Annual Finance Meeting at La Grande Abbaye de la Ramée, Brussels

This year, we had the privilege of hosting our annual finance meeting near Brussels, at the stunning La Grande Abbaye de la Ramée. Located in Jodoigne, this 13th-century site is home to a former convent and farm, offering a serene and picturesque setting steeped in history. The rich heritage of the abbey added an extra layer of significance to the discussions held over the course of the meeting.

We were fortunate to have Alain, Colman, and Marco join us this year, bringing valuable insights and expertise to the table. Their participation greatly contributed to the success of the event, ensuring that key topics were thoroughly addressed.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the finance team to reflect on the past year's achievements and set a course for the coming year. Several important topics were discussed, including:

1. 1. Team Development and Collaboration – strengthening the finance team's collaboration and development to ensure we continue to drive growth and innovation in the coming year.
2. 2. Top 5 Regional Challenges – finding common issues and agreeing strategies to find solutions.
3. 3. Liquidity – understanding how ECOM has navigated the unprecedented rise in cocoa prices we witnessed this year.
4. 4. Change Management – an update on how our transformation project is progressing.
5. 5. Talent Management & Retention – ECOM’s HR team have transformed the way we manage our staff and has put in place new initiatives aimed at ensuring that talent is recognised, developed and retained.
6. 6. Internal Audit – an update on focus points and areas for improvement.
7. 7. Internal Control Systems – recent developments to our annual ICS campaign approach.

We look forward to carrying the momentum from this year’s meeting forward as we work to achieve our goals in the year ahead.