27 May 2025
How Isabel 6 transformed finance at Artes Group
- Isabel 6
- Construction
What does it take to transform a traditional finance department into a strategic business partner? We asked Koen Van Acker, CFO at the construction company Artes Group. His answer? It all starts with digital transformation: fewer manual tasks, more clarity, and greater control. Below, he shares how his team made the shift—and which tools supported them along the way.
Modernising finance in construction: How Artes Group did it with Isabel 6
Koen Van Acker has been CFO of the construction group Artes since 1990. The financial department has been involved in ongoing development for just as long. “From booking invoices to preparing, entering, and signing tax returns, everything was done manually,” Koen recalls.
We’ve come a long way since then. Thanks to the shift to digital tools, we now focus more on auditing and analysis than input and admin. Software takes care of checks we used to do by hand.
Koen Van Acker
CFO
Digitisation opens the door to strategy
As their systems matured, the finance team at Artes was able to take on a more strategic role. “Digitisation offers us more possibilities and time to create value. For instance, it enables us to focus more on devising financing forms or supporting the CEO in decisions concerning acquisitions, pricing or cost cuts,” Koen says.
He also points out the challenges that come with change. “The implementation of a new ERP package requires the necessary knowledge in the financial department. Investments in training are consequently crucial in such a case. Needless to say, employees must also be open to change, and improvement and software tools should be supported by management.”
Managing payments across companies: clarity is key
In construction, complex partnerships are common. Artes often works in temporary trade associations where several companies collaborate on one project, which can make approvals and payments confusing.
“Isabel 6 enables us to streamline our payments better,” Koen explains. “This is no superfluous luxury, as working with temporary trade associations results in a lot of signatures, powers, and responsibilities, and sometimes there’s a lack of clarity as to who should confirm a payment. In the end, while you form a team within the trade association, each company involved has its own processes and ways of working. Each partner likes to retain control and have an overview.”
Isabel 6 creates a uniform, clear picture, which works perfectly for us and fits with how we do business.
Koen Van Acker
CFO
Clear oversight, backed by trust
Artes Group consists of several entities, each with its own accounting. As CFO, Koen needs visibility of the bigger picture: "I need a helicopter view to see which pennies are in which accounts. Thanks to handy reports from Isabel 6 I can get the whole picture at a glance."
In addition to convenience, reliability is an important factor too. “The shareholders of Isabel are four major Belgian banks, which creates the necessary trust.”
Artes Group’s story shows that finance teams can grow beyond administrative tasks to become strategic contributors. With Isabel 6, they gain the visibility, control and efficiency necessary to support the wider business.
Curious how Isabel 6 can help your finance team?
