Interim Management, Consulting and Advisory Roles since 2019
Please note that the trust of my clients, investors, entrepreneurs and the great work of team-members and colleagues made it possible to deliver the results. Thank you all!
Managing Director FMCG start-up
Client: private equity owned start-up // Role: Managing Director ad interim // Year: April – October 2024
Situation: Promising food start-up has been carved-out from mother company to sell it separately. Relation between Management and Owner was for several reasons difficult, so an intermediate person had to be installed, balancing both parties and ensuring smooth carving-out and preparing the company for an exit. Not a walk in the park, folks.
Sales: Sales team regained motivation for pushing hard on countable results. If you have a goal in mind, and that was a in this case a fast change of ownership (exit), you also endure “the last 3 miles” of a marathon. But how did we as a management team know that it was only 3 miles to go? We didn’t – we just had to bring it on home. As there was no alternative we all stepped out of the comfort-zone, and let people do their very best: sales men and woman do the sales, sales leadership to conduct / coach and handle key customers, me to ensure proper planning and reporting towards investors.
Strategy: We worked on two work-strings. #1: Get the carve-out done operationally, means to establish a good relation and working interfaces / processes with new bookkeeping, tax advisor, hr outsourcing partner,… e.g. Without having that fixed no effort would be reflected in any P&L. #2 Gaining trust by making results transparent and measurable. We re-animated sales forecasting and established proper sales data.
Growth: After a weak QI, sales picked up in QII and QIII which was a requirement for an exit. We got a good understanding of what happened on client basis and reflected this in forecasting and accurate proof of actuals. In the (good) end our work led into an exit, a bit different than expected, but with satisfying results for all stakeholders. My mission was accomplished with a signing off the contracts and I could leave this engagement with a good peace of mind.
Consultant / Interim Manager – Hybrid Role at non-food Wholesaler
Client: private equity owned non-food Wholesaler // Role: Consultant 80% Interim 20% – hybrid role // Year: August 2023 – February 2024
Situation: Leading wholesaler in its segment is in a transformation process, therefore updating strategies, structures, processes, ways-of- working, sales and marketing.
Sales: Various topics in the wide field of sales; e.g. set-up of client segmentation with current clients, prospects and leads in order to reflect new organizational structure. Update data in current CRM system and implement a way-of-working to make use of information and transparent data flow. Streamline client communication – following a one-face-to the customer approach.
Strategy: Classical 4P-Management topics; e.g. set up of a transparent pricing model (as is / to be). Generate product masterdata in order to support new product catalogues including leading the process from idea to execution. Organize two major trade fairs from a scratch – including selection of fair organizer, shapen requirements, project management, cost controlling, quality assurance,…
Growth: So far my engagement with the widest range of strategic and operational sales and marketing topics. Hard to display the growth in numbers, as the actions taken have a long term impact (e.g. trade-fair appearance, up-to date client communication,…). But as all the initiatives have been market-related and released in an economical environment, at the end all working packages pay in either in to top-line growth by more clients or less costs by more efficient processes.
Interim Manager at FrieslandCampina
Client: Dairy Cooperative // Role: Group KAM Markant // Year: Jan-June 2023
Situation: The position of Group KAM Markant had to be temporarily bridged and it was not clear from the beginning for how long. Clarity was on a numerous number of challenges that every Key Account Manager in FMCG faces: volatile prices and its adoptions, demanding customers, trade fairs participation, complex contract agreements,… and all of that with new client counterparts and for me a new assortment group: dairy
Sales: Helpful were my experience with the Markant Group back in the Heinz days, so structure and mechanics was known to me. Also internal processes at FrieslandCampina were very much alike Heinz as many managers worked for both companies. So the basis for a „hit the ground running“ start was solid. And my new colleagues in Key Account Management, Sales Support, Marketing, Finance Controlling helped me from day one.
Strategy: From the start I collected and prioritized the most impactful problems or requests that our clients had to our organization. Getting the facts together for a (sometimes robust) discussion was step two. Get in touch with client side to understand their view on issues and try to solve (if possible) issues or at least make a decision internally was step three. Also – and that’s also not to be underestimated – give the clients the feeling that there’s someone who is approachable, helps to build trust.
Growth: Building up business in such a short period of time is simply not possible, especially with that volatile pricing mechanisms. Keeping the volumes stable, contribute to realize profitable margins and evaluate opportunities for growth was my impact so far. I was privileged to handover business back to the original position holder in June 2023.
Advisor, Consultant and Interim Manager at Curtice Brothers
Client: Premium Food Brand // Roles: Advisor / Consultant / Interim Head of Sales, Interim Lead Western Region // Years: 2019 – 2023 / 2020 / 2020-2022 / 2023
Situation: I got a call from Mario C. Bauer, founder and CEO of Curtice Brothers, if – together with a few other guys – I could advise building up the world’s best Ketchup brand in Germany. With some start-up experience and sauces business knowledge from previous engagements, this was a clear: yes, I can!
Strategy: In Strategy it is important to be clear on what to do and what you should better not do. Same here, and especially in a start-up world dealing with large retailers you have to be strict sometimes. Especially when it comes to Pricing, Promotions, Placement and Customer-Management I’m sharp, make my points and give guidance.
Sales: As Sales is applied Strategy I support the team not only with good advice, in 2020 I ran a project in order to acquire retailers that have a local hero status in western Germany. And from 2020-2022 I ran the small, but fine German Sales Team as a Head of Sales ad interim with a clear focus on sales peak season from February – June.
Growth: Germany meets / exceeds ambitious sales goals for the third year in a row. In 2023 the Company has been sold to a major German player in the ketchup and condiments business. This shows that our mission has been taken seriously and gets this wonderful brand a solid financial perspective for further growth.
Interim Manager at FMCG Private Label Producer
Client: White Label Producer // Role: Interim Manager // Year: 2021
Situation: 1. Backoffice team willing but not able to work with newly implemented ERP system. High error rate, low customer service level. 2. Backlog from before implementation. 3. Complete order-intake over one email account with semi-manual forwarding . 4. Interfaces between departments poorly defined. Overall: Not a walk in the park….
Strategy: 1. Bring the error rate to a countable, fact based level (#errors per day, source and cause of the error) and concentrate on the root causes. 2. Systemize the backlog into buckets and build a plan to work trough, including sprints with overtime + pizza. 3. Forward the orders via rule to the accountable back office person. 4. Starting an integrated planning process and invite team-leads from other departments.
Sales: Overall this was less a „typical“ engagement, where a change in strategy has been executed in sales measures. But a good Idea of sales processes, a customer centric view and having had a back office under my responsibility helped to get things back on track. Key for turnaround was common sense and a back office team that was dedicated to get things done.
Growth: This time negative. Error rate down to 1-2 / day, Backlog from 500 to 50, Order Intake workflow with 0 error.
Consultant at Peppermint Products
Client: Interior Design Label // Role: Consultant // Year: 2019-2020
Situation: up-and-coming omni-channel start-up required additional management resources to structure client-portfolio, evaluate new product ideas and reflect all into an investor’s proof AOP 2020.
Strategy: Our starting point was to structure current and future sales channels based on criteria. We evaluated what channels worked well and can be scaled, what activities are questionable in terms of potential / effort and which required a tougher decision.
Sales: The proof of the pudding is the eating, so what is nearer than to proof the underlying hypothesis and see if they work (or not)! Action for the sales man: create a sales story based on USPs, grab the phone and samples, make appointments, visit customers, sell, respect and reflect clients feedback.
Growth: Based on deciding not to invest into traditional channels, the company had the room for maneuver to grow in digital sales channels. Looking back that was the best decision stepping into the COVID19 age.
Commercial Roles 2004 – 2018
Same here: Please note that the trust of my leaders, entrepreneurs and the great work of my team-members and colleagues made it possible to deliver such results. Thank you all!
Product segment refreshment at Hallmark Cards
Business Unit: D/A/CH // Role: Commercial Director // Year: 2018
Situation: Hints from sales colleagues indicated that our greeting cards counter presentation needed a refreshment and the numbers confirmed the picture.
Strategy: Marketing did a deep dive into SKUs, the sales guys got benchmark data and with the alignment of both an in-and-out-list was created. Sounds easy? It was a hell of a ride, but everyone’s full dedication payed off.
We decided to install a shared project co-leadership between DACH and Central Europe HQ, which was an excellent idea.
Sales: To get implementation right, all customer assortments were re-mixed in back-office according to the new plans, communicated back to supply chain for replenishment and to sales force for implementation at the client side. Execution was excellent from all departments and we delivered within time and budget.
Growth: counter presentation grew with expected sell out in % vs. LY
Market Entry Retail at mymuesli
Business Unit: Retail, B2B // Role: Director Offline Sales // Year: 2012-15
Situation: Roll out a successful online product in offline retail
Strategy: The initial situation was the „start-up life“ – sell a good product to all possible customers and see what happens. We made it a strategy in using sell-in date in a structured test. So we had the channels / customers. With sell out data from online activities we knew where our consumers were located. Once combining the findings of sell-in and sell out, it was now time to get placements.
Sales: To get placements, we used a bottom-up approach and got strong supporters within the big retailers organisations. Once the month-to-mouth propaganda was working, we had to deliver what we promised – premium products with a brand ambassedor´s service. From thereon it was all about managing growth. Set up processes / CRM, building a sales force and a back-office by hiring and fostering the right people.
Growth: brand establishment in German retail in 2.5 years
Customer Development at H.J. Heinz
Customer: Leading drink retailer // Role: Key Account Manager // Year: 2009 – 10
Situation: Growth potential in the customer group was limited. Drink retailer was not yet in focus. Only promotional Ketchup business took place during peak season.
Sales: 4P optimisation. Establish strongest Ketchup items throughout the entire year by test listing first and then permanet placement.
Strategy: Who is the drink retailers target group? Men. Who are lazy when it comes to cooking? Men. What is in Heinz portfolio for men? Ravioli, Soups, Beans,… How to test? Promotions. What if it works? Permament placement!
Growth: tenfold the annual customer turnover within two years
Interesting, isn’t it?
I’m happy to discuss with you a solution for an issue in the areas of sales, strategy and growth. Do not hesitate to get in touch with me! Contact