Country Owner: Lilli Helps Teams Navigate Local Accounting Requirements

In international finance and accounting, local expertise is invaluable. While many accounting principles are universal, practical processes, regulatory requirements, and interactions with authorities can vary significantly from one country to another.

That is why Staria has Country Owners, specialists who help ensure that country-specific knowledge is available to everyone who needs it.

One of them is Lilli Snellmann, who works as a Senior Accounting Advisor and serves as Country Owner for Germany and Spain. Her role involves supporting colleagues with country-specific questions, developing guidance and training materials, and keeping pace with changing local requirements.

Turning international experience into shared expertise

Lilli’s connection with Germany began at an early age. After finishing secondary school, she moved to Germany, where she lived for a total of 23 years. During that time, she completed her accounting studies and built a career working with German accounting. Later, she spent a couple of years in Spain before eventually returning to Finland.

At the beginning of 2024, Staria was looking for an accountant who could also take on the role of Country Owner for Germany. Lilli had already been working in a Finnish accounting firm, but the opportunity at Staria immediately caught her attention.

“My strongest area of expertise has always been German accounting. It felt natural to return to working with it. Most of my own accounting clients are German, but through my matrix role I can also share my expertise more broadly across different teams and client accounts.”

Initially, Lilli was responsible for Germany-specific expertise, and later her role expanded to include Spain as well.

More than just a subject matter expert

The Country Owner role involves far more than simply answering occasional questions. Country Owners maintain and develop country-specific knowledge, provide training, and ensure that changing requirements are reflected in day-to-day operations.

According to Lilli, success in the role requires much more than language skills.

“Language skills alone are not enough. You need to understand the country’s accounting practices, taxation, authorities, and ways of working. Otherwise, you can’t effectively support others.”

In practice, her work may involve interpreting correspondence from authorities, researching specific requirements for new clients, or helping a colleague navigate an unusual country-specific situation.

Some days bring several questions, while other weeks pass without a single enquiry. That unpredictability is part of what makes the role so varied.

“You never really know what challenge will come next.”

Much of the work happens behind the scenes

One of the less visible aspects of the Country Owner role is the continuous effort required to stay informed.

Legislation, taxation, and regulatory practices in both Germany and Spain are constantly evolving. To keep up, Lilli regularly follows newsletters, industry publications, and professional networks to identify important changes as early as possible.

“Many people only see the training sessions or the answers to their questions. Behind that is a great deal of work to ensure I stay up to date and recognise which changes we need to take into account.”

When significant developments occur, the information must then be translated into practical and easily understandable guidance for colleagues. Communicating knowledge effectively is one of the most challenging parts of the role, as colleagues have limited time to review training materials alongside their client responsibilities.

“It’s always rewarding to receive positive feedback after delivering training or sharing updates. It shows that the information has reached colleagues and that my work is making a difference in both their day-to-day work and our clients’ experience.”

From specialist to trainer

Although Lilli already had extensive country-specific expertise before taking on the Country Owner role, the position has helped her develop entirely new skills.

In particular, designing and delivering training sessions has been a significant learning experience.

“I had very little experience delivering training or leading larger Teams sessions before. That was a completely new area for me.”

Today, she regularly organises training sessions, writes guidance materials, and shares knowledge with colleagues across the organisation.

At the same time, she has learned how to communicate complex topics in a clear and practical way.

“Something that seems completely obvious to you may not be obvious to someone else. You have to think carefully about how to explain things as clearly as possible.”

Small pieces of advice can have a big impact

The impact of a Country Owner’s work is often seen in situations where country-specific expertise helps colleagues make the right decisions quickly and with confidence.

Questions may relate to onboarding a new client, interpreting communications from authorities, or understanding local accounting and tax practices.

“Quite often I can bring clarity and confidence to situations that require a deeper understanding of local requirements or ways of working. My experience helps both colleagues and clients move forward more smoothly. Getting answers directly from the tax authorities, for example, can take a considerable amount of time.”

The positive impact of training and guidance materials is another major source of motivation.

“It’s rewarding to see that the effort put into training translates into practical benefits and genuinely helps others. That’s when you know your expertise is supporting the success of the entire organisation.”

Variety, collaboration and new opportunities

According to Lilli, the greatest strength of a matrix role is the variety it brings.

Rather than focusing solely on her own clients or immediate team, she has the opportunity to collaborate with specialists and teams across the organisation.

“I enjoy being able to help others and work with so many different people. It makes my working days far more varied.”

Looking ahead, Lilli would like to deepen her expertise further, particularly in areas related to auditing German companies. She also believes that the importance of country-specific expertise will continue to grow as organisations operate increasingly across international markets.

Who is the Country Owner role suitable for?

Lilli believes the role is particularly well suited to people who have a genuine desire to share their expertise with others. Decades of living abroad is not a prerequisite.

“You need a certain level of foundational expertise, but you don’t have to know everything from the outset. The most important thing is the willingness to keep learning, take ownership, and proactively find answers.”

In her view, one of the greatest benefits of matrix roles is the opportunity to apply specialised expertise in completely new ways.

“Your work becomes more varied, you get to collaborate with different people, and you are constantly learning. Being able to help others is incredibly rewarding. That’s why I would recommend a matrix role to anyone who wants to share their expertise more broadly.”