From volume to visibility
For many years, consumer companies in Bangladesh grew by widening distribution and adding products. Their operating models reflected that: large field sales teams, many distributors, paper-based ordering, and finance teams that reconciled the results after the event. That model is now being reworked. Leadership teams want to see secondary sales as they happen, manage trade credit with more discipline, and run leaner product portfolios.
Where the redesign is happening
In sales and distribution, companies are introducing distributor management systems and sales apps that capture orders at outlet level, while digital payments replace cash collection by sales staff. Each change moves the point of control. Checks that used to happen manually at the depot now depend on system configuration, user access and the quality of the underlying data.
In supply chain and procurement, the shift is towards central planning, fewer and larger suppliers, and longer contracts for key imported materials. That brings attention to supplier due diligence, contract compliance and the management of foreign currency exposure on imports.
In finance, companies are upgrading or replacing ERP systems, centralising transaction processing and, in some cases, outsourcing accounting or payroll. The aim is a faster month-end close and management information that can be trusted without manual adjustment.
Controls need to move with the process
A common weakness in these programmes is that processes are redesigned while the control framework stays as it was. A sales app that lets field staff override prices, or an ERP migration that carries poor master data into the new system, can produce errors that only surface at the year-end audit. By then they may have affected VAT returns, distributor settlements and management decisions.
We recommend that control design is part of the change programme from the start, with named owners for each key control, and that internal audit tests new processes within the first few months after go-live rather than waiting for the next annual cycle.
Distributor relationships deserve particular care. When ordering and payment move onto a platform, contracts should state who owns the transaction data, how disputes over settlements are resolved, and what rights the company has to inspect distributor records. Without these terms, the company may have better data on paper but less ability to act on it.
How RRH helps
Our IT Advisory team reviews system implementation risk, tests user access and data migration, and assesses cybersecurity as more of the business moves online. Our Risk Consulting team redesigns risk-based internal audit plans around the new operating model. Where finance teams are restructured, our Accounting and Book-keeping Services can take on transaction processing and reporting during and after the transition. Each of these can be scoped as a short, targeted review or as continuing support across the programme.
Related RRH services: IT Advisory, Risk Consulting and Accounting and Book-keeping Services.