In this edition, we are excited to present Elías Benhamú, who is our financial director for France and Spain
Join us as Elías shares his experience and insights in this article.
Who are you?
I’m Elías, 32 years old, from a city called Cordoba in Spain. I have been working with Customs Support for more than two years now. I began as the financial director for France, and added Spain to my responsibilities following an acquisition.
What does a financial director do?
I am responsible for all the financial matters. For example, for providing financial insights to support strategic decision-making, generating financial forecasts and variance analysis, identifying and assessing financial risks, and managing cash flow and liquidity.
What does your typical working day look like?
It depends because I work for two countries. I can be working either France or Spain, or I can be working from home. I go to the Spanish office every two weeks and to the French office every three or four weeks. The rest of the time, I am working from home.
I start the day with my daily tasks, get them out of the way, and then focus on the more important projects. Currently, we are approaching January, so my time is being spent on year-end closing.
What was your career like before joining Customs Support?
My degree is in business and administration, specialising in finance. I studied in Spain, but also spent a year of my studies in the United States, and another year in Amsterdam.
I started work in a consulting and accounting firm, where I spent four years. First, I was in the audit department and then later I worked in the TS M&A department.
Then, I worked in an industrial company in Spain as the financial director. I held this position for three years before coming to Customs Support.
How many languages can you speak?
I speak Spanish, English, and a little bit of French and currently learning Portuguese. My French is always improving. It’s the speaking that gets me, but I am getting better as time goes on.
What attracted you to working with Customs Support and moving into the customs industry?
I didn’t know much about the customs industry before, but I was interested in working with Customs Support because it is an exciting project. It’s a fast-paced, fast-growing company that is pushing growth both with innovation and with acquisition. There is a lot of variety, and always a new challenge.
What's the next stage for France and Spain?
We are looking at expanding our footprint in both countries, particularly in Spain as it is a newer area for us. It’s a long process, but we have big plans.
What do you like to do when you're not at work, and how do you think that influences your work skills?
I have always been sporty, playing basketball and other sports growing up. Now, I do CrossFit every day. I am a regular roller as well, having practised jiu-jitsu for one year. It’s important for me to stay fit, and it helps me deal with hard situations.
You work for a Europe-wide network. If you were to visit an office location of Customs Support, which city or country would you want to go to first and why?
Well, I've been to some of them already. I like the Rotterdam office and also Italy; they are very nice and I’d love to go to them again.
