Albert, Ahold Delhaize's local brand in the Czech Republic, is one of the largest retail brands in the country and the chain that’s most focused on providing healthier food choices. This success is, in part, thanks to the work of the team led by Petra van Roon Horackova, Director Business Services Finance (BSF). "We provide all the insights needed to optimize processes and ensure the brand’s success. The stores rely heavily on the reports we prepare to steer their daily business decisions. It's very satisfying to be able to make such a difference, especially because I feel so personally connected to the Albert brand."
When asked what their mom does for work, Petra’s children might say something like, “Mom counts money”. "That's partly true," Petra says, laughing. "Part of my work certainly involves doing calculations, estimating costs, and preparing reports. This is not only essential for streamlining the daily operations of the stores and improving brand performance, but also critical for presenting our shareholders with timely, accurate information that complies with internal and external regulations and requirements. But as BSF – the finance department within the European Business Services (EBS) unit – we're involved in so much more: we have an impact on what happens throughout the entire business."
Petra’s aware that some of her colleagues don't fully understand the role of EBS. This organization within Ahold Delhaize assists local brands in achieving strategic goals and often operates as a driving force in the background. As Petra explains, “Others might not always recognize our faces, but our strategic connection and impact are crystal clear. We deliver all the required information and make the financial picture publicly visible, transparent, and compliant. In so doing we enable leaders within the organization to make the right decisions. The more we automate processes and streamline them as intelligently as possible, the more we save costs. These savings then affect the prices of our products and, therefore, benefit our customers.”
Petra considers it a priority to improve the visibility of the BSF division by, for instance, attending company town hall meetings, delivering informative presentations, and engaging with individuals across the entire Albert organization. Another major focus area is business process improvement. "We're constantly seeking ways to make our finance processes smarter and more efficient.
I find it extremely fulfilling to identify a process or system that isn't running smoothly, determine how to improve it, and then implement those changes. We did this recently, for instance, with a particularly complex report that had been prepared the same way for about 20 years. It was managed in Excel and we used various macros and pulled information from several sources. Let’s just say we weren’t following the most efficient process. Our team had been wanting to redesign this approach and shift the report generation to Power BI for some time. Such a big change understandably led to a little internal resistance from the operations team, but they quickly came to see that this new approach would make their lives much easier. Now they’re delighted that they can load views and graphs on their phones at any time. They have better, more reliable insights, and we no longer have to manually compile such a complex report. Everyone now comes out on top!”
Financial and non-financial KPIs
Another source of fulfillment for Petra is the fact that Ahold Delhaize and Albert are increasingly focusing on sustainability and the part that her team can play in this area. "Our ESG agenda has become very important in recent years. Once again, we play a significant role here – although once again, we’re operating more in the background. We're used to working in a process-oriented way and know how to set up systems correctly. So when the business approached us with the question of how to report on our sustainability and health goals inp a structured way, we were ready to help them interpret the requirements and create efficient processes. As a finance professional and on a personal level, I’m happy that I am no longer only responsible for numbers but am now also involved in presenting meaningful information on issues like food waste and CO2 reduction. It’s rewarding to be able to report on both financial and non-financial KPIs."
People sometimes tend to think that finance professionals are all slightly boring, highly analytical people, but that's definitely not the case in Petra’s team. “Sure, we all love numbers and are perfectionists who don’t like making mistakes, but overall, we're a sociable group of people who don’t only work hard but also have fun together. And we get creative, too, by trying to find a way to meet business needs within the boundaries of regulations and requirements – we’re not the sort who say, ‘No, it’s not possible.’ At Ahold Delhaize, you get to work with people from so many different countries – we, for example, collaborate closely with a team of 40 people in Hyderabad, India, who we also consider part of our team. It's one of the factors that make this organization and the EBS division such a unique place to work."
Petra's love for her job also has a lot to do with location and nostalgia. Originally from Prague, she moved to the Netherlands for love in 2006. "I met Nico during a work training session in the Netherlands while I was still working for EY. After a year of commuting between the two countries, I decided to make the jump over to Holland. Seventeen years and three children later, I am still in the Netherlands. In 2010, I joined Ahold Delhaize. The past 14 years have been a wonderful journey of learning and growth. During my first decade with the company, I worked in nearly every European country where Ahold Delhaize operates, except for the Czech Republic. When in 2021, the opportunity arose to work for the Albert brand, I didn't hesitate to jump at it. Anyone who's lived away from their birthplace will understand what it’s like to never truly feel at home. It’s been such a pleasure being able to spend more time in the Czech Republic as a result of this role. I feel a strong connection to Albert as a brand and feel immensely proud to work for it. It’s a true privilege to have a job that lets me merge my passions and move between my two homes."
Name: Petra van Roon Horackova (1981)
Started working at Ahold Delhaize: January 2010
Studied: MSc International Relations, Prague University of Economics and Business (2006)
Living with: My husband, Nico, and our children, Emma (11), Lizzy (9) and David (7)
Hobbies: Yoga, pilates, cooking, baking, and spending time with my family
Wake me up in the middle of the night for: Anyone can wake me up for help if needed
Favorite holiday destination: Spain
Life-changing event: The births of my children
Biggest source of inspiration: My mother. My parents divorced when I was 11 years old and my mother managed to juggle everything. She showed me that as a woman, you can trust yourself and make it all work. She made it clear that nothing is impossible.
Best advice I’ve ever received: “Put yourself first." This was a valuable piece of advice my current boss gave me. Essentially, it means you shouldn’t always prioritize others over yourself. Taking care of your own well-being is crucial. When you're healthy and happy, you’ll thrive in your personal and professional life. If you burn out, it's detrimental to everyone
