How We Cut a Regional Finance Close from Ten Days to Six

Kora Capital’s regional finance operation had grown faster than its close process. Three finance teams were working hard, but the monthly cycle took ten days, reconciliation ownership moved between people, and leaders often received the clearest explanation after the decision window had passed.

The brief

Claire was asked to shorten close from ten working days to six without weakening controls or adding headcount. The work had to fit three business units with different systems, different revenue models, and managers already carrying full workloads.

What changed

The reset focused on three moves. First, every critical reconciliation received one named owner and a visible due date. Second, reviews were tiered by financial risk instead of treating every variance the same. Third, four recurring status meetings became one twenty-minute close room supported by a concise controls note.

The result after sixteen weeks

The monthly cycle moved from ten working days to six. Late reconciliations fell by 31 percent. Finance managers recovered roughly six meeting hours each week, while control owners gained a clearer view of the issues that genuinely required escalation.

What Claire learned

The strongest finance operating system was not the most complicated one. It was the one teams could explain, control owners could maintain during a difficult month, and business leaders could trust when a fast decision mattered.