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Close & Consolidation Hub

Everything we know about faster, more confident group close

The close, consolidate and disclose series - intercompany, FX, ownership changes, controls and evidence, workflow, pre-close, and a 30-60-90 plan for making it stick.

11 articles

  1. Part 1

    Close, Consolidate, Disclose — The Finance Leader’s Series

    If month-end feels like assembling a jet mid-flight, this series is for you. The old way relies on heroic spreadsheets, email chains, and guess-work reconciliations that shift problems to Day 0. The new way designs a predictable close, standardises intercompany routines, governs

    Azim Khan · 2 min read

  2. Part 2

    Financial Close Process Playbook — Day −10 to Day −3

    The old way bunches work at the cliff-edge of Day 0: late intercompany surprises, ad-hoc FX packs, heroic journals, and status meetings about status. The new way spreads predictable steps across the ten days before close. You’ll use a light weekly rhythm, validate at load, and ro

    Azim Khan · 5 min read

  3. Part 3

    Intercompany Eliminations Playbook — Confirm Early, Close Clean

    No-one loves an ‘Intercompany cliff-edge reveal’: Day 0 arrives, balances don’t agree, and everyone goes digging for “evidence” in chat threads. The fix is simple, if not glamorous—confirm earlier, match systematically, and route disputes to people who can actually decide. This p

    Azim Khan · 5 min read

  4. Part 4

    Currency Translation Playbook — Practical FX That Explains Itself

    The old way treats FX as a monthly plot twist: ad-hoc rate files, unclear methods, and a CTA that appears like a magician’s rabbit—delightful, but hard to audit. The new way is boring (in the best sense): one stamped rate pack, translation rules by account class, and a CTA walk t

    Azim Khan · 4 min read

  5. Part 5

    Consolidation Methods & Ownership Changes — Practical Guide

    Ownership moves are where otherwise calm closes go off-piste: control at mid-month, equity picks up a new layer, the NCI calc argues with goodwill, and disclosures play catch-up. This guide turns method choice and effective dates into a repeatable flow. You’ll map scenarios to me

    Azim Khan · 5 min read

  6. Part 6

    Auditor-Ready Adjustments — Journals, Controls & Evidence

    Manual journals are the unsung plot twists of month-end: a late revenue accrual here, a tax true-up there, and an equity tidy-up that everyone swears they approved (somewhere). This playbook makes adjustments boring—in the best way. You’ll standardise journal types, attach the ri

    Azim Khan · 4 min read

  7. Part 7

    Consolidation Workflow Cockpit — Status That Speeds the Close

    Most closes slow down not for lack of effort but lack of visibility. Teams chase updates in emails, approvals hide in threads, and exceptions surface when time is gone. A workflow cockpit changes the game: one place to see who owes what by when, filtered by materiality and ageing

    Azim Khan · 3 min read

  8. Part 8

    Close and Consolidate 7 – Automated reporting

    One model, many outputs. Automate consolidated management accounts, board decks, MD performance packs and dashboards on a single governed data set with CCH Tagetik — and retire the midnight spreadsheet safari. The aim is simple: publish accurate, consistent, decision-ready conten

    Azim Khan · 6 min read

  9. Part 10

    Pre-Close & Continuous Close — Finish Early, Close Fast

    The “save it all for Day 0” habit is why close week feels like a heist: frantic emails, last-minute journals, and status meetings about—well—status. A pre-close and continuous close rhythm flips that script. Move predictable work earlier, run dry-runs, and treat consolidation as

    Azim Khan · 5 min read

  10. Part 11

    30–60–90 Implementation Plan — Go Live Without the Drama

    If month-end is a cliff, the solution isn’t a bigger parachute—it’s a better path. A well-designed 30–60–90 implementation plan turns ambition into habits you can ship: a shorter close, cleaner consolidation, and disclosures that stand up to audit. This playbook lays out the work

    Azim Khan · 4 min read

  11. Part 12

    CCH Tagetik for Faster Close — Systems That Help

    The old way asks spreadsheets to behave like systems—manual checks, email approvals, and paste-and-pray disclosures. The new way centralises workflow, validations, and evidence so consolidation becomes repeatable and pleasantly boring. In this playbook we’ll show how CCH Tagetik

    Azim Khan · 3 min read

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