How a Financial Controller manages multi-entity reporting with confidence

Running finance across multiple entities is never straightforward. For Jesse Chapman, Financial Controller at Harris Real Estate, the challenge is balancing accuracy with speed while keeping stakeholders aligned.

In our recent Ask an Expert session, Jesse shared how he tackles multi-entity reporting with confidence; from budget vs actuals, to reforecasting, to producing reports stakeholders can actually use.

1. Multi-entity reporting needs structure, not shortcuts

“When you’re managing nine entities, you can’t just patch spreadsheets together and hope for the best,” Jesse explained. “It looks fine at first, but it quickly becomes messy, and you lose confidence in the numbers.”

Instead, Jesse stressed the importance of building structure:

• Establish consistent reporting rules across every entity.

• Standardise your chart of accounts wherever possible.

• Use a centralised system so you’re not reconciling from scratch every month.

Tip: Spend time setting up a solid reporting framework early, it saves hours of clean-up later.

 This is where financial reporting software like Fathom transforms the process. Instead of patching spreadsheets, you get beautiful visualisations that instantly show performance across all entities in one unified dashboard.

2. Budget vs actuals: make comparisons meaningful

For Jesse, simply comparing actuals to a budget isn’t enough. He wants reporting to highlight why variances exist.

“I want our reporting to show not just that we’re over or under, but why,” he said. “That means breaking it into drivers. Are we selling more units than planned, or are margins shifting because of pricing and costs?”

That means breaking variances down into drivers like:

• Volume: Are we transacting more or fewer units than planned?

• Rate: Are margins shifting because of pricing or costs?

By drilling into drivers, Jesse can explain budget vs actuals in a way that resonates with non-finance stakeholders and builds trust.

3. Reforecasting is about agility, not perfection

“Forecasts aren’t set-and-forget,” Jesse reminded us. In real estate especially, external conditions can shift quickly. Rather than waiting for annual budget cycles, he regularly reforecasts to reflect reality.

Tip: Build a rolling forecast process. This keeps leadership focused on what’s coming next rather than looking backwards at static budgets.

4. Reporting should build clarity and confidence

Ultimately, Jesse sees his role as turning complexity into clarity.

“My job is to make sure the numbers make sense to everyone in the room,” he said. “If stakeholders can’t see what’s happening, they can’t make decisions with confidence.”

With Fathom reporting, Jesse transforms complex multi-entity reporting into professional reports that tell the story of the numbers. This not only engages stakeholders but also demonstrates his value as a trusted advisor.

Key takeaway: Beautiful insights, instantly

Managing multi-entity reporting is about more than reconciling the numbers. As Jesse showed, it’s about building systems that:

• Keep reporting accurate and consistent

• Help explain why variances happen

• Allow leaders to respond to change with confidence

With Fathom reporting, Jesse transforms complex data into beautiful, instant visualisations that stakeholders understand at a glance. That shift allows leadership to move the conversation from “what happened?” to “what do we do next?”

By combining structure with adaptability, and the right financial reporting software, finance teams can stay in control even when growth adds pressure.

Watch the full session

This blog covers the highlights, but there’s much more to learn from Jesse’s full conversation. Watch the full Ask an Expert session with Jesse Chapman.

Got questions about multi-entity reporting? Get in touch with our team or explore our Help Centre for more resources.

Or, if you’re ready to put these ideas into practice. Start your free 14-day trial of Fathom.

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