Newton Carmen Limited

WHAT WE DO

Financial Analysis as a Service

Being a CFO

Data-driven storytelling

Business Networking

Meet the Team

Architect June 2021

Interior May/June 2021

Building, April/May Issue

Supply Professional June 2021

Financial Analysis as a Service

All companies run some level of financial analysis in their business, but we rarely come across Financial Analysis as a Service - or FAaaS - as a concept.
Do you remember the fable of the three little pigs? It is a cautionary tale that speaks to the need to use the right materials to build a robust house. A similar tale applies to financial analysis; you simply must have appropriate tools for the job. And this almost certainly is not Excel—or, at least, Excel alone.

Being a CFO

The role of a CFO has become ever broader and more challenging. CFOs need to have deep understanding on many topics outside their traditional remit.
Strength in the traditional skillsets in finance is a given for CFO. But often what keeps a CFO awake at night may be cybersecurity, data security, or talent retention. Staying up-to-date in these areas is just as important as the core, traditional CFO domain, and it is often in these areas you can stand out and add value to the broader enterprise.
Find out more at CFOConneX

Data-driven storytelling

Structured data and analytical tools do not just apply to the world of financial data. Research, surveys, and even storytelling are underpinned by similar ingredients.
A research questionnaire can be seen as a lit against which scores are recorded, rather like a chart of accounts. Slicing and dicing of a research dataset is really no different than more standard financial analysis.
Sports are driven by data and analytics today. So is the story of sport. There is real data to help determine which players have been the best performers in their era and, indeed, who is the GOAT.
Example: The World Cup Story

Meet the Team

Newton Carmen works with a team of highly experienced individuals and companies. All have a proven track record of delivering results in Asia. The team members are based in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and the UK and are seasoned collaborators.
Click here to see the full list.

Business Networking

We believe that Business Networking is only effective when it is face-to-face. Virtual events do not break the ice when it comes to establishing rapport and building bridges. Successful networking should be designed to be engaging and not based around dry work-related materials. We want attendees to return to future events and tell others about their experience. The ideal size for our events is 20-30 people in a social environment with a diverse mix of business professionals. The venue template should be fresh and not a tried and tested, but tired model. Indoors and outdoors can each work well.
Click here to see the full list.

Newton Carmen is an advisory business in Hong Kong, providing services to companies in Asia Pacific.

YOU ARE A STRATEGIC CFO AND WANT TO:

Provide a better service to the board
Reduce the cost of financial analysis
Be more effective and efficient

Have broader use of financials in the business
Put your hand up as a potential CEO

Financial Analysis as a Service (FAaaS)

Financial Analysis is a function that exists to arm managers with the data and tools they need to run the business. The cycle starts when the month-end books close and the aim is to inform and empower managers by delivering financial results and KPIs to them in a timely and usable form. For many companies, this is not a strength. But help is at hand!

Financial Analysis as a Service (FAaaS) combines structured data, analytical tools, and right thinking, and can be delivered to companies either as a deployed solution or hosted by a FAaaS provider, such as Newton Carmen.

YOU ARE AN OPERATING CFO AND WANT TO:

Shorten the month-end process
Improve work-life balance in your team
Deliver better financial intelligence

Develop business knowledge in the team
Reduce the chance of errors in reports

FAaaS in the Finance function

The foundations of Financial Analysis are found in the Finance function. To be effective and efficient in producing and distributing information for the business, the following are needed in Finance.

Structured and consistent data to allow for integration of actual results with budget and forecasts
Dynamic links from enterprise systems and to dashboards to avoid the need to re-key data
Strong understanding of the business so business information can be tailored to user needs

This means that Excel alone is not a sufficient tool for businesses with even a moderate level of complexity.

YOU ARE A GROUP CEO AND WANT TO:

See visual results integrating KPIs with financials
Improve the financial diagnosis of your business
Use reports the C-Suite understands

Get greater buy-in from non-financial managers
Improve target setting and incentive plans

FAaaS outside the finance function

Managers need to be engaged with the financial targets set for the business. The leading cause of failure to achieve company targets is lack of goal congruence and this comes from a failure to involve managers in financial decisions. It is crucial to have:

Strategy that the broader business truly believes in
Collaboration with business managers in setting the budget and forecasts
Incentive plans that are aligned to corporate targets

With the right foundations in place in Finance, this is achievable; only then can you plan how to bring the numbers into the business.

YOU ARE A CEO WITHOUT A CFO AND WANT TO:

Ensure you have quality financials in your deck
Have the numbers themselves tell your story
Woo potential investors with your financials

Have models to support your business valuation
Present financials with gravitas

FAaaS outside the business

When you need to present financial results to the outside there is little margin for error. The audience may have a short attention span and you only have to tell the story of the numbers in a very succinct way; the numbers need to pop!

Numbers must make an instant impact
The business must look good in comparison to your peer group
The context must be set to draw the audience in

To achieve this, a business must have a culture where financial analysis is part of its DNA.

Newton’s Laws

Newton by Alexander Pope:
Nature, and Nature’s laws lay hid in night. God said, Let Newton be! and all was light.

Newton’s Laws		Newton’s Business Laws
First Law	Every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.	Keep doing what you’ve always been doing, and nothing will ever change.
Second Law F = ma	The change of motion of an object is proportional to the force impressed; and is made in the direction of the straight line in which the force is impressed.	Finance => must automate. Be more effective and more efficient (better and cheaper) concurrently. Force change through smarter thinking, processes, and tools.
Third Law	To every action, there is always opposed an equal reaction; or the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and directed to contrary parts.	The reaction of stakeholders in your business to positive change will be inspiration and happiness. The opposite reaction in your competitors will be frustration and dismay.