Rebeca García Couto

Finance Director with 15+ years of progressive experience across FP&A, Commercial Finance, Order-to-Cash, and Internal Controls in top-tier multinational FMCG companies — Conagra Brands, Danone, Beiersdorf, and Japan Tobacco International. Skilled business partner to commercial and executive leadership, with strong expertise in customer/product profitability, pricing strategy, and revenue growth management, translating financial data into strategic business decisions.

Proven track record of measurable impact: DSO reduction from 55 to 34 days, 450 bps profitability improvement in Modern Trade, $100M MXP past-due debt recovery in under 90 days, and deployment of Power BI dashboards and SAP/ERP systems that cut close cycles by up to 20%. Recognized internationally with the Margin Expansion Award (Canada, USA, Mexico). Proven leader in building, developing, and retaining high-performance finance teams.

Internal Control, O2C and Accounting Senior Manager - JAPAN TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL

(2025-03)

• Lead financial control, internal audit compliance, and monthly reporting to Corporate headquarters.
• Own CAPEX investment project evaluation, approval workflow, and portfolio tracking.
• Design and execute cash flow strategy to optimize liquidity and working capital position.
• Serve as Finance lead for end-to-end process automation and process mapping across O2C, Accounting, and Controlling.
• Designed and implemented process improvements across O2C and Accounting, reducing manual workload and error rates.
• Built executive Power BI dashboards automating financial reporting and eliminating manual, error-prone work.
• Significantly improved reporting quality, accuracy, and delivery timing to corporate, reducing close cycle by 20%.

Head of Finance & Administration - MAS SEEDS MEXICO

(2024-04 - 2025-03)

• Held full ownership of financial control, P&L management, and monthly reporting to regional corporate headquarters.
• Led the annual budget and rolling forecast process, ensuring alignment with strategic business objectives.
• Evaluated CAPEX investment projects using NPV, IRR, and payback period analysis to support capital allocation decisions.
• Managed strategic relationships with external accounting, tax, and legal service providers, ensuring full fiscal compliance.
• Served as Finance Process Owner for a full SAP implementation, leading functional design, testing, and go-live across Finance and Controlling.
• Designed and launched a Power BI financial reporting suite, embedding a data-driven finance culture across all business units.
• Elevated corporate reporting quality and accelerated delivery timelines, enabling faster strategic decision-making.
• Built dynamic payroll forecasting models for seasonal workforce, improving HR cost predictability and budget accuracy.

Credit, Collections & Cash Application Manager, NORAM - DANONE

(2022-11 - 2024-04)

• Built and led a high-performing Service Delivery Center in Mexico providing end-to-end Credit, Collections, and Cash Application services for the United States and Canada, reporting KPIs to the I2C Director, North America.
• Recruited and onboarded the full SDC team ahead of schedule, enabling on-time service launch for NORAM operations.
• Executed best-in-class knowledge transfer from existing teams to the new SDC, ensuring zero disruption to NORAM collections operations.

Credit & Collection Manager - CONAGRA BRANDS

(2018-08 - 2022-05)

• Designed and executed a national collection strategy with risk-based credit line authorization.
• Led monthly DSO reporting to Corporate and Controlling Direction; managed cash flow forecasting to support treasury and working capital optimization.
• Spearheaded a multifunctional OTC Optimization Project, identifying and eliminating root causes blocking timely cash collection.
• Recovered $100M MXP in past-due accounts within 90 days through targeted collection strategies and cross-functional escalation protocols.
• Led full implementation of Mexican fiscal requirements (CFDI 3.3, CFDI 4.0, and electronic invoicing), achieving 100% regulatory compliance.
• Drove DSO reduction from 55 to 34 days through redesigned collection strategies, freeing significant working capital.
• Redesigned the credit memo issuance process with the sales team, ensuring fiscal compliance and reducing processing errors.

Sales Finance Manager - CONAGRA BRANDS

(2016-08 - 2018-08)

• Served as strategic Finance Business Partner to Sales & Marketing, providing analytical support on pricing, promotional ROI, and trade investment.
• Partnered with Sales Directors in JBP planning with key accounts; delivered monthly P&L reporting by customer and brand, annual planning, and quarterly forecasting of net sales and discounts.
• Assessed new product launches by customer (full P&L including cost analysis); served as SOX compliance owner for commercial finance processes.
• Designed a multi-channel pricing strategy with competitive benchmarking, deployed in 2017 and 2018 to protect margin and channel integrity.
• Created a comprehensive customer profitability report providing full P&L visibility by channel and client, enabling data-driven commercial decisions.
• Standardized the promotional activity authorization process, reducing approval cycle time and improving budget control discipline.
• Developed a Channel-Brand trade investment reporting and forecasting framework, providing real-time visibility into promotional spend efficiency.
• Delivered a 450-basis-point profitability improvement vs. prior year in the Modern Trade channel; received the international "Margin Expansion Award" (Canada, USA, Mexico).
• Drove Net Sales growth of +3.1% CAGR (FY17–19, ex FX) and a cultural shift within the sales force toward financial transparency and accountability.

Finance & Supply Chain Controller - BEIERSDORF

(2016-01 - 2016-08)

• Managed corporate reporting of Mexico's key financial figures to regional headquarters.
• Led the business planning process as Finance, HR, and Supply Chain business partner.
• Designed and implemented Working Capital reports, providing leadership with actionable visibility into the cash conversion cycle.
• Developed automated planning tools for the general expenses budget, reducing manual effort and improving forecast accuracy.
• Implemented Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) methodology, driving cost discipline across all cost centers.

Senior Sales Controller - BEIERSDORF

(2014-10 - 2016-01)

• Coordinated the annual sales plan construction and controlled trade allowances.
• Delivered monthly sales and profitability reporting by customer; acted as SAP Local Key User, ensuring accurate registration of commercial conditions, accruals, and pricing.
• Led full SAP SD and CO module implementation as Finance lead, driving training, data migration, and successful go-live.
• Improved trade allowances planning accuracy, reducing accrual deviations and strengthening financial predictability.

Diploma - Tax Regulation - Colegio de Contadores (2024 - 2025)

Certificate - Strategic Planning - ITAM (2015 - 2015)

Master - Financial Economics - UNAM (2012 - 2012)

Bachelor - Economics, specialized in Financial Economics - UNAM (2010 - 2010)