Come Vercken
Managing Director at next54
Come Vercken
Managing Director at next54
France
Overview
Work Experience
Managing Director
2022 - Current
Health54 is the Corporate Venture Capital fund of CFAO Group dedicated to healthcare. Health54 has the objective to accelerate the group’s innovation capabilities in Africa and contribute solving social challenges in the healthcare industry on the continent. Health54 invests in startups offering innovative healthcare services and technologies and supports their growth by leveraging the group’s pan-African footprint.
M&A and Strategic Planning Director
2019
With a revenue of over €7.9 billion, access to 46 of the 54 countries on the continent, and 22,600 employees, CFAO is a key player in mobility, healthcare, consumer goods, infrastructure and energy. The Group partners with leading international brands and covers the entire value chain – imports, production and distribution – in line with the best international standards, drawing on over 170 years of hands-on knowledge and local expertise. The Group, part of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, pursues a twofold strategy, focusing on manufacturing to promote local production, and distribution through its distribution network, Africa’s largest, to offer tailored, affordable products and services to people across the continent.
Partner & Portfolio Director, Syntaxis Africa
2015 - 2019
As Portfolio Director, responsible for Syntaxis Capital's investment activities in Sub Saharan Africa including origination, investment structuring and execution. Syntaxis Africa is sponsored initiative by Syntaxis Capital, an existing and successful fund manager that has raised to date $300 million from global institutional investors having successfully deployed two private equity funds in Central and Eastern Europe.
Finance Consultant
2015 - 2015
Several appointments as a consultant such as with an independent investment firm, focused on Africa and a supply chain due diligence assurance program.
Head of Financial Planning & Analysis
2012 - 2014
The privately-owned Castel group is the world’s largest dealer of French wines and the second largest producer of beers and soft drinks in Africa. In Angola, the group is the largest brewer and the largest soft drinks maker. The group owns 12 factories with integrated bottling plants and one bottles manufacturing factory. I was managing a team of 4 Financial Controllers (the central team) and I had on-going responsibilities over the: - Annual budgeting process and consolidation of the 13 subsidiaries, - Budget monitoring, analysis and recommendations of corrective actions to top management, - Tax management, internal and external transfer prices. I also led or participate to specific projects: - Integrated management software (ERP) installation: member of the steering committee, key decision maker from scope definition to execution - Production processes optimization (project leader): Identify level of losses and set up action plan to reduce losses throughout the production.
Chief Financial and Operating Officer
2008 - 2011
Ogepar is the investment vehicle and family office of a Belgian industrialist. It owns a number of industrial and service companies in Europe and Africa. In Congo, Ogepar owns: PROCOB: An engineering and construction contractor. It specializes in large scale power-supply projects and industrial buildings. SOGICO: Elaïs Hotel, 200 high standards rooms (4 stars). www.hotelelais.com For these 2 companies, I was the right hand man in finance for the owner. In addition to the supervision (2 teams of 10 people each) of general and analytical accounting, the set-up of balance sheet and appendices, the quarterly reporting, consolidation packages and payroll supervision, I have more specifically been in charge of: - a full rehabilitation plan of 10 million EUR for the hotel, - transforming Procob from a a single project company to a fast growing, multi-projects, contractor equipped with the relevant pricing and control systems enabling it to win and profitably execute international EPC - engineering - procurement - construction contracts, - management of tax and especially cleaning of a tax liability situation.
Product Manager
2007 - 2008
I was acting as the interface between clients (institutions, pension funds, retail networks) and the fund management teams. The platform offers to retail and institutional clients tailor-made solutions based on derivatives to answer their specific needs. The range of products was including index funds, structured and guaranteed products, tactical assets allocation, target maturity funds as well as innovative strategies such as portable alpha.
Project Manager on behalf of the Global Head of AXA IM Distribution, member of the Excom
2004 - 2006
Starting with 20 people covering European Institutional Sales, the team rapidly grew to 300 people worldwide covering Global Sales, Marketing and Client Service. I ran transversal projects with others departments (Finance, HR, Pricing, Investors relations at AXA Group..) to set up interface tools and support this transformation.
Finance and operations (final year internship)
2003 - 2004
- Market review of the main players and operations of the asset management sector. - Preparation of Quarterly Businesses Review (QBR) and set-up of the reporting.