Date: 17.10.2025 (2025-10-17)
Lucas Arbeiter (17.10.2025) • https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-arbeiter/ • Group Performance Controlling at Deutsche Telekom
Context: Lives in Köln - works in Bonn Does mainly FP&A for TMobile USA
• What are your main tasks?
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• Team size and which roles?
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• Which tools are they using?
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• Notes:
• 3 months into the job; He is in HQ -> Konzernsicht (200k employees)
• A lot of finance & accounting
• Teams: US team & GER&USA & Financial controlling (update of forecasts and consolidation of Konzernsicht) & risk team
• Group controlling: 30 to 40 people
• They have a lot of software - but it is centered
• Microsoft Suite: Outlook, Excel (60%), PowerPoint, OneNote
• Adobe Suite: PDF
• Chrome
• Finax incl. Excel plugin (bad tool) -> budgeting,
• Planung hochgeladen über Excel -> you can get budgeting
• SAP
• Microstrategy (he does not use it)
• Dashboards etc.
• Often used für Vorstände
• M&A department
• CapitalIQ incl Excel plugins
• ThinkSell
• Central IT department
• Main tasks:
• Forecasts vs. Actuals
• Review of Planning -> compare with pior year numbers
• The planning is made locally -> TMobile US does the planning
His Experience & Current Practices • Day-to-day reality: What are the most admin-heavy processes in his finance role (invoices, reconciliations, reporting, payroll, compliance, audits)? • They get data sent in Excel templates • Standard processes that are done regularly (e.g. every 5th of the month) • People send it manually • He is not sure how these people have to fill it out • USA: is in USGAAP and they have to map it to ISFRS • Uploaded to Finex and then they download it • Is he automating today? If yes, which tools (Excel macros, Zapier, RPA, ERP features)? • If yes: who does it? Which tools? What works? What does not work? • • If no, why not (cost, complexity, lack of time, no clear ROI)? • • They think to forecast via AI -> they invest there • But process automation not really • A lot of sub companies -> check which ones • e.g. Magenta Austria • More processes to automate: • • Other automations from other people / departments: • • Legacy systems: does he deal with them (accounting tools, banking interfaces, HRIS, ERP)? How painful are integrations? • • Successes & frustrations: if he had a “magic wand,” what would he automate first? • • Ask if he can introduce you to 3 peers in similar roles (finance leads in other startups). • Other: • Processes he would automate: • Transfer one Excel to another -> not every column but not all -> thats a lot • Standard interpretations -> “Der Umsatz ist um X gestiegen” • Accounting • DTSI -> they do the accounting, payroll, payments, etc. • They had a chatbot (Apollo) -> access old information • He does not really know someone - he will think about it • Procurement: • Own Gesellschaft -> BuyIn • Pitch purchasing idea • Check his profile