Managing director, business unit manager in Europe

Experience

2005-present : Consultant basé à Strasbourg

• Conducted a full strategic review across the 2 rival mutlisite organisations which merged in 2005; Project managed a high profile integration leading to substantial savings across the business and a subsequent growth of margin and profit, as well as manufacturing consolidation in line with business objectives. ( a major supplier for IKEA, 900 employees)

• Audit of an cabling and connector manufacturer n France (180 employees) managed by the 68years old owner. Managed and settled crisis between owner, the workers council, the unions and local authorities; Elaborated emergency plan to reach break even within 12 months and generated cash by reducing stockholding & debtors accounts, cleaning of product portfolio with the final target to interest potential investors.

2004-05 : SBS Systems, Birmingham, UK a Division of publicly traded Enodis Group USA

• Cooling & Beverage dispenser manufacturer for breweries, soft drinks ( Scottish Newcastle plc, Coca Cola, Pepsi etc.)

Key achievements

• Negotiated sales & installation of dispensers in all stadiums for the world football cup in Germany 2006 ( 3M$)

• Consolidated manufacturing from Austria and Germany to Birmingham UK in a new plant coordinating consulting teams to implement 6 Sigma and manufacturing methods from the automotive industry

• Restructured sales management and administration in Germany and England

• Established product-development-review team that reprioritized R&D portfolio to project with better ROI profiles, standardized as far as possible German with UK products

• Negotiated social plans with local unions, employees council and labour authorities, communication with the press

2002-03 : EVI Finance (Venture Capital) & Necci Spa, Italy

Acquisition project of a major the German textile machine producer “ Pfaff” by Italian investors.

• Audited and identified suitable acquisition possibilities and structure, reviewed all documentation to ensure completeness, clarity and conciseness to meet the needs of investors, and determined a set of key performance indicators and commentary which addressed the concerns and meet local – and cultural sensibilities.

1999-2002 : GRUPPO ZOPPAS INDUSTRIES Spa Vendemiano, Italy

• Multi sites company that manufactures electric heating elements and components for diverse industries (production sites in Germany, Italy Romania, Mexico, US and China, 5000+employees worldwide.)

• Member of the Group executive team with extensive involvement in strategic planning as well as of group sales and marketing in Germany, operations and material management. restructured

Key achievements

• Developed the financial model and business plan

• Reversed 5 years operating losses, reducing headcounts by 25% and improving the cost base by12% within 9 months and developed significant market share increases in German speaking parts of Europe. Sales increased from 11 to 25 M€ with the 1st profit of 1,5M€, further, sales from Italian units to Germany increased from 17M to 32 M€.R

• Restructured and consolidated 3 production sites into 1 operation, oversaw general and cost accounting, financial planning, analysis, reporting and treasury functions in a turnaround situation ( from 390 employees to 155)

• Negotiated social plans and closed 2 sites, outsourced partly the manufacturing to group site in Romania or third parties.

• Introduced cellular manufacturing and reduced cost of quality by over 0,5M$, Reduced inter-group delivery dates from 120 days to 60 days

• Developed the R&D to introduce upscale products and systems for targeted customer niches such as Rail-road industry

Major customers: Siemens Nuclear, Liebher, BASF, Draeger, Fresenius Medical Care, MTU/Daimler, railroad industry, Draeger,ABB etc.

1998-1999 : WINNERS EDGE Consulting, Düsseldorf, Germany

PROJECT MANAGER

• Reorganisation of Dealer network for Mazda Motors Germany by reducing of dealers

• Managed 12 consultants in Germany

• Worked with the auditors, lawyers on pro-forma analysis, financial scenarios and modelling and negotiations for compensation transactions with eradicated 120 dealers

1996-1998 : CAEL Spa, Italy , a division of Elsag Bailey group

• Production of electronic fluid control and automation devices, switch boards for the industry

• Led change in culture and process to improve performance of loss making French division and integrated two acquisitions in Italy Eurovalve Srl and EMI Electronica Srl.

Key achievements

• Turned loss making companies into profit making facilities, from 30M sales to 80 M€ sales and 5M€ profit

• Transformed ineffective team developing board-level relationship in strategic companies through leadership, empowerment and redefined goals

• Doubled the output on a consistent basis and introduced Kaizen & pull manufacture into the factories and supply chain

• Planed and managed standardisation of investments, product portfolio and centralized procurement in Italy

Major customers :Alstom, Framatome, Siemens, Schlumberger, Ansaldo, ABB, Draeger, De Dietrich, Inel Spa, Alcatel, Renault VI, etc

1989-1996 : TBG CONSULTING & Partners GmbH, Frankfort and Sonthoffen, Germany

• Setup, coordinated, developed and managed a team of 15 expert consultants in Finance, Production, HR, M&A etc.

• Spearheaded a wide range of business development initiatives including market and strategic planning, international marketing and product mix consolidation focusing on high return values

• provided crisis management leadership, orchestrated strategic staff reduction, identified performance weaknesses and restructured operational activities to rescue and continuously improve divisional and corporate performance.

• For German public organizations as Treuhandanstalt, RKW and GTZ, assembled and managed freelance problem solving teams of 20 consultants and Interim Managers engaged in manufacturing privatization and efficiency enhancement.

• Reorganized & restructured operations and engineered a profitable consortium from a chaotic, debt-ridden state conglomerate in East Germany.

1985-1989 : INTERMA GmbH, Munich, Germany

• Set up of German/ Turkish joint-venture with Bayrische Hypobank as marketing base for a Turkish textile producer with 3000+ employees in Bursa.

• Orchestrated European market strategy, sales development and supplying specialized products and services to large retailers and distributors in Europe. Activities included cross cultural HR management, generating new sales, managing key clients relationships, preparing budgets and training inter cultural personnel to assure the attainment of key business goals.

• Re-purposed product line, design and quality, configured aggressive volume based pricing model, attracted retail groups.

• Managed 2 sales directors and 15 agents and sales offices in Baltimore and London

• From a standing start, achieved and developed enviable market shares for Interma products range in Europe, establishing an impressive customer base comprising big retailer groups, distributors and retail outlets generating a turnover of 50M in Germany, 20M in Italy, 10M in UK, 15M in the USA (i.e. with Nike and Gap) and 20M within other parts of Europe

1982-1985 : GROSFILLEX Deutschland GmbH, Offenburg

• French consumer goods manufacturer, plastic industry, (1500 employees in France)

• Reversed a 5 years sales decline, directed a business turnaround project that returned the subsidiary into break-even within a year and into profit within 2 years.

• Launched the division on new markets leveraging the group’s brand to re-enforce positioning in the German speaking countries and led Sales Team to develop key accounts, increasing order books from 9M to 23M within 2 years (Negotiated a single contract with a German distributor that proved to be the largest in Grosfillex history and which generated a revenue of 12M (8M in Germany, 4M in Switzerland and Austria)

PRIOR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• 1979-1982 : Ets Decouvelaere SA, Lepanges, France (textile industry)

EXPORT SALES MANAGER

• 1972-1979 : Hudson’s Bay Cie, Toronto, Canada 1975-79 : MANAGING DIRECTOR at the European Division in London

• 1972-74: SALES COORDINATOR Europe from New York