"Our biggest expense is capex - and it has increased significantly." - Nadine Aerts, CFO PoAB — Transcript
Full transcript
- 0:12Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a new
- 0:14season of the CFO podcast. For the
- 0:16first time, we are recording our
- 0:18conversations from our brand-new
- 0:20studios in Antwerp. Realized together
- 0:22with our partners. And in terms of
- 0:24symbolism, this really hits the mark.
- 0:26We are opening this new season with the
- 0:28CFO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Nadine
- 0:31Aarts. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is not
- 0:33just any company. It is one of
- 0:35Belgium's biggest economic engines. And
- 0:37that is precisely why the role of the
- 0:39CFO here is particularly interesting.
- 0:41Because behind the port lies a business
- 0:44model that must keep working in a
- 0:45rapidly changing world. With
- 0:48macroeconomic pressure, with
- 0:50geopolitical uncertainty, with
- 0:52investment needs, with public
- 0:53shareholders, and of course with the
- 0:55question of how you safeguard financial
- 0:57muscle in the long term. Nadine made
- 1:01the switch from SD Worx to Port of
- 1:03Antwerp-Bruges and has been the CFO of
- 1:06the Port of Antwerp since August 2025.
- 1:09The central question of this
- 1:10conversation: how does the CFO of Port
- 1:13of Antwerp-Bruges safeguard the
- 1:14financial strength of Belgium's biggest
- 1:17economic engine? Nadine, welcome to the
- 1:24CFO podcast. It gives me great pleasure
- 1:26to be able to have this conversation
- 1:28with you in Antwerp. But I always start
- 1:30with the same question. Who is Nadine?
- 1:32What is your story? Thank you for
- 1:35letting me be here and for letting me
- 1:37be the first to appear in this studio.
- 1:40Mine too. My story is one that is about
- 1:43doing what you love to do.
- 1:46Mhm. Surrounding yourself with the
- 1:49right people and, actually, mostly
- 1:51about seeing opportunities and taking
- 1:53them.
- 1:57I started my career or my studies as a
- 2:00commercial engineer in policy
- 2:01informatics a long time ago. And my
- 2:09first job was actually at a smaller
- 2:11consultancy firm as an IT consultant,
- 2:13CRM consultant, I worked for a while as
- 2:15a consultant at Toyota as a business
- 2:17analyst, and that is how I ended up at
- 2:19SD Worx as a business analyst in the
- 2:21Finance department.
- 2:25Okay. Yes.
- 2:26That was a long time ago, in 2002. Back
- 2:29then, SD Worx was not as well-known a
- 2:31company as it is today. It was mainly a
- 2:33non-profit organization. Mhm.
- 2:36But then, through various steps within
- 2:38finance, I also went outside of finance
- 2:40to the business side for a while. Under
- 2:44the mentorship of the then-CFO, Hector
- 2:47Vermeersch. And
- 2:50I saw the podcast with Niels de
- 2:52Bremaecker, CFO of SD Worx Investment,
- 2:54who also mentioned Hector as a mentor.
- 2:56For me, he has certainly been a mentor
- 2:59as well. And that is why I brought that
- 3:00up at the beginning. It is very
- 3:02important to surround yourself with the
- 3:04right people. Together with him, we
- 3:07didn't exactly map out a path. That
- 3:10path emerged along the way. Held
- 3:14various roles within SD Worx before
- 3:16becoming CFO in 2019 of...
- 3:21Is it important for a finance
- 3:22professional to have a mentor early in
- 3:24their career? For me, I found it
- 3:29important because, well, early in your
- 3:31career, you don't always know which
- 3:33direction you're headed. For example,
- 3:36it wasn't clear for me. I actually
- 3:39didn't know that I would really pursue
- 3:41a career within finance. And Hector
- 3:47gave me the space to try different
- 3:48opportunities, right? As I said, I also
- 3:53spent some time in the business. I was
- 3:56the first business manager of Flex
- 3:58Income Plan. A product invented by SD
- 4:01Worx in Belgium.
- 4:03So I got to learn completely different
- 4:05things there, but I also noticed I
- 4:07missed the numbers. And then, thanks to
- 4:10Hector, we started looking back at what
- 4:12role I could play within finance again.
- 4:14Because, of course, the world keeps
- 4:17turning. And I was able to do
- 4:18completely different things. I was able
- 4:21to collaborate on cross-company
- 4:23projects together with McKinsey and
- 4:25Accenture. And that shaped me and built
- 4:30my background to become a CFO, which,
- 4:33by the way, I never thought was for me.
- 4:36Because I didn't follow a classic path.
- 4:38I was never in audit.
- 4:40I never did controlling. I actually
- 4:42always did other roles. But then I
- 4:46became CFO at the end of 2019, in a
- 4:48difficult period, appointed in December
- 4:51'19. In January 2020, we, as an entire
- 4:56organization—we were in 12 countries
- 4:59at the time—switched to a new ERP
- 5:01package. We were a pilot.
- 5:03It was S/4HANA, and we were truly a
- 5:05pilot back then.
- 5:06Yeah. You were very early then.
- 5:08Very early. And that didn't happen
- 5:10without a struggle. So that wasn't easy
- 5:13. And then months later, Corona broke
- 5:15out. So I, to say it in Antwerp style,
- 5:18really had a hard time. Very difficult.
- 5:23Those were weeks where you were putting
- 5:25in over 100 hours. Which was possible
- 5:28because the social calendar was
- 5:30completely empty during Corona.
- 5:33And I did that after a difficult 2020
- 5:35with a lot of passion and drive. I also
- 5:38experienced the whole transition from
- 5:40an NPO-like company to one much more
- 5:43commercial, right up to the entry of
- 5:45CVC.
- 5:46In 2023. The company has completely
- 5:50changed over all these years. But I did
- 5:54notice, although I really liked working
- 5:56with CVC, there was a dynamic that
- 5:58maybe suited me a little less. And um,
- 6:04yeah, when it was decided that I was
- 6:06going to leave SD Worx, it was my
- 6:08intention to take up my career again.
- 6:11Because to be honest, there's quite a
- 6:13bit of involved with it too. Yeah.
- 6:15Yeah.
- 6:16It's not all rainbows and sunshine. Um,
- 6:20I actually wanted to become a
- 6:21management consultant and start a
- 6:23business from scratch, but then the
- 6:25opportunity to become CFO of Port of
- 6:27Antwerp-Bruges happened to come along.
- 6:32Um, and then I thought, yeah, what are
- 6:34the odds of being able to take such a
- 6:36position again at a company that is so
- 6:38important? Um, what kind of one? Um,
- 6:43headquarters in Belgium, that is. Yeah,
- 6:46and also indeed in my Antwerp. Although
- 6:49, not unimportant to mention, I also
- 6:51have a pied-à-terre on the coast next
- 6:53to Zeebrugge in Blankenberge. So I
- 6:55definitely have a connection there as
- 6:57well.
- 6:58And um, I took that step with a heavy
- 7:00heart, because I had no background in
- 7:02the port.
- 7:04So as you said, started at the end of
- 7:06August with a lot of enthusiasm, and
- 7:08without one day of regret, I've been
- 7:10there for a year now.
- 7:11Yeah. Now, what a switch, huh? You make
- 7:14a switch from a private company. Yes.
- 7:17to at the very least a semi-state
- 7:19company, if I may call it that. How was
- 7:22that, actually? And I'm especially
- 7:24curious to know what you had to unlearn
- 7:26to be able to flourish in such an
- 7:28organization?
- 7:29Yes, so um, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a
- 7:32public limited company. So we aren't
- 7:34exactly government. We are somewhere in
- 7:36between.
- 7:37Hence my choice of words.
- 7:38Yes. Yes, that's right, isn't it? So it
- 7:41is a very specific status. Hm.
- 7:44Um, what I had to unlearn is doing
- 7:45things perhaps a bit less quickly. I
- 7:49certainly did in my last years at SD
- 7:51Worx. Everything went very fast. Um,
- 7:54yeah, you're tied to public procurement
- 7:57laws, I had to learn. That is also a
- 7:59bit of a hobbyhorse of mine. I
- 8:01understand why it exists, but it's not
- 8:03always easy to work in such a structure
- 8:05.
- 8:07So for me, it was a lot about pacing.
- 8:10Um, pacing.
- 8:11Pacing, yes. You also have to bring
- 8:14people along. You come from a different
- 8:16culture. It helps that I experienced
- 8:18that same shift of culture or change of
- 8:21culture at SD Worx.
- 8:23Hm hm. And what was also something to
- 8:25get used to for me was, well, I worked
- 8:28at SD Worx for more than 23 years. So I
- 8:31started there as a kid. Everyone knew
- 8:34me, I knew everyone. So you have a
- 8:36certain connection with the people, and
- 8:38then suddenly you join a company as CFO
- 8:40. They address you as ma'am and use
- 8:42formal language. Um, you don't know
- 8:45everyone. Uh, you have a different
- 8:46relationship with the people. So that
- 8:48takes some getting used to for me, that
- 8:50you
- 8:51yes, take on a different position there
- 8:53and no longer know the "catacombs," so
- 8:55to speak, of other companies.
- 8:57Now, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is
- 8:59mentioned as the most important
- 9:01economic engine in Belgium. That’s
- 9:04quite a heavy weight to carry. How does
- 9:06it actually feel to be the CFO of such
- 9:08a company? Well, the company itself is
- 9:11just a small gear in the whole thing,
- 9:13right? It’s mainly our customers, who
- 9:18work in the port directly or indirectly
- 9:20, who make the ports—because it’s
- 9:23not just Antwerp, but also Zeebrugge—
- 9:25account for about 6%of the Belgian GDP.
- 9:29That is actually immense, isn't it? It
- 9:31is immense. It has also grown compared
- 9:33to a few years ago. That certainly
- 9:35shows the importance of the port. Um,
- 9:37Port of Antwerp-Bruges itself as a
- 9:39company obviously plays an important
- 9:41role in that. Um, we ensure that the
- 9:45traffic can flow. A bit like an airport
- 9:48where you have air traffic control. Yes
- 9:51, we also ensure that ships can get in
- 9:53and out safely. Um, but also, um, yes,
- 9:58we help determine what the investments
- 10:00are in that port, and that involves
- 10:02immense sums. And that is a
- 10:06responsibility that should not be
- 10:08underestimated. Especially in a period
- 10:14that has been quite marked by the past
- 10:16year, where I have seen the evolution
- 10:18where financial resources are not
- 10:20unlimited, where you are dealing with
- 10:22constraints. And I think that is also
- 10:27new for us as a port authority, but
- 10:29also for the port as a whole.
- 10:32Okay, very clear. I am very curious
- 10:35about your business model, because a
- 10:37port, I have no idea what the business
- 10:39model is. Tell me, what is the business
- 10:42model, actually?
- 10:44Yes, very good question, because I
- 10:46think few people actually know what
- 10:49Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the beautiful
- 10:51Havenhuis you see, actually does. Mo
- 10:54um, our business model consists of a
- 10:56number of pillars. Revenue, which is
- 11:00over a billion, slightly more than a
- 11:02billion,
- 11:03consists of 40%concession income. So
- 11:07most of the land in the port area of
- 11:09Antwerp and Zeebrugge is owned by the
- 11:11port authority. So we collect rental
- 11:14income for that. So that is about 40%.
- 11:17And how long do those concessions last?
- 11:19That is 30, 40 years. So that is very
- 11:22for your cash flow planning then.
- 11:24Absolutely. So that is a secure income,
- 11:26but it also has a downside, right? So
- 11:28that income, is that then
- 11:29it only rises with inflation.
- 11:31Okay.
- 11:31Um, so it is constant. That has its
- 11:34advantages when times are tough. But at
- 11:37the moment, and we are seeing that now,
- 11:39on the cost side inflation hits much
- 11:41harder, right? As everyone knows in
- 11:44Belgium, labor costs rise more than
- 11:46inflation. And that is still always
- 11:48two-thirds of our costs. But our
- 11:50investments and construction costs are
- 11:52rising too. Oh, anyone who has built or
- 11:54renovated in the past few years will
- 11:56know those costs have risen
- 11:57significantly.
- 11:58Then there is that part. Yes, that
- 12:00remains constant. You also have little
- 12:02influence over it. The space in the
- 12:04port is just what it is. 40%. Um,
- 12:07another 40%is what we call port dues.
- 12:12So every ship that enters, depending on
- 12:14the type of ship and the type of cargo,
- 12:16pays the port authority.
- 12:19And is that per movement or just
- 12:20arrival and departure, or how should I
- 12:22see it?
- 12:23Yes, arrival and departure, but there
- 12:25is more detail to it, but generally
- 12:27speaking. Okay. Um, the remaining 20%is
- 12:31largely what we call towing operations.
- 12:35So every ship that comes in must be
- 12:37towed. Um, and then a small remainder
- 12:40that comes from our subsidiaries. So we
- 12:43have a number of international
- 12:45activities. We also have a company that
- 12:48manages and operates pipelines. We also
- 12:51have a company that makes software used
- 12:53by customers in the port.
- 12:55Yes. That is on the revenue side, on
- 12:57the cost side, right? Our model, as I
- 12:59just said, two-thirds of our costs
- 13:01consist of personnel.
- 13:02Yes,
- 13:04other OPEX costs are studies we do in
- 13:06preparation for many projects, and yes,
- 13:09some marketing we do. I think we are
- 13:13quite well known, but that also comes
- 13:15with a cost.
- 13:16IT is also not to be underestimated.
- 13:19Cybersecurity also comes with a cost.
- 13:24But the biggest expenditure we have is
- 13:26our CAPEX, our investments, and those
- 13:28have risen very sharply. Um, just to
- 13:33give you the scale, in the past 12
- 13:35years we have spent roughly 1.5 billion
- 13:37on investments. 3 billion in revenue is
- 13:41a lot.
- 13:41That is a lot. We have been able to
- 13:43fund that with our own cash flow. In
- 13:47the coming 12 years, we expect to spend
- 13:50more than 5 billion. So a tripling.
- 13:53Yes, that is a lot.
- 13:55Yes, that is quite a lot. Um, so if we
- 13:57talk now about, yes, annual Capex of,
- 14:00uh, around 300 million, but that will
- 14:03increase over the coming years, 400
- 14:06million, 500 million, to then decrease
- 14:08again. But that is actually our largest
- 14:11cash expenditure. Clear. Now, it is a
- 14:15government-owned company, but it is a
- 14:17public limited company with, of course,
- 14:19shareholders. Who are the shareholders
- 14:21of the Port of Antwerp to begin with?
- 14:23Yes, so the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
- 14:26Nicely eaten. Uh, 80%is the City of
- 14:29Antwerp, 20%is the City of Bruges. Okay
- 14:33.
- 14:33If you look at our board of directors,
- 14:35it consists of representatives from
- 14:37both cities, but is also supplemented
- 14:39by four independent directors.
- 14:41Okay. Now, in terms of dynamics, I
- 14:43think it is very different. Reporting
- 14:46to a board of directors, um, for a
- 14:51private company. What is it actually
- 14:54like to be in that dynamic where, of
- 14:56course, a lot of public interests are
- 14:58attached to it? How is it for you to
- 15:01actually maneuver between that as a CFO
- 15:04?
- 15:05That is indeed different. Yes, then
- 15:08back to where I once was, it is
- 15:10somewhat similar. Also did not have any
- 15:14real shareholders. So I’m not going
- 15:17to say government, but it was managed
- 15:18in a different way than a classic
- 15:20company. Um, that is therefore
- 15:22different, isn't it? I remember my
- 15:24introductory meeting with our chair of
- 15:26the audit and risk committee, Koen
- 15:28Kennis, from the City of Antwerp.
- 15:31He said afterwards, "You will have to
- 15:33get used to the fact that not every
- 15:35decision here is made rationally."
- 15:37Which as a CFO is still
- 15:39a bit uncomfortable, yes, feels
- 15:41uncomfortable. But, um, actually just
- 15:43yesterday I was having lunch with a
- 15:45colleague who phrased it a little
- 15:47differently, because we were talking
- 15:48about it, and he said that "rational"
- 15:50is not the right term. It is about
- 15:52logic. It is a different logic that is
- 15:54followed, right? We are speaking
- 15:56And why is that? Because other
- 15:58interests are at play?
- 15:59Yes, you have on one hand speaking in
- 16:01terms of legislative terms. So you have
- 16:03today a City of Antwerp, a City of
- 16:05Bruges where a number of parties are
- 16:07represented. So that representation is
- 16:09also reflected in our board of
- 16:11directors. Those are also certain
- 16:13emphases that are placed. But that can
- 16:15change, you know. That can, if there is
- 16:18a different legislative term where
- 16:19others come to power, there will also
- 16:21be other representatives on our board
- 16:23of directors, and possible emphases,
- 16:25other decisions will be made. Now, what
- 16:29you also notice is that, yes, some
- 16:31party interests are also at play. That
- 16:35the relationship with Flanders plays a
- 16:37role, sure, but I don't notice that
- 16:39it's truly a hindrance to how we
- 16:41operate as a company, you know. I think
- 16:46that both our board of directors and
- 16:48Flanders recognize the importance of
- 16:49the investments we make. Um, what I do
- 16:55notice is that, since I've been at the
- 16:57helm of finance, we perhaps have to
- 16:59make a bit more effort to highlight the
- 17:01financial aspect. But I think that's
- 17:07mainly because finance never really had
- 17:09a seat at the table, because there was
- 17:10always sufficient funding. We never had
- 17:14to take out any external financing. We
- 17:16were able to fund everything from our
- 17:17own cash flow. Um, and that was
- 17:21possible as long as our, well, as I
- 17:23just said, historically we were at
- 17:25around 100 million per year in Capex,
- 17:27and that was enough to maintain a
- 17:29constant cash balance, but that is now
- 17:32decreasing. So yes, you have different
- 17:34dynamics.
- 17:35Yes, but 300 million, that's a factor
- 17:37of 3. So that is obviously a very large
- 17:40bite out of your
- 17:41cash flow, right. Suddenly, choices
- 17:44have to be made there. And that is
- 17:46something where
- 17:47well, the Port, our shareholders, but
- 17:49also our customers aren't used to that,
- 17:52right. That we now have to say we can
- 17:54no longer do everything. We are going
- 17:56to have to make choices.
- 17:57Have to make choices.
- 17:58Nadien, thank you very much. We're
- 18:00going to take a short break in a moment
- 18:02, but when we return, I'm very curious
- 18:05about how the macroeconomic context
- 18:06actually influences your CFO agenda. We
- 18:09will continue shortly with my
- 18:11conversation with Nadien Aard, CFO of
- 18:13Port of Antwerp-Bruges. I am so proud
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- 18:53Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back.
- 18:55Today in the Z podcast, our guest is
- 18:57Nadien Aard, CFO of Port of
- 18:59Antwerp-Bruges. Nadien, before the
- 19:01break, we were talking about the
- 19:03shareholders and the whole dynamic. But
- 19:06I want to pivot with you toward the new
- 19:08economic context, obviously, in which
- 19:10the Port of Antwerp finds itself. How
- 19:13does this actually influence a CFO
- 19:15agenda?
- 19:16Yes, um, politically speaking, I mean,
- 19:19macro-politically speaking, for example
- 19:22, the closing of the Strait of Hormuz.
- 19:26Actually, at Porto Ventur Brouge, we
- 19:28haven't really had that much of an
- 19:30impact from that, or had much to do
- 19:32with it. I think it has also appeared
- 19:37in the media that a number of our
- 19:38clients have even seen increases. What
- 19:43we are more affected by, or what I
- 19:45would call having more of an impact,
- 19:47are a number of other aspects. If
- 19:50something really goes wrong in the port
- 19:52, that could be an oil spill that
- 19:54happened a while ago, for instance,
- 19:56which effectively closes the port.
- 19:59Strikes that can happen. Yes, those are
- 20:02things that have a direct impact on our
- 20:04business.
- 20:05Yes. Where we also notice that impact
- 20:09is Flanders having a harder time. We
- 20:12read about it every day. I read it in
- 20:15the paper this morning too; we have to
- 20:17find money. Flanders is also looking
- 20:19for money.
- 20:20Not just Flanders. The whole country is
- 20:21looking for money.
- 20:22Yes. Yes, a portion of the investments
- 20:26is funded by Flanders.
- 20:29In the past, decisions have been made
- 20:31that have led to Flanders contributing
- 20:33a bit less. So that impacts our
- 20:35financial figures. Even though we don't
- 20:38always have any influence on that
- 20:40ourselves. Also environmental aspects
- 20:42and issues. PFAS is a well-known aspect
- 20:45. That also has an impact on our costs.
- 20:48Investments that are more expensive.
- 20:51And as I mentioned before the break,
- 20:53construction costs that are just
- 20:55becoming more expensive, rising more
- 20:57than inflation, have a direct impact on
- 20:59our figures, on our cash generation.
- 21:01Yes.
- 21:02Yes. Okay. Now, when you look at your
- 21:06business, what do you look at? What are
- 21:11the KPIs you use to lead this company,
- 21:13which is particularly important for a
- 21:15country like Belgium? What are they? I
- 21:20don't think it's very different from
- 21:22other companies. Given the high
- 21:26investments we make, the return on our
- 21:28major investments is actually very
- 21:30important. And that might be slightly
- 21:36different than in traditional
- 21:37commercial companies, in the sense that
- 21:39we also make investments that generate
- 21:41little or no return for us as a company
- 21:43, but which do have a social return. Be
- 21:48it for Flanders or for safety, for
- 21:50example, maintaining or constructing
- 21:52bike paths. No extra ships will sail in
- 21:56because of that, but it is important.
- 22:01What we do notice is, especially now in
- 22:03the context where we also have to
- 22:05secure financing, is that the return we
- 22:07get on certain investments we make with
- 22:09clients is becoming more important. And
- 22:13we notice now in conversations with
- 22:15clients, yes, that they haven't always
- 22:17been used to that, right. As I said
- 22:20earlier, we have been used to being
- 22:22able to make all investments. I
- 22:24sometimes compare it to the fact that
- 22:26not only our own employees, but also
- 22:28our clients, our shareholders, or more
- 22:30broadly think there's a donkey in the
- 22:32attic. You pull its tail and the money
- 22:35just falls out. Yes, the donkey is
- 22:38almost empty and we now have to go to
- 22:40the bank. Hm.
- 22:47Yes. What long-term choices do you have
- 22:50to make as CFO?
- 22:51That is
- 22:52to be able to realize all those future
- 22:54plans.
- 22:56That is a good mix of investments. That
- 22:59is, I think it's important and that we
- 23:01also absolutely strive to remain
- 23:03independent, right. Before the summer
- 23:06period, a number of articles appeared
- 23:07in the media that there would be an
- 23:09entry. I think we really strive to
- 23:13remain independent. Which means that we
- 23:15, yes, have to have our financial
- 23:17affairs in good order. And that is not
- 23:20just about our own financial
- 23:22housekeeping or our own company. So
- 23:26looking at our own cost structure, that
- 23:28we have, as our CEO says, our ducks in
- 23:31a row. But also the right mix of
- 23:36investments, a good spread of
- 23:38investments so that with the financing
- 23:40we are now taking on, we can also
- 23:42ensure that we remain an independent
- 23:44company.
- 23:47We will come back in part two of our
- 23:49conversation extensively to how you
- 23:50actually raised that, because it is
- 23:52quite a large amount. So I am very
- 23:54curious about that. I might want to
- 23:57zoom in on finance, your team. What
- 24:00does your team actually look like to
- 24:02lead this company? What does that look
- 24:04like?
- 24:06Broadly speaking, it doesn't look very
- 24:08different from a traditional finance
- 24:10department.
- 24:12There have been some changes, as I
- 24:14mentioned earlier, finance didn't
- 24:16really have a seat at the table in the
- 24:18past. H
- 24:19which was absolutely not easy, also for
- 24:22my predecessor or predecessors. So, in
- 24:25the past we didn't really have finance
- 24:27business partners. It was controlling
- 24:29that you had. You had accounting. So we
- 24:32have now introduced that, we call them
- 24:34finance managers. I also call them mini
- 24:36CFOs who really support and challenge
- 24:39the business. Which also means
- 24:41management reporting is now drawn up
- 24:42monthly. That is also new. What might
- 24:46be different from traditional finance
- 24:48departments is that we have a very
- 24:50large procurement department. That is
- 24:53more than 20 employees,
- 24:55but that is linked to the fact that we
- 24:57are bound by public procurement laws.
- 25:00So, it is not a traditional procurement
- 25:02department. It is more focused on
- 25:05following the procedures. So, how we
- 25:08are structured is, yes, finance
- 25:10managers, controlling. Those are
- 25:13separate teams. Procurement also falls
- 25:16under that. So, a finance manager has
- 25:18controllers reporting to them, and
- 25:20procurement reporting to them. In
- 25:22addition, the traditional general
- 25:24accounting.
- 25:24Uh-huh.
- 25:26We are also setting up a cell now,
- 25:28financing, with the loans we are taking
- 25:30on and will take on in the future. And
- 25:34since January, EPMO, so project
- 25:36management, also falls under finance.
- 25:39Okay, very clear. So you had to adjust
- 25:44a number of things in the team to
- 25:45secure that seat at the table.
- 25:48That's right, that's right. And that is
- 25:50, yes, also a cultural shift in the
- 25:52company. We work
- 25:54How big was the shock for the team?
- 25:57Because, yes, you come in and you try
- 25:59to change a number of things.
- 26:01To change. Yes. All that change
- 26:03management, how did that go?
- 26:08I think for the team it was okay,
- 26:10except for the way people are used to
- 26:12implementing changes bottom-up within
- 26:13the company, with a lot of involvement
- 26:15from team members.
- 26:20That is positive. The change within
- 26:26finance I did a bit more top-down, but
- 26:28that was more from the context that a
- 26:30lot of things had to change and I
- 26:31already had a picture in my mind of
- 26:33what that team should ideally look like
- 26:35.
- 26:39So I think the biggest changes were
- 26:41primarily for the whole company. People
- 26:43are not used to working with budgets.
- 26:45They used to work with plans. So that
- 26:50a plan is more that it was mainly
- 26:51focused on costs—what they think they
- 26:53will spend next year. Whereas with a
- 26:56budget, we start from the premise: we
- 26:59want to reach a target EBITDA. We have
- 27:01a target Capex, and within that target,
- 27:03sub-targets must be set, and with those
- 27:06targets, we go to the business. Okay,
- 27:08that is the maximum that can be spent.
- 27:11What are the priorities you set?
- 27:12Whereas before, there was no maximum;
- 27:14people just looked at what they could
- 27:16spend. Okay,
- 27:17so that is indeed a major cultural
- 27:18shift.
- 27:18Different, that is clear.
- 27:20Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. Nadien, I
- 27:23am extremely grateful to have had this
- 27:25conversation with you, and also very
- 27:27happy that we were able to gain some
- 27:29insight. I always end with the same
- 27:31question. What other passions do you
- 27:33have? Well, I’ll refer back to the
- 27:35very first question you asked. What is
- 27:37your story? Because those things come
- 27:39back in that. Doing what you love to do
- 27:42. I think we are true bon vivants.
- 27:46So that includes a number of passions,
- 27:49like any good Belgian, gastronomy. It
- 27:52helps that my partner also works in
- 27:54that sector.
- 27:56That is very well selected. He visits a
- 27:59great many restaurants. So we enjoy
- 28:02going out to restaurants with friends
- 28:04or just the two of us. We also have a
- 28:08very extensive and very nice group of
- 28:10friends. So surrounding ourselves with
- 28:12the right people is certainly the case
- 28:14as well. We also really love skiing, or
- 28:18ski holidays, I should say, with all
- 28:20the trimmings. The fun part of ski
- 28:24holidays. Isola is a village where I
- 28:27really love to spend time.
- 28:30Is that your go-to place?
- 28:32I go there twice a year. Yes. Yes. And
- 28:36finally, and that is actually perhaps
- 28:37one of my biggest passions. I am truly
- 28:40passionate about Tomorrowland. Um.
- 28:45So I make sure that we, with friends,
- 28:47try to score tickets every year to
- 28:49attend Tomorrowland, including camping
- 28:51and all the trimmings.
- 28:54Yes, fantastic. Thank you for the
- 28:56conversation. It was a very good
- 28:57conversation. Thank you. Absolutely.
- 28:59Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, thank
- 29:01you for watching this episode of the
- 29:03CFO podcast. Next week, we will again
- 29:05welcome a sharp CFO to our studios to
- 29:08inform, trigger, and who knows, inspire
- 29:10you. See you next week.
- 29:16Next week on the CFO playbook. Nadien
- 29:19Aarts, CFO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
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