Delivering Financial Results: With or Without Spreadsheets - That is the Question

In this first of five Webinars, we will explore the impact of inadequate systems supporting the close, consolidate, report process. There is a clear distinction between organizations working with world class financial consolidation systems and those that continue to rely on spreadsheets and spreadsheet enhanced systems. Many external and internal reporting issues, as well as data quality and timeliness challenges, trace back to such systems and processes.

The first part of our session, presented by The Hackett Group, will introduce you to Hackett’s approach to identifying companies that demonstrate superior performance in closing, consolidation and reporting. You will see the contrast between World-Class and Peer Group companies in terms of their usage of spreadsheets for critical finance activities, and the impact that has on the cost, quality and responsiveness of the finance organization. Hackett will also discuss insights they have gained into companies that are improving in these areas, and what activities and approaches have significant impact.

The second part of our session will introduce Cognos solutions for Financial Management and Control, particularly Cognos Controller, the modern foundation required for renewing the close, consolidate, report process. Demonstrations and discussions will help you understand the roadmap to performance management, starting with automation of the close, consolidate, report process; the impact of process control, data management and auditability on financial data quality assurance; and forming a solid basis for transforming the end to end process.

About the Webinar Series

It’s five years since Sarbanes Oxley became law, and for many organizations the goal of relevant, accurate, timely, auditable, controlled financial information remains elusive and out of reach.

• The still-ubiquitous spreadsheet, preventing centralized management and process control.
• First generation solutions, unable to support modern requirements.
• A close process layered on by acquisitions, restructuring, and a host of source systems.

This series is a step-by-step discovery of the benefits of renewing the close, consolidate, report process. We will engage thought leaders, industry experts, and customers throughout. Whether you are already resolving your financial consolidation issues or just embarking on your journey, this Webinar series will bring you valuable information to help you each step of the way.

• Controllers
• CFO's
• CIO's
• VP's, Directors and Managers of Finance, Corporate Governance, Compliance, IT

Mr. Willman is the Program Leader for The Hackett Group's Account-to-Report and Enterprise Performance Management Advisory Programs. He has over 12 years of finance, accounting and consulting experience across numerous industries. His experience has focused on helping CFOs and senior Finance executives to transform their organizations through the deployment of more efficient and effective processes, service delivery models and enabling technologies. Prior to joining The Hackett Group, Mr. Willman worked in Finance Transformation consulting with IBM Global Business Services and PwC Consulting. He also has several years of public accounting experience. He holds an MBA from Duke University, a BBA in Accounting from the University of Georgia and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Georgia.

Paul Allen joined Cognos from Frango where he was an implementation consultant working directly with major clientele on their implementations of Controller.  At Cognos, Paul was in Foundation Services where he assisted pre and post sales teams for North America.  Currently, Paul is a Global Practice Leader for Controller where he leverages best practices to deliver Controller solutions to customers.  Paul's background is in finance as an accountant (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants/CIMA).  In this capacity he has worked for many diverse companies where held various accounting roles including that of a Consolidation accountant.

Delbert Krause is Director, Product Marketing, Performance Management Solutions at Cognos. Mr. Krause combines his formal education in finance and accounting along with 20 plus years experience in delivering performance management solutions supporting finance, business and IT users. He has worked in a variety of roles enabling customers achieve success across a broad range of solutions supporting performance management, from large international consolidations to enterprise planning and reporting applications. Mr. Krause's background includes formal training and experience in finance, working directly with customers and consulting, selling, and marketing performance management software solutions. Working with the Performance Management Solutions team at Cognos for the past 7 years, Mr. Krause's current responsibility is to help bring understanding to customers on the benefits of performance management and the role Cognos solutions play in delivering success.

Cognos is the world leader in business intelligence (BI) and performance management solutions. We provide world-class enterprise BI, planning and consolidation software and services to help companies plan, understand and manage financial and operational performance.

Cognos brings together technology, analytical applications, best practices, and a broad network of partners to give our customers a complete performance solution. We provide an open and adaptive solution that leverages an organization's ERP, packaged applications, and database investments.

We give customers the ability to answer the questions -- How are we doing? Why are we on or off track? What should we do about it? - and enable them to understand and monitor current performance while planning future business strategies.

Cognos serves more than 23,000 customers in more than 135 countries. Our solutions and services are also available from more than 3,000 worldwide partners and resellers.

Additional information about Cognos is available at: http://www.cognos.com/compliance/index.html