Nicolas BONNAUD

Global scope with ~€900M turnover, 38 factories, 2 100 employees.

Strategic scope: global transformation of Finance, HR & IT to support a newly created international division and strengthen profitability, governance, and leadership alignment.

► Performance steering – Directed strategic and financial planning for the Leadership Board, aligning decisions with profitability, ROI and energy-hedging objectives. Delivered sustainable margin improvement and optimized capital allocation across ten countries.
► Governance architecture – Strengthened global tax, transfer-pricing and reporting frameworks to secure full compliance and transparency between subsidiaries and Group headquarters.
► Digital enablement – Designed and implemented a divisional BI and data-governance roadmap within six months, providing executives with integrated dashboards across Finance, Sales, Production and ESG performance.
► Strategic alignment with Group functions – Ensured coherence between divisional and Group priorities by co-leading initiatives with central Finance, HR and IT; contributed to Group strategic planning and policy rollout.
► Organizational leadership – Structured divisional Finance, HR & IT Business Partner teams; launched a leadership competency framework and engagement program for the Top 100 leaders.
► Diversity & inclusion as performance drivers – Embedded DEI principles into leadership culture.

France (~€90M turnover, 100 employees)

Strategic scope: Led the creation and scaling of the Finance organization for a high-growth digital subsidiary, enabling profitability and governance. Contributed to the data-revenue strategy of one of France’s leading retail groups.

► Financial architecture & working-capital excellence – Built the Finance organization from the ground up. Secured a €20M cash improvement and restored positive liquidity to support sustainable growth.
► Digitalization & commercial performance – Implemented Salesforce integrated with SAP and deployed real-time cash and revenue monitoring tools, delivering full visibility and faster data-driven decision-making.
► Strategic finance & corporate development – Worked with investment banks and Group M&A on fundraising and investor relations; supported shareholder exit and post-merger integration initiatives.
► Business partnership & monetization strategy – Established financial and contractual frameworks to monetize data assets for Groupe Casino and Cdiscount, strengthening supplier negotiations and improving gross margins.
► Governance & compliance – Reinforced internal control and GDPR frameworks, ensuring data integrity and regulatory compliance in a fast-evolving digital environment.

Strategic scope: transitional finance leadership during a major restructuring phase.

► Business transformation & investment control – Oversaw strategic investments for the rollout of the “NEXT” store concept, securing ROI on major capex projects.
► Franchise expansion & M&A support – Managed financial relations with master franchisees and contributed to negotiations for store takeovers and network restructuring.
► Operating cost efficiency – Designed and delivered cost-optimization plans for outsourced services, improving operating margins and business agility.
► Governance & continuity – Supervised key support functions (Audit, Internal Control, Technical, Security) to ensure business integrity and governance continuity during transition.

Argentina (60 stores, 170,000m2 GLA, ~€500M turnover)

Strategic scope: full financial leadership for a major multi-format retailer and real-estate operator, driving value creation, cash autonomy, and governance in a highly volatile economic environment.

► Financial strategy – Directed end-to-end financial management, covering reporting, budgeting, controlling, taxation, and internal audit. Improved profitability and safeguarded business continuity amid high inflation and currency volatility.
► Cash & capital discipline – Strengthened working-capital management and cash-flow forecasting, ensuring liquidity and optimizing capital allocation to sustain resilience.
► Investment & portfolio optimization – Co-defined the Real Estate strategy (+45,000 m², $30M) with the Board and evaluated the financial viability of new formats (Proximity, Cash & Carry). Managed divestments of non-strategic assets, including real-estate disposals and a hotel sale (~€5M).
► Strategic alignment – Advised the CEO and leadership teams on financial performance and strategic initiatives, ensuring local execution met the Group’s demanding profitability and governance standards.
► Leadership & organizational development – Led and developed a Finance team of 60 professionals, implementing engagement and upskilling programs to foster collaboration and accountability.
► Group governance & coordination – Acted as key financial liaison with Groupe Casino headquarters, contributing to the regional restructuring of South American operations and sharing best practices across subsidiaries.