Assumed temporary leadership of a manufacturing operation amidst challenging conditions (business in administration process) Contracted by main business client to support continuity of contract manufacturing activity. Primarily responsible for Production and Engineering functions whilst also supporting wider plant management.- Within 2 months doubled productivity through engagement of teams and applying lean problem solving techniques- Increased OEE by 20 percentage points (c. 55 to 75)- Improved conformance to production plan from a flagging sub-50% to high nineties.- Subsequent customer service increased 95-98%- Operated successfully in working environment with German as primary language- Ultimately supported the sale of the business to a new investor

Ran €45m/year customer portfolio of 25 global clients, 12 direct reports, and operational P&L. Managed commercial and business improvement projects, the customer services operation, and compliance/MDR (Medical Device Regulation) initiatives. Oversaw new product introduction/co-development, and sponsored all product costings, pricing, and associated project management in the implementation/facilitation of contracts. Used Six Sigma principles to value stream map the commercial processes. Reduced key order receipt to confirmation process to 1 week (from 3), enabling faster fulfilment and cutting supply chain lag. Created S&OP process, connecting sales operation with manufacturing, procurement, supply chain, and customer services, breaking down silos, improving the customer experience, and smoothing production. Improved OEE from 60-65% to c. 80%. Oversaw fulfilment, planning and manufacturing through to QC and distribution to achieve production efficiencies and remove complexity/waste. Streamlined price modelling through lean techniques to speed up supplier pricing and margin decisions.  Improved working capital position by €700k through reducing customer receivables.  Developed/owned Strategic Account business plans and P&Ls for top 5 customers, focussed on retention in a declining aerosol market. Improved/maintained account profitability to 15-20% at EBIT level. Delivered 20% business growth at GM level. Led and won major new supply pursuit with Johnson & Johnson (€25m/5yrs), facilitating operational set up in advance of execution. Added a rolling €17m value manufacturing prospects to the clinical development pipeline.  Delivered €1m upside through identifying and introducing chargeable support/add-on services – regulatory support, stability studies – creating upsell opportunities. Developed and managed KPI dashboards to drive visibility of pipelines and proposal status/success rates.

Maintained and grew existing client base, supporting their market share growth through broadening their product portfolios. Focused on clinical development/co-development, registration, and subsequent commercialisation of RX (prescription) and OTC (over the counter) pharmaceuticals and medical devices.  Grew territory annual turnover 32% to €30m, whilst improving margins (42% to 53%), and profitability (48% to 56% EBIT/GM) over the last 3 years, against the backdrop of declining market. Introduced 4 new clients including 1 global blue-chip healthcare player, Smith & Nephew – the business’s #2 account - delivering €9.5m over 5 years. Shepherded long-term clinical development/contract supply projects in collaboration with customers and MHRA to bring new products to market.

Led a European-wide business improvement program (lean manufacturing and Six Sigma), over 8 manufacturing plants (2 servicing healthcare customers with pharma/medical device products) in 5 countries. Held dotted lines to 8 local change leaders and up to 20 change agents in each site.Reported to the European Board of Directors/UK Managing Director Created business-wide operating model to enable multi-site sharing of best practice, improvements, and performance monitoring.  Sponsor/led/directed/initiated – best practice/ change/process improvement projects… GEMBA walks, problem solving in the moment, learning best practice – small, incremental changes…. Reduced operating costs €7.5m. Increased operational efficiency across the plants by 15% points to industry-leading 70% - 75%. Improved service to customers, consistent OTIF 97%+ across the group annually.

P&L responsibility for all on-site operations including Supply Chain and Warehousing, Production, Engineering, Quality, Safety, Environmental, Technical (incl. laboratory) Regulatory, Finance and Human resources. Role grew with CCL’s acquisition by Colep Laupheim, collaborating with manufacturing plant leaders in Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Poland to share and adopt best practice and drive continuous improvement.Aligned local activities with the needs of the European sales team. Annual net sales €85m. 8 direct reports, 350 site employees. Annual capital investment budget €3m.  Introduced SAP R/3 ERP, and led major structural changes creating self-managing, autonomous work teams across the entire plant.  Profitability improvements realised through increasing throughput volumes whilst maintaining and reducing manufacturing costs.  Reduced indirect labour costs by 20% and increased profitability, as % sales increased from 5.7% to 8.5% with a 20% reduction in working capital.  Lead negotiator with employee representation committee which incorporated trade union representation.