Prepared for boards, nomination committees & search advisers
File No. CFO-046
Capital discipline. Strategic clarity. Sustainable value.
| Subject | Isabelle Mercier |
|---|---|
| Position | Chief Financial Officer |
| Base | Canada · Global perspective |
| Languages | English, French |
| Board seats | 2 current · 1 previous |
| Status | Open to board appointments, advisory roles, speaking invitations |
Summary
I work with boards and executive teams to connect financial discipline with strategic possibility. My leadership spans capital allocation, performance management and finance transformation, with a particular interest in the quality of the decisions behind the numbers.
| Item | Measure | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Capital raisedEquity, debt and a cross-border listing | $2.4 bn |
| 02 | Margin expansionOver four reporting years | 380 bps |
| 03 | Qualified audit opinionsAcross twelve reporting periods | 0 |
| 04 | Transactions closedAcquisitions, divestments and JVs | 11 |
Finance earns trust by making the economics of a choice visible. I combine discipline in cash, controls and reporting with constructive challenge on investment and growth. A clear explanation of uncertainty is more valuable than precision that the underlying assumptions cannot support.
Signed — Isabelle Mercier
Independent Director
Audit (Chair) · Risk
2021 — Present
Non-Executive Director
Audit · ALCO
2018 — Present
Honorary Treasurer
Finance & Investment
2016 — 2022
Matter 01Ref. CFO-046-M01
Competing business proposals were being evaluated on inconsistent assumptions. I introduced a shared investment framework that made strategic fit, cash requirements, downside exposure and decision ownership explicit. The board could compare opportunities on a common basis, and business sponsors retained responsibility for the assumptions that underpinned their cases.
Matter 02Ref. CFO-046-M02
Finance reporting had become a collection of local processes rather than an enterprise view. We redesigned the reporting calendar, reconciled key definitions and separated repeatable production work from commercial analysis. The programme brought finance and operating leaders into a shared discussion of performance, with clearer controls around the underlying information.
Matter 03Ref. CFO-046-M03
During a portfolio review, I worked with business leaders to distinguish reported growth from the quality of the economics behind it. We examined resource intensity, working-capital patterns and the capabilities required by each strategic option. The resulting conversation gave the board a more considered basis for deciding where management attention and capital belonged.
2020 — Present
Aldermoor Group
Leading capital allocation, financial governance and enterprise performance discussions. Connecting the board's long-term value agenda with cash visibility, investment appraisal and operating accountability.
2016 — 2020
Fairhaven Holdings
Built commercial finance capability alongside operating leaders, improving the connection between reporting, forecasts and business decisions. Developed finance teams able to challenge assumptions and explain the economics of performance.
2012 — 2017
Harrow & Vale Industries
Rebuilt the funding structure ahead of an expansion cycle, reducing refinancing concentration and introducing a liquidity framework the board could read in one page.
2007 — 2012
Meridian Consolidated
Connected the operating plan to capital allocation for the first time, giving business heads a shared view of returns, risk and cash.
Turns a complex balance sheet into a decision the whole board can own. Investors trusted the numbers because they trusted the person.
Discipline without rigidity. The finance function became a partner to the business, not its referee.
Revenue, margin and cash forecasts depend on choices about demand, pricing, capacity and working capital.
Read the essayTwo investment cases can appear comparable while using different assumptions about risk, time and resource demands.
Read the essayA faster close creates capacity, but the value depends on how that capacity is used.
Read the essayCapital & Governance Quarterly · 2025
“Capital allocation is a leadership decision, not a spreadsheet”
The Finance Leaders Forum · 2024
“Inside a cross-border listing in eleven months”
The Boardroom Review · 2023
“What audit committees should ask about cash”
An invitation
Chairs, nomination committees and search advisers may write directly. References and fuller records are available on request.
office@isabellemercier.example