In 2025, when a company in the accounting industry undertook its largest M&A and carve-out project to date, finance and integration efforts took a central position.
As Finance Stream Lead, Carl Stiller was responsible for building the financial environment, creating structure, and driving the transition to stable operations – amidst a high pace of change and tight deadlines. The project demonstrates how clear priorities, coordination between workstreams, and strong leadership can deliver results even in the most complex transformation environments.
Tell us about your assignment
”My assignment was part of the company’s M&A and carve-out initiative. I reported to the CFO, who sponsored the finance stream, and worked closely with the Integration Management Office (IMO) – the team responsible for coordinating the entire integration effort.
The goal was to ensure that the acquired business could operate independently after the carve-out – with functioning financial workflows, systems, and processes in place. The focus was on building a new system landscape for the finance function from the ground up, along with a couple of entirely new operational systems – time reporting and project planning. It was a complex but very rewarding task.”
You mention systems and processes – could you elaborate?
”One of the biggest challenges was creating an environment that was both stable and flexible enough to support future growth. For the new business to function operationally, we needed a coherent system landscape where finance, time reporting, and project management worked seamlessly together.
We also established new workflows for customer invoicing, supplier invoice processing, and payroll administration, as well as the integrations that connected the systems. In parallel, we carried out process mapping, data mapping, testing, and training to build a stable and future-proof platform. Among other things, we also procured a new travel booking system to meet the business’s needs and ensure the integrity of the operational infrastructure.”
What were the key success factors in the project?
”Success was built on strong leadership, clear governance, and close collaboration between the various workstreams. The combination of quick decision-making, well-defined priorities, and team members with the right skills enabled us to deliver on time despite an extremely tight schedule.
To me, leadership is about establishing a clear vision for the team, defining roles and responsibilities, and creating the support and conditions needed for the team to succeed.”
What is it like being an interim Finance Stream Lead in such a complex project?
”In an M&A and carve-out project, you must constantly prioritize and maintain full oversight of all activities and deadlines. At the same time, you need to anticipate risks and mitigate them proactively.
The role requires the ability to swiftly switch between details and the big picture, and to create structure, follow-up, and clear communication – even when the pace is high and resources are limited. As an interim leader, you’re also responsible for ensuring that deliveries are of high quality and aligned with the client’s goals and expectations.”
What lessons are you taking with you from this experience?
”This was one of the most complex and educational projects I’ve participated in. It confirms that with the right competence in the team, you can achieve extraordinary results – even under tough circumstances. At the same time, it highlights the importance of actively managing overarching sub-goals and dependencies in large projects, to understand how one workstream’s activities impact the progress of others – for better or worse.
The coordinating role of the IMO and our weekly check-ins with all stream leads were key to identifying dependencies and resolving roadblocks in time.”
What is your best advice for companies facing an integration or carve-out?
”A thorough and practical pre-study is critical to understand the current state, identify risks, and make well-informed decisions about timeline and scope.
Bring in the right expertise early on and make sure roles, responsibilities, and governance are clearly defined from day one.
This is crucial to keeping the project on track when many components need to fall into place at once.
The right interim leader can add both structure and momentum – and that makes all the difference when the pace is high, and delivery expectations are demanding.”
What do you do outside of work?
”I’m very active! I go to the gym, swim, and play football with my kids. Sea kayaking is another passion – it’s a perfect way to completely disconnect and recharge.
I’m also involved in other projects – for example, I co-run an AI startup with a colleague, develop training programs for Påhlmans Business Institute, and am active on the board of Akavia.
In addition, I coach my children’s football team. I really enjoy switching between projects and stimulating different parts of the brain. I believe in continuous development – that’s what drives me.”
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