For the past years, being part of the finance team at Randstad has been anything but boring.
During my 10 years at the company, I've had a front-row seat to a full-blown economic transformation, with the opportunity to move from Portugal to Global and then come back to the market that has transformed in the post-pandemic period, supported by business diversification and growth in the healthcare sector.
However, the staffing market remained affected by uncertainty, with major sectors utilizing temporary work still impacted by supply chain constraints and uncertain demand in the automotive industry. This context led us to become significantly more forward-looking than before the pandemic, while continuing to invest in identified growth pockets. This journey has been a masterclass in volatility and constant adaptation.
This environment has forced me to throw out the old finance playbook, adapting to an ever changing environment, being flexible and embracing transformation. And this individual process needs to be embraced by the full team, making sure that we do not just just survive change but we actually get stronger from it. And in the process, I think we've stumbled upon a few truths that apply to any of my finance colleagues, no matter which market you’re in.
are we predicting the future or just reporting the past?
In a market that changes on a dime, last quarter's report is ancient history. If a finance team is only focused on explaining what's already happened, it's missing the whole game.
Think about what happens when a sector like healthcare explodes. A reactive team reports on rising salary costs after the fact. A proactive team starts building predictive models. By pulling in non-financial data—things like foreign investment flows or economic indexes per activity sector —you can get a crucial jump on market shifts. This is the kind of foresight that allows a business to advise its clients and itself before the competition even knows what's happening. In today's rapidly shifting market, focusing solely on past performance—as captured in a previous quarter's report—is insufficient; it is important to keep a demanding steering also in non-financial KPIs, so we can anticipate the financial results.
It’s a simple but powerful idea: financial data tells you the 'what'; leading operational indicators tell you the 'why' and the 'what's next'.
is your team in the office or at the deal table?
The most valuable insights don't come from a spreadsheet; they come from the front lines. If your best corporate FP&A minds are stuck in the back office, you're leaving value on the table.
Imagine what happens when you embed one of your sharpest analysts with the sales team as they try to break into a new, high-growth sector. With finance at the deal table, you stop being a roadblock and start becoming a creative partner. You can build new pricing and payment models on the fly. The business becomes more agile, and your analyst gains more commercial acumen than any training course could provide.
When a team understands the pressures of the market, it stops being a cost centre and becomes a profit engine.
Here's a move to consider: Launch a 'Commercial Rotation' programme. Have your high-potential finance talent spend a quarter working directly with the sales or account management teams. The goal isn't to audit; it's to learn and contribute. The strategic awareness they bring back is invaluable.
is your budget about saving money or making bets?
As finance leaders, it's easy to fall into the trap of being the "Department of No." But in today's world, the biggest risk is often inaction. Our role must evolve to become the catalyst for smart, strategic bets on the future.
We all face those big investment decisions—a new AI platform, a major digital transformation. The traditional ROI model can be limiting. The strategic play is to flip the question: "What is the long-term cost of not doing this?" This reframes the conversation from a short-term cost issue to a long-term discussion about survival and growth.
The budget cannot be interpreted as a fixed tool, as an end in itself, it needs to be seen as a roadmap to achieve committed business goals. Just like all plans and roadmaps, they are based on assumptions, and in real life there are unexpected events, blockers, and opportunities that must be overcome or capitalized on. This demands that organizations need to reallocate resources that were often already allocated in the budget or did not even exist.
A strategic play: Carve out a 'Strategic Initiative' budget. Protect 5-10% of your annual capital for projects that don't fit the normal ROI mold but are critical for your 3-to-5-year plan. Think of it as your R&D fund for the future of your business.
This has been the lesson from Portugal: resilience isn't about hunkering down; it's about building the muscle to adapt and seize opportunities.
Let's share what's working.
João Ribeiro de Almeida
chief financial officer, randstad portugal
