WHAT DOES A CORPORATE FINANCE DO?

Published: May 27, 2025 - The Corporate Finance Professional oversees financial strategies to maximize company value and support sustainable growth. This role involves investment analysis, capital structuring, financial planning, and risk management to ensure effective decision-making. The individual ensures all financial activities align with business objectives and comply with regulatory standards.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Corporate Finance

1. Corporate Finance Analyst Duties

  • Cost Analysis: Responsible for analysing cost structures across Brand Manufacturing product lines to diagnose potential cost issues
  • Cost Trend Review: Analysis after cost accounting updates amongst all product lines to review high-level trends and themes involving common cost components
  • Report Preparation: Ad hoc analysis and reports (e.g. pricing and margin reports)
  • Cross-Functional Communication: Work with Order to Cash leadership to communicate both qualitative and quantitative costing tools and analytics to support Brand Manufacturing growth
  • Data Analysis: Perform proactive data mining, aggregation and analysis for the identification of price, cost, and margin improvement opportunities
  • Cost Accounting Coordination: Accurately account for product cost issues across Brand Manufacturing products in conjunction with finance, engineering, sales, operations and supply chain to minimise P&L variances and maximise margins
  • Performance Monitoring: Reviews performance metrics and takes the lead on coordinating resolutions and continuous improvement efforts
  • Customer Advocacy: Acts as an advocate for the customer with a balanced and objective approach
  • Client Representation: Represent the company in face-to-face customer meetings

2. Corporate Finance Associate Details

  • Transaction Support: Support the origination and execution of ESG M&A and other corporate finance transactions
  • Sectoral Focus: Specific focus on cross-sectoral, energy-transition enabling technologies and solutions
  • Valuation Analysis: Perform extensive financial/valuation analyses to value debt and equity for mergers, acquisitions and capital raising transactions
  • Financial Modeling: Strong analytical and corporate finance skills, including financial analysis, financial modelling and valuation
  • Technology Insight: Develop an in-depth understanding of energy-transition technologies and business models
  • Client Origination: Contribute to the origination of transactions and the preparation of client materials, typically in conjunction with other team members
  • Strategic Ideation: Contribute to the generation of strategic ideas and content to enhance client dialogue
  • Proposal Development: Assist in the development, production and delivery of proposals and presentations to clients and prospects
  • Team Mentorship: Mentor and develop the skills of junior bankers
  • Due Diligence: Perform due diligence, research, analysis and documentation of potential and live transactions
  • Presentation Drafting: Draft management presentations to highlight financial analysis and research results

3. Corporate Finance Director Responsibilities

  • Opportunity Sourcing: Identify and follow up on potential transaction opportunities
  • Relationship Building: Meet industry contacts and build long-term relationships with clients, targets, financial institutions and other intermediaries
  • Business Analysis: Conduct desktop analyses of businesses (financials, markets, products and competitors), including modelling business plans
  • Deal Origination: Originate and introduce deal and project ideas to potential acquirers and investors
  • Pitch Preparation: Prepare pitch documents (including industry research) and actively manage proposal teams
  • Document Management: Manage the preparation of business plans, information memoranda, management presentations and other marketing documents
  • Bid Coordination: Contact financiers, trade and financial buyers, handle the bid process and assess bids
  • Valuation Advisory: Advise on valuation, tender tactics, financing structures and financial modelling
  • Management Support: Assist management with offer letters or presentations
  • Due Diligence: Scope and project manage the due diligence processes
  • Legal Input: Provide commercial and financial input to legal documentation
  • Risk Advisory: Advise on risk management and compliance procedures
  • Transaction Execution: Bring transactions to a successful completion
  • Stakeholder Communication: Deal with both buyers, sellers, financiers or advisors on transaction issues
  • Team Management: Manage a team of Corporate Finance consultants during the execution of assignments
  • Staff Development: Contribute to the company's development by providing on-the-job coaching and training

4. Corporate Finance Manager Job Summary

  • Financial Reporting: Responsible for producing all financial statements (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Equity statements)
  • Variance Analysis: Provides comprehensive variance analysis, highlighting trends and assessing results
  • Risk Assessment: Tracks risks and opportunities and develops recommendations to mitigate risks and/or capitalise on opportunities
  • Budget Forecasting: Prepare annual budget and monthly/quarterly forecasts
  • Financial Review: Lead financial review and discussions with business functions to guide forecast and budget preparations to improve the accuracy and reliability of projections
  • Performance Analysis: Produce meaningful, impactful and timely business and financial analysis to support the CFO and to improve operating and financial performance
  • Data Insights: Drive insightful analyses to determine opportunities within reported financial data
  • Metric Development: Enhance our metrics capabilities and provide external benchmarks and analytics to inform decision-making
  • Financial Modeling: Supports business decisions with detailed financial models incorporating assumptions, expectations, and known risks
  • Business Improvement: Identifies business improvement opportunities leading to higher revenue, increased efficiencies, or cost savings
  • Strategic Planning: Develop insightful recommendations for forwarding financial planning and present business cases to the CFO
  • System Evaluation: Evaluate potential FP&A systems implementation to drive automated budget processes
  • Tech Innovation: Identify opportunities to enhance technology and innovation that will enhance department effectiveness

5. Corporate Finance Manager Accountabilities

  • Cost Management: Monthly Indirect cost management and financial reporting of budget, covering month-end and rolling forecast
  • Performance Commentary: Prepare timely and insightful commentary on actual performance and forecast for use by the Board and Exec, drawing out key issues for discussion
  • Department Budgeting: Involved in the Budgeting and Forecasting of Head Office departments, such as HR, Finance, etc.
  • Budget Leadership: Leading the budgeting and reporting of the entity
  • Model Ownership: Owning and maintaining the Financial model for reporting of actuals and forecasts in Microsoft Access
  • Process Improvement: Deliver simplification, standardisation and automation of reporting and processes across the business
  • Business Partnership: Business partner with Senior Management to provide support, cost control and governance
  • Journal Posting: Prepare and post journals to make any required amendments to cost centre reporting
  • Best Practice Sharing: Input to the broader FP&A sharing network, to identify and share best practices
  • Analytical Support: Ad hoc analytical support driven by the needs of the business, as a senior leadership team
Relevant Information
What Does A Corporate Finance Analyst Do?
What Does A Corporate Finance Manager Do?