Thibaud Alloncle CMA -Precision Perspectives

A conversation with Thibaud Alloncle, CMA

Finance has always been more than numbers for Thibaud, it’s a language for connection, influence, and impact. From his early days at L’Oréal to financially shaping the digital transformation at Heineken, he’s mastered the art of turning data into stories that drive decisions. In this Precision Perspectives conversation, Thibaud shares how stepping out of his comfort zone shaped his leadership, why the best finance leaders think like storytellers, and how people (not spreadsheets) create lasting results.

If you think back to when you first discovered finance, what was it about numbers, problem-solving, or leadership that caught your imagination? Was there a moment when you knew this was your path?

"I believe that it was the combination between numbers, problem solving and the ability to influence people through numbers... I have always been very rationale and like to build up my reasoning on numbers, but always to come to a business result. I discovered this combination during an internship at L’Oréal, a beautiful company where I had to learn a lot about the business to be relevant also with my numbers. I could not imagine at the time that being in Finance, in a Business Partnering role would be so much around story telling and how to present your numbers to the leaders instead of just extracting and presenting a P&L!"

You’ve worked in automotive, beauty, lighting, and now beverages, across multiple countries. Which move challenged you the most personally, and what did it teach you about stepping out of your comfort zone?

"The move which challenged me the most is definitely when I chose to come to Amsterdam and accept a promotion & relocation from Philips Lighting. Until then I was very French, happy to work in France and comfortable in a culture based more on the implicit than on the explicit. When I started working in Amsterdam, in an international environment but with a lot of Dutch people, I had to learn a new communication style (much more direct), a new way of working and adapt quickly to it in order to be relevant in my job. This was a great and insightful period for me bringing a lot of energy to my daily life. I also realized how being exposed to a new culture can enrich your profile and open your eyes on what is happening elsewhere!"

Transformation programs can look like numbers on a page, but behind them are people navigating change. Can you share a story of when you saw a team grow through a tough transformation, and how that shaped your leadership?

"The biggest transformation I was exposed to is the Digital Backbone Transformation happening at the moment at Heineken. When I joined at the end of 2018 the Digital & Technology function was not even created yet and within 5 years, the functional spend quadrupled, Analytics & Data Management teams were created, AI became a topic, the function became central in the Heineken Strategic Plan defined in 2020 and the pace of the transformation reached incredible highs. Leading the Finance team in charge of Digital & Technology Business Control forced me as a leader to follow the pace of the Digital & Technology Function, to learn agility, prioritization in a constant moving environment. I had a very important role on being able to balance the pace of the change with the necessity to maintain financial boundaries, controls and drumbeat allowing to keep a grip on our numbers while being true Business Partners."

Looking back, what’s been the hardest decision you’ve had to make as a leader, and how did it influence the way you approach challenges today?

"When I was Finance Transformation Manager I was in charge of transferring activities from the local markets to hubs aiming to improve synergies, process efficiencies and of course costs as well. I remember specifically one market for which there was no economic, financial or process reason to move activities to the regional hub. But we still had to implement the transfer to stick to the blueprint defined by the company: at the end the results were not satisfying and it took too much time to come back to a desired performance level. This taught me one important thing: stay true to yourself and as a leader either fully embrace the decisions taken above your head (to also be able to fully defend them in front of your team) or find another challenge – there is no other option. Today I am much clearer on what drives me as a leader and as a man and I find myself more and more aligned with my values."

You’ve led teams across cultures and geographies. What have you found is the most important ingredient in building trust with people you may not see every day?

"For me building trust in a team, especially if people are not located at the same place, comes from different factors: first, listening. If you are able as a manager and as a team to listen to everyone it will create an atmosphere of confidence and every team member will feel valued. Secondly, it is about building a common vision and showing the path – and that was my role as a manager: this is extremely important because with a vision you create adherence to a common project and the sense of belonging to something bigger than you. And finally it is important to meet physically once a quarter for example: there is nothing better than physical connects to create a team dynamic, with trust at its heart."

Finance leadership is demanding.What habits, routines, or perspectives outside of work help you keep balance and bring your best self to the role?

"I have three: reading, sport and family (not by order of importance!). Family because that is the only thing which really matters for me in life, you can change jobs, experience failures at work, do different things – all fine as long as my solid foundation is there - for me it is my family. My kids and my wife are what I have most precious so recharging, relaxing myself is always with them. Sport also because I need to exercise to feel good in my body and expel the tension I can feel sometimes at work. Reading because I can escape from the daily life when it is stressful and dream, expand my horizon taking a step back and deep diving into another reality...

When you reflect on your journey so far, which achievement gives you the most personal pride, not just in the numbers, but in the impact on people or the organisation?

"My most personal pride is the relations I built with people at Heineken, especially when I was leading the business control team for the Digital & Tech function: I know we did a great job structuring processes, building a governance, driving the decisions with strong business cases and insights but when people still come to me to ask for my advice even if I left the job one year and a half ago that feels like recognition! I left Heineken two weeks ago and I had a lot of strong testimonies and very nice words from D&T colleagues which show I left my mark there – and beyond the company’s impact, I am especially proud of my impact on people themselves which also led to the establishment of very strong relations which will continue beyond Heineken."

Technology, data, and AI are reshaping the finance function. How do you see the role of a finance director evolving in the next decade, and how are you preparing yourself and your teams for that future?

"For me the biggest stake will be how do we continue to challenge ourselves and learn to use our cognitive capabilities in an era where everything will push us to use AI or tools like ChatGPT to immediately get a benchmark, a framework, a holiday plan or anything we can think of... Thinking critically and keeping that ability alive will be the key for us finance professionals. A Finance Director will need to pay a special attention to train their people and challenge them continuously on sharpening the analysis and still using their brains – of course first or second level insights will be much easier to get with AI but the real added value of finance professionals will reside in the ability to critically look at the data and build always sharper advice and insights to take informed decisions."

Sometimes the biggest lessons come from unexpected places. Has there been a mentor, colleague, or even a personal experience outside of work that shaped the way you lead today?

"I remember of one feedback I got in a coaching session – this was a true eye-opener to me. What is great with coaching is that you come yourself to the conclusion, helped by a coach who is guiding you. And that specificity of coaching (coming to the conclusion yourself) makes chances much higher that your insights stick... In a session three years ago I discovered that my way of influencing people was much more powerful when I was asking them questions rather than trying to convince them with facts and figures... It seems counter intuitive but when i tried it, it worked! People get your question, think about it and come themselves with an answer which also they can accept more as they generated it... Hence since that moment my way of influencing people has been much more by asking them questions then by pushing my views (still of course I use a lot of facts and figures...).

If we meet again in five years, what story do you hope you’ll be telling about your journey?

"I hope I will be able to say that I enjoyed my journey... There is no right or wrong career, I do not believe anymore in linear career paths where you stay in the same company a lot of time... The most important thing is to enjoy the way and make sure you learn continuously. On top of that the job market is changing and needs much more agile workers, switching more frequently from one company to another to bring fresh perspectives in a world changing exponentially faster than before... It is interesting to see the US market compared to the European market in this matter, and the dynamism, the energy it brings to companies there."

What’s the one “Precision Perspective” you’ve gained in your career that you believe every finance professional should carry with them?

"Build on people, invest in the relations! Trust and like people, help them to develop. People around you will make you a better professional: together you will be to achieve much more than if you just invest in the processes and in the data..."

---

Thibaud’s journey is a reminder that great finance leadership is not just about precision in the numbers but purpose in the people behind them. His mix of curiosity, courage and connection shows how finance can shape culture as much as strategy. As the world of data and AI evolves, his perspective stays refreshingly human: lead with trust, think critically and never stop learning.