Exclusive: NetSuite customers take to the stage to discuss game-changing impact

At Sydney SuiteConnect, several CFOs revealed how NetSuite has transformed their day-to-day business operations - and what life was like beforehand.

It wasn't long ago that the CFO of one of Australia's fastest-growing healthcare networks would "panic at the thought of a supplier report."

"If someone asked me to get a report like, 'Who are our top five suppliers?' I'd start shaking in the corner," recalled Kieser Australia's CFO, director and co-owner, Dianna Butterworth.

"We had 23 separate accounting files. It just wasn't sustainable."

Butterworth was one of four NetSuite customers who took to the stage at Sydney's SuiteConnect event, sharing how the cloud-based platform has not only transformed their operation, but their working lives too.

Moderated by Scott Wiltshire, vice president of ANZ for NetSuite, the panel included finance and technology leaders from Kieser, New Aim, Camilla and Smithbridge Group. 

Drowning in spreadsheets

Butterworth's experience before NetSuite was a familiar one for many. When she joined Kieser in 2018, the clinic network had 13 sites and around 200 staff. Today, it has 30 clinics, 800 staff and aggressive growth plans.

However, finance was lagging far behind.

"We were drowning in spreadsheets, had bookkeepers to clinics at a one-to-five ratio, and the systems just weren't talking to each other," she said. "To grow the business, we needed a platform we could grow with."

Since implementing NetSuite in 2022 and integrating tools like Soligo and ZoneCapture, Kieser has significantly reduced manual tasks and built a more scalable finance structure.

"It's not just about cutting time - it's about restoring trust and credibility in the numbers," she said.

From patchwork systems to a digital backbone

For Stephen Xiao, CFO of e-commerce giant New Aim, NetSuite brought cohesion to a business that had grown rapidly - and somewhat chaotically.

"We're an e-commerce and technology business," he said. "Over 60% of Australian households have received something from us, yet we were still using a patchwork of legacy systems."

Founded in 2005, New Aim now sells through over 30 channels and dispatches four million parcels each year. Xiao described a turning point when the company realised it needed a digital backbone.

"We onboarded NetSuite in 2019, almost 15 years into our journey," he said. "It's now integrated with over 12 systems - warehouse management, demand forecasting, banking, dynamic pricing. Everything is connected."

The impact on productivity has been striking.

"Our invoice and bank integration alone saves us 3,000 hours a year," he said. "And now our finance team spends more time as business partners rather than just number bookers."

Retail agility powered by data

At luxury fashion brand Camilla, known for its vibrant prints and high-end caftans, reacting to trends in real-time is mission critical.

"We run low-depth collections - very limited runs," explained Head of Technology, Luke Matthews. "If someone wears a piece to a dinner party, that print can take off overnight. We need to spot those micro-trends immediately."

Before NetSuite, fragmented systems made that kind of visibility impossible.

However, today, the business is centralising its processes and data through the platform, which Matthews called their "single source of truth."

"It used to take years to open in a new region," he said. "Now, with the right entity structure and multicurrency tools in NetSuite, we've opened a boutique on Madison Avenue in New York."

Making data drive decisions

Shane Young, CFO of Smithbridge Group—a diversified business with operations in cranes, concrete and quarries - said reliable data is essential when the cost of a wrong move can be counted in tonnes.

"Our industry is capital-intensive. You don't want to make the wrong decision on a crane," he said. "But getting the right data used to be a real challenge."

With NetSuite, he explained, the business has been able to shift from report generation by accountants to self-service dashboards for managers.

"Now our finance team is sitting down with operations and helping them access the data themselves," he said. "It's creating better information and stronger collaboration."

Young also highlighted the role of integration partners like Annexa and Soligo in helping Smithbridge streamline its systems.

"We knew we didn't have the internal capability to do it alone," he said. "So we picked partners carefully, and that made all the difference."

Breaking down silos

A common theme across the panel was how NetSuite has helped break down silos within businesses - between locations, departments and leadership teams.

"At Kieser, each clinic is like a little community," Butterworth said. "Previously, head office was really disconnected. Now with everything in one world, we can see what's happening at the push of a button."

Matthews said the same shift is underway at Camilla.

"You can have channels that are growing fast but completely isolated," he explained. "NetSuite helps us bring processes and data together across departments so that we're all working to the same numbers."

Where support becomes a competitive edge

For Xiao, NetSuite's Advanced Customer Support (ACS) service has been a standout enabler of success.

"ACS isn't just a support desk - it's a strategic partner," he said.

"They helped us onboard NetSuite's procurement module and customise it for our complex business model. And when we hit a challenge, they often know what's worked for others."

Planning the future, faster

Butterworth also praised NetSuite's Enterprise Performance Management tools, which have radically improved budgeting and reconciliation at Kieser.

"We had close to 80 Excel spreadsheets for budgeting - it was a nightmare," she said.

"Now, with planning and budgeting live, we've cut the process from three months to one."

And with automated account reconciliations, she added, her finance team can finally shift from data entry to strategic analysis.

"As an ex-auditor, I always say, if the balance sheet's wrong, the P&L is wrong," she said. "Now we can run 500 balance sheet checks a month - and my team get to be analysts, not just checkers."

Wrapping up the end of the panel session, Butterworth left the audience of over 800 with one final thought.

"We've gone from survival mode to strategy mode," she said. "And that changes everything."