This year’s Working Capital Champion is Matthias Cork, a genuine visionary who gives generously of his expertise and enthusiasm to help take working capital finance into new territory.
Matthias stood out for his success in making working capital transformation a top management priority at German retail and travel cooperative Rewe Group, when the concept was still new, and for finding fresh ways to make sustainability-linked supply chain finance (SCF) work. He is also a significant contributor to work on the digitisation of supply chain finance
An agent for change
Not all visionaries have the persuasive powers, technical abilities or staying power to turn grand ideas into reality. Matthias does.
At Rewe, where he is Director of Working Capital Strategy and Projects, Matthias has put his passion for working capital transformation into practice – and developed a blueprint that other companies can borrow from.
Thanks to his leadership, the German retail and travel cooperative has developed a proactive and holistic strategy with a structured programme of continuous, evidence-based optimisation.
Matthias has been an early mover in sustainable SCF, which rewards suppliers who improve their environmental, social or governance (ESG) credentials with preferential pricing.
In mid-2024, Rewe launched an ambitious sustainability-linked early payment programme that was highly commended in last year’s Working Capital Forum awards. By anchoring working capital to ESG goals, he has now positioned the company’s liquidity management as a driver of sustainable supplier behaviour, rather than simply internal cash release.
The programme – which ties the pricing that suppliers pay to ESG scores provided by EcoVadis – also showcases Matthias’ expertise at both problem-solving and building trust.
For example, by engineering a transparent and annually reviewed ‘margin grid’ to detail how suppliers’ finance pricing would change as their ESG scores evolved, it offers a solution to one of the challenges that deters some corporates from attempting sustainable SCF: how to clearly and effectively structure ESG-linked pricing to win acceptance from suppliers and other stakeholders.
Thought leadership
Matthias’s dedication to excellence also extends beyond Rewe. As a true standard-bearer for working capital transformation, he is generous with his time, expertise and insights, working tirelessly to inspire, educate and learn from his peers.
His passion, expertise and approachability have made him a sought-after mentor and a recognised voice in the working capital and SCF community. So much so that he kindly accepted our request to help judge this year’s Working Capital Forum awards – completely unaware until tonight that he was also in the running for the Working Capital Champion prize.
As well as being as being a high-profile and well-received speaker at events like Working Capital Forum Europe, Matthias is an enthusiastic participant in numerous panel discussions, where he contributes fresh perspectives on industry trends and helps shape debates. He also regularly delves deeper into Rewe’s working capital journey by sharing enlightening articles and case studies with industry publications.
“As the architect of Rewe’s game-changing working capital transformation but also a mentor for his industry peers, Matthias Cork has become a recognised authority in the working capital community,” said Mike Hewitt, CEO of Working Capital Forum. “His passion for innovation, but also readiness to turn ideas into practice, make him a true Working Capital Champion. We can’t wait to see what he does next.”