operations center in Pune/India • Managed capital markets, credit analysts and banking relations • Led Sulzer Accounts Receivable transformation initiative across all divisions • Project co-lead for medmix spin-off and SIX listing in September 2021 Additional Mandates · Board Member of Sulzer US Holding (since 06/2016), Sulzer Netherlands Holding (since 10/2018) and Sulzer UK Holding (since 12/2018) · Member of Board of Trustees and Investment Committees of Sulzer’s Swiss pension funds with assets of ~4.4bn CHF (since 03/2016) · Member of Board of Trustees and Investment Committee of Sulzer’s UK Defined Pension Scheme with assets of ~ 350m GBP (since 10/2019)

  • ABB (9 yrs)
    • Country Treasurer Switzerland
      Aug 2010 - Sep 2015 · 5 yrs 2 mos

      • Responsible for all treasury activities of 11 local business units with yearly revenues of about USD 4 billion (80% export business) • Headed 3 departments: Foreign Exchange & Cash management, Export & Trade Finance and Country FiX Center • Direct lead of Export & Trade Finance department • Responsible contact person for all banks and financial analysts • Project sponsor: Optimization of Treasury Processes (project TOP) • Streamlined and transferred Credit Management department into the Shared Accounting Services organization as part of project TOP

    • Head Treasury Reporting & Projects
      Oct 2009 - Aug 2010 · 11 mos

      • Project Manager ‘Centralization Treasury Organization Switzerland’ • Project Manager for the country implementation of ABB Group project FiX (Project covering FX & commodity risk management and risk reporting)

    • Head of External Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting (USGAAP)
      Oct 2006 - Sep 2009 · 3 yrs

      • Head of External Financial Reporting (SEC Reporting) & Technical Accounting Policies Department of ABB Group (revenues USD 31.8 billion) · Managed and oversaw the US GAAP Accounting & Reporting Guidelines for the ABB Group · Shortened the 20-F filing/ Annual Financial Reporting process by 6 weeks • Head of Group Hedge Accounting · Established central Shared Service Center for hedge accounting in the Netherlands

  • Different (Management) Positions within Finance, Information Systems Consulting, Sales Organization at DaimlerChrysler AG
    Oct 1996 - Sep 2006 · 10 yrs

  • Controller at Metallgesellschaft AG
    Apr 1996 - Sep 1996 · 6 mos

  • Junior Controller at Sherwood Medical GmbH
    Oct 1995 - Mar 1996 · 6 mos