Graziano Melchiorre, Head of Controlling and Reporting at Multinational Manufacturing Company Hilti in Milan, Italy
Who are you today?
I am currently working at Hilti as Head of Controlling and Reporting for the Southern Europe Region.
How did you get here?
I got into this role few months ago after more than 8 years’ experience in different companies/industries/locations combination.
During my studies in Economies I had some internships in the telco and automotive industry but was towards the end of my master in Business Finance that I started working at Procter&Gamble. At first I worked in the Fabric&Home Care manufacturing plants as cost analyst for almost 3 years to then move into the Italian HQ as Sales Controller for the Beauty division. After 2+ years I moved into the Global HQ in Geneva as Senior Finance Manager, moving to Coty as a result of a divestiture.
In that international role I had the chance to work on M&A valuations, directly leading subsequent integrations and expansions projects around Europe. I worked closely with the global leadership team whilst collaborating with colleagues around the world.
That was a mind-opening opportunity and after 3 years of a project based role I decided to move on to Hilti taking the opportunity to further develop in a team leader role.
Can you describe your profession with 3 adjectives?
Thinking broadly at the role of a finance business partner (controller/co-pilot you name it) I would choose the following adjectives:
Dynamic: despite of what most people can think, this is actually one of the most dynamic and integrated part of a company. Depending on the role. you might partner with Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain on innovation design and delivery and then keep measuring its success ex post being ready to quickly adapt to what really matters given the context;
Strategic: a controller always looks inside and outside to spot threats and opportunities. He promptly engages with the relevant stakeholders and suggests corrections to the strategy to ensure long-term sustainability;
Influential: always reliable, objective and impartial in assessments, the controller’s opinion is carefully heard (if not directly asked) by the senior management and deemed as valuable;
How did you face and eventually overcome the toughest moment?
Tough moments occur to everyone along the career. In those moments I usually keep trusting my leaders and mentors. I keep an open communication channel with them whilst continuously performing at my best trying to catch and surf signals of change that might revert the trend.
What does ‘success’ mean for you?
To me success means acknowledgment of your contribution and potential. It usually translates into additional responsibility and increased trust on your judgement
What’s the very best advice you would give to someone pursuing a working path like yours?
Don’t always go for the easier road. Challenge yourself when you can and build confidence.
Be in touch with people and treat them with respect. Always be curious.
Be self-aware, build your soft and hard skills in a balanced way.
How do you think be influenced can be helpful to other people?
I think be influenced can be beneficial for those people entering the job market, especially the ones missing the right dose of counselling from family or university. It might be helpful for professionals to expand their network and could come useful when looking for recruiting highly motivated and performing individuals.