In conversation with Jill Kuipers about her work as a Greyt Controller. About collaborating with a CFO, aspiring to become one, and an honest look at the challenges and skills of a Greyt Controller.
“The fact that you work alongside a CFO on assignments was the main reason I chose Greyt. Someone I could learn from and look up to. At the same time, it’s truly a partnership of equals. To me, Team Finance is all about bringing insights.”
From a Fixed Role via Secondment to Greyt
Let’s go back to the beginning: Jill started at Greyt in March 2023 after working as a business/financial controller followed by working at a secondment agency for four years. Then she was approached by Greyt’s Talent Manager, Marloes van Leeuwen.
Reflecting on this, Jill says: “I chose secondment because I could gain a lot of experience through various assignments. But at a certain point, I was considered a senior and started giving internal training. While enjoyable, there was still so much I wanted to learn myself.
When Marloes approached me, a few things immediately appealed to me:
- Collaborating with a Greyt CFO on assignments.
- The diversity of work due to the variety of assignments and companies.
- The opportunity to make an impact since you often work in small teams and are closely involved.
- Greyt’s concept: helping growth companies that need financial expertise but don’t yet have the workload or budget to hire someone full-time.”
‘It often felt like I was providing input for the CFO to take to the organization. But working with a Greyt CFO is genuinely a team effort.’
The collaboration with a Greyt CFO
As a Greyt Controller, you often start assignments with a Greyt CFO or join later on. Jill is enthusiastic about this collaboration: “It’s not only educational; it’s given me a better understanding of the CFO role. In my previous positions, there was much less interaction. It often felt like I was providing input for the CFO to take to the organization. But working with a Greyt CFO is genuinely a team effort.
We catch up weekly, discussing not only the financial aspects of our assignment but also other organizational improvements we notice and priorities. This way, I learn from their (strategic) insights. We also brainstorm skills whenever I encounter challenges.
Before my meetings with Talent Manager Marloes, I asked for feedback from the CFOs I work with: What can I improve? This has led me to focus more on my ‘audience’ as a Controller. Who am I reporting to, and how can I make it clear for them? An investor report requires a different approach than an internal report for the board.”
The Work of a Greyt Controller
As a Greyt Controller, you usually serve multiple companies simultaneously. Jill currently works for four organizations:
“It’s pretty demanding, to be honest, as three of the four assignments started simultaneously. The workload is often heavier at the start of a project. Flexibility is also key, as assignments often overlap.
In three assignments, I combine financial controller and business controller roles—a mix I enjoy. Over time, I see myself leaning more towards a business controller role, as it involves more client interaction and insight-building.”
How diverse are Jill’s assignments?
“My projects are indeed very varied:
- I joined Greyt CFO Myriam Derksen on an assignment for an innovative company that creates bicycles from old frames and a circular e-bike that grows with you.
- For an investment fund in impactful tech companies, I handle investor reporting. I also completed the first audit for one of the funds, including communication with the auditor.
- I work for a company that produces and sells microscopes, a spin-off from the University of Amsterdam.
For an online fashion webshop, I manage accounting and reporting.”
The latter assignment emerged from a “Finance Maturity Assesment” analysis with the CFO. This service maps a company’s growth and improvement potential: What’s needed to realize the growth strategy? What should you do now, and what can wait?
In this case, the entrepreneur had a specific question for Greyt: How do I prevent stock shortages on Black Friday (as happened last year), and how can I finance this? We demonstrated the reporting capabilities and insights available, as well as what growth would mean for procurement and currency differences.”
Even though you work on different assignments for different clients, you are truly part of the Greyt community.
Support from the Greyt Community
What if you’re not on a assignment with a Greyt CFO? You can always rely on the knowledge of 40+ CFOs and 20+ Controllers. Jill confirms this:
“For three of my assignments, I work with a CFO. For the other, I can always reach out to CFOs if needed. And when I post a question on Greyt’s online knowledge platform, I often get a response within ten minutes.”
You’re also part of a Circle (with CFOs and Controllers from your region) and join a bi-weekly call with all Greyt Controllers. So even though you work on different assignments for various clients, you’re part of the Greyt community.
Jill adds:
“It’s great to have regular contact with colleagues this way. Everyone shares project updates, and you can discuss practical challenges. Occasionaly you can join internal working groups, for example we had a recent session on impact reporting. This keeps you informed about what’s happening at Greyt and what everyone is working on.”
Challenges & Growing Toward the CFO Role
Jill currently juggles four assignments, which can be a balancing act. Does she face other challenges?
“Every organization uses a different communication channel,” Jill notes. “I manage multiple inboxes daily, as well as WhatsApp, Teams, and Outlook. Managing time, expectations, and agendas across assignments is a challenge. I also find that a Controller’s work isn’t always tangible for clients, even though you want to show progress. I discuss this with other Controllers: How do you handle this?”
Fortunately, challenges come with plenty of development opportunities. What has Jill learned?
“Technically, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and tackled many firsts, like payroll runs and innovation credits for start-ups and scale-ups. I’ve also grown in my communication skills and take a more prominent role. For example, the fashion webshop client asked about their purchasing budget. My Excel brain immediately kicks in,” Jill laughs. “But it’s up to me to make it practical: ‘This is your budget, and here’s how I calculated it.’
In the coming years, I want to focus more on strategic thinking and becoming a true business partner for clients. Eventually, I aspire to become a CFO—a goal I’ve shared with Greyt.”
Greyt Growth: From Controller to CFO
Beyond collaborating with CFOs and a robust knowledge network of 60+ colleagues, Greyt offers even more development support:
- Talent Manager: Quarterly development meetings supported by the Controller Growth Matrix, which charts the path from Controller to CFO.
- CFO Mentor: Regular sparring sessions tailored to your needs, covering both technical and soft skills.
- Training Budget: Access to internal Greyt training (e.g., Power BI, consulting skills) and an additional budget for external courses.
Greyt is a network of CFOs and Controllers that provides scale-ups and SMEs with tailored financial expertise and knowledge that scales with your success. You get the knowledge and experience of not just one, but 60+ finance professionals. This can be fractional, interim or on a project basis – whatever the company requires.
At Greyt, we’re always looking for Controllers who want to add significant value to ambitious growth companies. Are you looking for a new challenge? Let’s connect! Click here for more information.
