Tasks and prospects as an Associate in Finance

Lena Hocker
Reading time: 6 min.
January 20, 2025

How does the transition from a position as Head of Finance in a Dutch company to a role in the German finance sector work? In our interview with Bruno Pivernetz, we find out more about his path to torq.partners and get an answer to this question. Bruno also gives us an insight into his role as an Associate and the areas in which he would like to develop in the future. He also shares his views on torq.partners' progress and explains the values that define the company for him.

Bruno, how did you find your way to torq.partners and what are your tasks here?

Before torq.partners, I was Head of Finance at a Dutch start-up. Due to the stagnating growth there, I was looking for a new challenge. Because I generally enjoy working with start-ups - especially in the financial sector - torq.partners was the obvious next step.

I started here as an Associate. As I had previously worked mainly with Dutch financial processes, I first had to familiarize myself with German accounting. During this phase, I did a lot of account assignment for companies and looked at which invoices had to be posted where. Even if this wasn't the most exciting part of my work, it was a good way to consolidate the basics.

I am now taking on more and more tasks in the area of Finance Operations. This includes processing incoming invoices, writing outgoing invoices and preparing monthly financial statements in collaboration with accountants and companies. An important aspect of this is ensuring that the bookkeeping accurately reflects the previous month's reporting. After all, proper documentation is essential for successful controlling.

Another part of my job is communication work with various stakeholders. I often act as a link between management, finance staff and external tax advisors. The main aim here is to coordinate different requirements and expectations and thus ensure that everything can be delivered on time.

How did you come across torq.partners and why did you choose the company?

It was clear to me that I wanted to either work internally in a start-up or scale-up or support start-ups in a project-based external role. I specifically searched for jobs that met these requirements and then came across torq.partners via LinkedIn. There I discovered an open position at torq.finance, the finance consultancy of torq.partners, which was a good fit for my professional background in finance. However, my Master's degree in Entrepreneurship meant that a role in another area would also have been an option for me.

I was particularly attracted by the prospect of being able to contribute not only operationally, but gradually also strategically. At torq.partners, there is a wide range of interim roles, such as CFO or Head of Finance. In such positions in particular, you can develop your strategic strengths as well as your financial knowledge.



I was particularly attracted by the prospect of being able to contribute not only operationally, but gradually also strategically.

Do you prefer to work in one of our offices or from home?

I feel more comfortable when I go to the office. Nevertheless, I can understand why some people prefer to work from home - especially as I also need around 30 to 40 minutes to get to the office and often think how practical it would be to save this time. For me personally, however, it is more convenient to be able to clearly separate my place of work from my home and have a fixed location for productive work. When I come home after a day at work, I can consciously switch off. I also find meeting up with my colleagues in the office very valuable - whether it's to ask a quick question, have lunch together or simply to catch up. For these reasons, I am a very regular office-goer.

Have you ever used the remote working option for a workation?

Yes, for example, I recently took the opportunity to accompany my girlfriend to Salzburg for a few days where she was attending a training course. I generally love traveling, especially to southern Europe - Italy is one of my favorite destinations. That's why I'm a big fan of Workation. I also had the chance to do this in my previous job and worked from Portugal for two weeks. I used my free time there to go surfing.

Ideally, I would work from other countries much more often, especially as we can do this for up to three months a year. Unfortunately, my girlfriend doesn't have the opportunity to do a workation in her job. So I'm somewhat limited in that respect.

How long have you been part of the team and in what ways do you think torq.partners has developed the most since you started?

I started at torq.partners in April 2024. At that time, an initiative had just been launched in which we were intensively addressing social issues outside of our day-to-day consulting work. The aim of the initiative is to create an integrative, value-based corporate culture in which diversity and inclusion are actively practiced and further developed. The first meeting took place just two weeks after I joined, which I thought was really good.

A lot has happened in this area since then. You can tell that the management attaches great importance to this topic and, in their words, wants to ensure that torq.partners becomes the best company for the world. Over the past year, we have developed our corporate values - courage, commitment, respect and responsibility - among other things. The word "developed" applies very well, because the points were not simply given by management, but were developed in the team on various occasions. For example, we held a workshop on this topic during our offsite last summer.

Are you also active in the initiative you mentioned?

Yes, the initiative is divided into various working groups and I am part of a group on the topic of anchoring. Our original task was to establish the results of the other teams in the company in a sustainable way. As part of this, we looked at whether our communication is in line with our values, among other things. For example, we checked whether we use language that includes everyone in our job advertisements and group meetings.

We are now increasingly acting as a link between the working groups and management. We ensure that the input provided by the partners also flows into the working groups. We also provide project management support and thus create a basis for the work of the working groups.

What is torq.partners' greatest value for you?

In addition to the four corporate values of torq.partners, equal opportunities is a core value for me. I have the feeling that everyone here has the same opportunities to achieve their goals. Factors such as age or gender don't matter - everyone can take on responsibility, even beyond their own comfort zone. The only important thing is the willingness and ability to learn. You are respected for what you can do and not judged according to any kind of pigeonhole thinking. torq.partners sets a very high standard in this area.

If you had the opportunity to work in a different position or department at torq.partners for a day, what would it be and why?

I think I would go into the internal controlling department to use my skills not only for our customers, but also for the further development of torq.partners itself. I would also learn more about the financial structure of our company. I think that our internal controlling is already very mature, which is why I could definitely pick up on some approaches and then apply them in my actual work.

What skills or qualities do you think people should have for your role?

My position at torq.partners requires a combination of technical expertise and communication skills. There is often a preconception that employees in finance tend to be quiet people and don't necessarily need to have strong social skills. This is not necessarily the case with us. As we work in consulting and work directly with our clients, communication skills are just as important to us as specialist knowledge. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be extroverted, but you should be able to speak openly in front of customers, address problems directly and stand up for yourself.

Depending on your personal goals, a high willingness to learn is also an advantage. There is certainly a place at torq.partners for people who want to stay in the same area of responsibility permanently. Overall, however, I have the impression that most employees here are very ambitious to take on new challenges, be it by learning new subject areas and tools or by reaching a certain position. Continuing to develop is also important in order to keep pace with changes in the industry. For example, what are the current industry trends and what new opportunities are there in accounting automation? If you stay up to date, you can work more efficiently.

In which areas would you like to develop further in the future?

I would like to deepen my knowledge of accounts receivable accounting, particularly in e-commerce. There are an extremely large number of postings here and once you have internalized the concept behind it, you have a very good understanding of accounting, at least at a low-threshold level.

I am also a big fan of reporting, controlling and budgeting, but have not yet had the chance to delve deeper into these areas. Recently, however, I was able to create my first report and would definitely like to build on this.

I would also like to take on more management responsibility in the future. I currently supervise a mini-jobber who is responsible for pre-accounting. I'm responsible for mentoring him and do weekly check-ins with him, among other things. Even though I still have a lot to learn in the area of leadership, I already enjoy this task a lot. I therefore hope that I will be given even more responsibility in this area in the future.

Which events for employees have you enjoyed the most so far?

As a Berliner and regular office-goer, I take part in as many events as possible and I have to say that I always really enjoy them. That's why several team events in particular have stuck in my mind.

We once went on a food tour through Wedding. A guide told us about the history of the district while we tasted culinary specialties at various stations. That was very cool. Another highlight was a day on the Spree, which we spent in a small boat where we also had a barbecue. I also took the opportunity to sneak into the team event of one of the other teams. There was a pottery course where I was able to make two bowls. I thought that was great too.