What is the role of the Daf in theaccompaniment of international business development ? Although the responsibilities assigned to him obviously differ from one company to another – and this in particular because of his scope, more or less wide – there are subjects which are unavoidable and on which he must commit to make the internationalization of your company a success.
Find the right partners
“The Daf must fully play his role of business support function », says Emmanuel Samson, CFO of Odaseva, enterprise data platform for Salesforce. For him, the role of the Daf in the internationalization of his company is not at the level of the strategic choice of the implementation but in support for this implementation ensuring that it is done in the best possible conditions. Thus, Emmanuel Samson takes care ofopen a bankof find the right partner at the level insurance, payroll, accounting, etc.… “When you set up in a new country, you don’t set up a financial department but you get support from external people: that requires finding the right partner in a country you don’t know”, recount Emanuel Samson.
Nicolas Zanelli, Daf of jeweler Messika, is also working to find partners, particularly for the taxation and the HR accounting. “I don’t want to have to carry out tax and social monitoring. On the other hand, accounting is handled in France within of a CSP ; them accounting standards are often the same from one country to another », he says. For Marylène Bonny-Grandil, associate lawyer at TGS, getting support on legal and tax matters via a correspondent on site makes it possible to anticipate problems that may arise in the territory in which it is established.
To anticipate : this is the real mission of the Daf in the internationalization of the company. To anticipate the risks, notably. He must therefore inform himself in advance of what awaits him in the host country. Information that Kevin Lagranderie, administrative and financial manager of Activ’Inside, finds difficult to obtain. His advice: to surround oneself with trusted partners in order to have access toreliable information.
Mobilize your network
How to find these partners, so essential to international development? Nicolas Zanelli identifies them thanks to his adviser, Mazars, which provides him with international contacts. Emmanuel Samson advise to mobilize your network : “We pass for example by one of our investors which connects the CFOs of the different companies in its portfolio”. This call to the network offers another advantage: to exchange on the problems which one can meet in such or such area of the world. “When I have international projects, I get closer to the association of French people abroad FrenchFounders : I always find at least someone already established in the country where I want to settle who informs me of the pitfalls and points of vigilance”, reports Nicholas Zanelli.
The Daf is also expected on more technical subjects, such as that of currencies. “The Daf will play a crucial role in anticipating the risk of a new financial crisis due to the increase in rates: they must be able to propose different scenarios but also to cover themselves by setting up currency hedges »valued Isabelle Saladin, President of I&S Adviser. Nicolas Zanelli recognizes that the subject of currencies is essential : ” We need to find a counter to currency fluctuations. This may be via invoicing in euros but, whatever the case, it is important to yourevise the currency hedging », he recommends. He opted for interest rate hedging on long term (24 months) in order to smooth as much as possible.
All these precautions can take time to put in place. Emmanuel Samson advises to do not let yourself be overwhelmed by the pressure that the business can put on you, which wants to go as quickly as possible. ” It’s necessary give from deadlines to business – even if it is not always possible to have visibility -, slow them down without stopping »he says, recommending work with the other support departments that are legal and HR. He also recommends using tricks, such as setting up payroll solutions to be able to hire even if the payroll service is not yet in place. Or use telecommuting. “Not to be afraid, at first, to take people who do not work on company premises but from their homes or from flexible office solutions. Premises are not a priority when opening a subsidiary », he indicates. In an international development situation, the right Daf is therefore the one who pmakes all the necessary precautions for a risk-free implementation but while remaining open to proposals from partners which will allow him to go as quickly as possible.