Ascendis Health
Christopher Moore is a seasoned finance professional with a strong background in technical compliance and audit. Currently serving as the Group Finance, Technical and Compliance Manager at Ascendis Health since May 2020, Christopher oversees financial operations within a global healthcare group. Prior to this role, Christopher was the Group Financial Director at Rare Earth Retreats, a hospitality conglomerate in South Africa, from June 2018 to May 2020. Before joining Rare Earth Retreats, Christopher gained significant experience at Deloitte Malta, where senior auditor responsibilities included advising non-financial clients and completing extensive audit work across various industries. Christopher holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance from Stellenbosch University, acquired between 2010 and 2014, and completed earlier education at St David's Marist Inanda Johannesburg.
Ascendis Health
Background Ascendis Health is a health and wellness company founded in 2008 and listed in the healthcare sector of the JSE in November 2013. In 2015, the Group embarked on an international growth strategy and acquired four businesses in Europe: Farmalider in Spain (2015), Remedica in Cyprus (2016), Scitec in Hungary (2016) and Sunwave Pharma in Romania (2017). Today Ascendis Health has a global reach with well-known brands and products sold to more than 120 countries across all continents. Strategic focus Against a backdrop of too much debt and limited operational flexibility we have set out a three-pillar strategy with the following focus areas: Pillar1: Stabilise (‘Fix the balance sheet’) • Set the medium-term portfolio strategy – which companies we should keep and which we should sell • Restructure existing debt to match the long-term portfolio strategy • Introduce sufficient new money to restore operational flexibility and ability to execute ‘Optimise’ Pillar Pillar 2: Optimise (‘Right-size and create platform businesses’) • Set the operating model to align with portfolio strategy and reduce complexity • Implement Project Office discipline to drive efficiencies, capital allocation optimization, and margin management strategies in each Business Unit • Create Business Unit specific incentivization programs and develop owner-manager mindsets Pillar 3: Grow (‘Maximise value and grow the platforms’) • Deleveraging strategy to take onto account the interim cash conversion profiles of the underlying business • Remain flexible to access attractive market windows • Deploy capital to underpin steady state portfolio