Olena

Olena Karpenko
Poland, Poznan | Remote/Hybrid | B2B | [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)
LinkedIn: [[відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)] | Phone: [[відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)]
SENIOR BUSINESS FINANCE PARTNER
Strategic Finance | FP&A | Business Partnering | Executive Decision Support
PROFILE
Senior Finance Business Partner with 15+ years of international experience supporting executive leadership in strategic decision-making, financial planning, commercial performance and business transformation across multinational organizations.
Proven track record partnering with CEOs, CFOs and senior business leaders to translate strategic priorities into financial outcomes through budgeting, forecasting, business case development, investment analysis, pricing support and performance management.
Recognized for building trusted relationships with executive stakeholders, challenging assumptions with data-driven insights, improving governance and enabling sustainable business growth across Finance, Commercial, Operations and Technology functions.
Experienced in supporting executive decision-making across complex multi-country operations spanning Europe, Africa and Asia, delivering financial insights, investment analysis and governance improvements in international matrix organizations.
Earlier career experience in dairy manufacturing provides a practical understanding of plant economics, production costing, inventory, management reporting and cost optimisation.
Known for translating complex financial information into strategic commercial insights and acting as a trusted finance advisor to executive leadership, supporting business strategy, investment decisions and sustainable growth.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
✔ Led cross-functional business transformation initiatives across international organizations operating in Europe, Africa and Asia
✔ Partnered with executive stakeholders to redesign operating models, governance frameworks and strategic business processes
✔ Delivered ERP-enabled transformation programs supporting operational excellence
✔ Directed planning and performance management across 5 countries and 12 legal entities
✔ Increased reporting efficiency by more than 50% through financial process automation and executive reporting redesign.

✔ Reduced manual effort by 25% through business process optimization
✔ Reduced international operating costs by approximately 15% through cross-border tax and transaction optimization.
✔ Supported executive financial planning across businesses generating annual revenue exceeding USD 100M and employing more than 500 people.

CORE SKILLS
Finance Process Design • Finance Transformation • Continuous Improvement • Finance Operations • Accounting & Finance Processes • General Ledger • Business Process Improvement • Process Mapping (AS-IS / TO-BE) • Process Standardization • Finance Operating Model Design • ERP Transformation • Systems Integration • Finance Transformation Projects • Business Requirements & Functional Specifications • Process Documentation • Procedures & Policies • Forecasting & Financial Planning • Cost Management • Financial Reporting • Reporting Automation • KPI & Performance Management • Finance Governance • Business Analysis • Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management • Finance / IT / Operations Collaboration • Change Management • UAT & Business Readiness • Business Case Development • Executive Reporting • Team Leadership • International Finance • Treasury & Cash Management • Power BI • Tableau • Agile
EXPERIENCE
Deputy CFO – International Operations
(B2B) | Client: Energon Group | Turkey, South Africa, Vietnam, China | Poland | Aug 2023 – Mar 2026
• Provided financial oversight for a Turkish manufacturing operation producing and assembling solar panels, batteries and customised electrical cabinets, including accounting setup, financial planning, management control, budgeting, reporting and process automation.
• Led financial operations and executive-level decision support across international operations in Turkey, South Africa, Vietnam and China, acting as Deputy CFO to the Group leadership.
• Led budgeting, forecasting and business performance management across international business units.
• Developed investment cases, commercial scenarios and financial recommendations supporting executive decisions.
• Oversaw Accounting operations through local Chief Accountants in Turkey and South Africa, including VAT management for local and import transactions, VAT reporting, government VAT refunds and VAT offsets, ensuring compliance with local tax and accounting requirements.
• Partnered with Commercial, Operations and Marketing stakeholders to align financial plans with strategic business priorities and growth initiatives.
• Identified commercial opportunities, operational risks and cost optimisation initiatives through financial and business analysis.
• Managed cross-border cash flow planning, treasury activities and intercompany settlements supporting international operations.
• Supported executive teams with market entry evaluations, investment analysis and international business expansion decisions.
• Designed executive dashboards in Power BI and Excel enabling data-driven decision-making for senior leadership.
• Partnered with Finance, Operations, IT and Commercial teams to improve governance, reporting and business planning processes.
• Identified reporting bottlenecks, operational risks, reconciliation issues, and data quality improvements, introducing automation initiatives that reduced reporting cycle time by 50% and manual effort by 25%.
• Oversaw international intercompany financial processes across multiple jurisdictions ensuring governance, transparency and financial control.
Head of FP&A & Business Performance
Energon Group | Nov 2020 – Jul 2023
• Acted as the deputy finance lead and strategic Business Finance Partner to executive leadership, leading FP&A across five countries and twelve legal entities with annual revenue exceeding USD 100M.
• Owned annual budgeting (1–2-year planning horizon) and semi-annual forecast updates for international operations with annual revenue exceeding USD 100M.
• Partnered with executive leadership on OPEX and CAPEX planning, investment evaluation and strategic resource allocation supporting more than 500 employees.
• Identified cost optimisation, productivity improvement and resource allocation opportunities supporting profitable business growth.
• Delivered financial modelling, scenario planning, business cases and profitability analysis to support commercial growth and investment decisions.
• Led the finance workstream during ERP implementation, redesigning planning, reporting and financial control processes.
• Developed executive dashboards, KPIs and management reporting, improving forecasting accuracy and business transparency.
• Built strong partnerships with business leaders across Finance, Operations, Sales and Supply Chain, providing financial challenge and actionable insights.
Finance & Business Performance Director
Resfood Group | Mar 2017 – Aug 2020
• Acted as strategic Finance Business Partner to shareholders and executive management supporting business expansion and operational growth.
• Partnered with executive leadership on strategic planning, investment prioritisation and long-term business growth initiatives.
• Supported commercial and operational leadership in pricing decisions, profitability improvement and long-term value creation.
• Led financial planning, liquidity management and investment analysis supporting commercial decision-making.
• Evaluated profitability, pricing and investment opportunities contributing to sustainable business growth.
• Provided executive reporting and business insights supporting Board-level decisions.
• Strengthened financial governance and improved cross-functional collaboration between Finance, Commercial and Operations.
Early Career
Lead Economist – Cost Accounting & Management Reporting | Terra Food Group | Dairy Manufacturing
• Responsible for manufacturing cost accounting and management reporting, with hands-on exposure to production costing, inventory, write-offs and cost optimisation.

• Earlier career included progressive roles in:
• Financial Planning & Analysis
• Business Analysis
• Treasury
• Commercial Finance
• Banking
• Performance Management

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

MBA, Financial Management —City Business School
MA Economics and Finance, Poltava National Technical University
DipIFR (ACCA), PwC
Human Capital Management, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
Advanced Business Analysis (35 IIBA PDUs)
AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations

Additional Training:
- Situational Leadership & Team Efficiency (KPG Training)
- International Tax & FX Control
- Business Process Optimization & Negotiations with Asian Partners
LANGUAGES
English — Professional Working Proficiency
Polish — Professional Working Proficiency
Ukrainian — Native
Russian — Native