Christos Assimakopoulos

Strategically lead, oversee, and coordinate all aspects of finance and administration of corporate entities in Switzerland and Luxembourg including +€2.4B Covidien AG, Swiss principal entity for EMEA, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, and international financial and holding entities.

Formulated, managed, and outperformed quarterly and long-term strategic plans for regional P&L. Strengthened support of 40% growth in Russia via transition of product sourcing Partnered with Area VP on major transformations. Co-led establishment of Covidien as 1st international contract media supplier with local production in Russia. Managed and restored Greek/Cyprus business to prepayment. Drove continuous risk-conscious and opportunity-focused change with commercial team.

Restructured finance department of €40M entity to become dedicated business partner including with side-by-side financial analysis support. Transformed credit department & resolved €450K in disputed amounts in 1st year. Instrumental in successful halting of direct operations in Greece and performing as Managing Director of local branch ensuring seamless transfer of business, maximum collection of old debt, and effective preparation for liquidation.

Managed all aspects of finance and operations of. Pioneered and achieved full readiness and compliance of finance and IT functions of new company in Greece; achieved successful passing of 2 internal audits. Prepared company for ISO compliance and successful annual quality audits by TUV Germany. Ensured smooth future succession. Achieved 0% necessary write-offs since 2002, and overachievement of company DSO performance by 22-210.

Co-led start-up region to achieve proper P&L and accurate reporting in group OLAP tools within 1st 5 months. Established powerful credit control system reducing overdue amounts from 47% to 16% of total A/R, while improving DSO performance of high-risk region from 372 to 127 days. Grew regional gross margin by 47%, and increased pre-tax margin by 44% by fully supporting Area Director on improvements.

Restored branch of €18M holding company to profitability with General Manager, while eliminating loss-making ventures. Rebuilt accounts department team with stable and high-caliber talent . Completed delayed establishment of ERP in 5 months, which eliminated 100% of local fiscal compliance issues uncovered in audit by tax authorities. Optimized overall management of company by supporting Managing Director in seamless transition to General Manager, and implementing clear internal procedures

Supported rapid local growth of US$8B company via establishment of internal control structure. Achieved compliance with all internal audit requirements within 1st 16 months . Co-created company credit policy with General Manager; improved DSO performance by ~120 days in 2 years. Increased business unit managers’ and General Manager’s business management effectiveness by establishing clear reporting structure. Achieved accurate production of P&L reports by business units within 1st year

Devised short- and long-range strategic plans for local €20M entity. Minimized group loss to parallel trade with 0% impact on availability by optimizing stock levels, and strategically managing inbound and outbound logistics. Provided mission-critical financial analysis and scenarios instrumental in smooth restructuring and support of division in 1999. Saved costs by automating internal reporting processes to eliminate need for Assistant Controller.