Dennis Gmeiner

Group CEO | Consumer Health, VMS, Food | PE-backed Transformations | Exit-proven | Board & Advisory

Greater Munich Metropolitan Area

About

I partner with businesses to create lasting value through strategic clarity, operational transformation, and building teams that execute with speed and conviction. My focus is on PE-backed environments where the margin for slow decisions is low. I thrive at the intersection of strategy and execution: diagnosing what's broken, building what's needed, and leading organizations through inflection points with urgency and purpose. Prior to moving into operational CEO roles, I worked on the investor side as an Operating Partner evaluating business models, shaping value creation plans, and supporting management teams through transformation. Hence why I understand how investors think, what they need, and how to align a management agenda with board-level expectations. As CEO of NZYM Group (Consumer Health & CDMO) and previously HOFMANNs (EUR 200M+, Food), I've led complex transformations in PE-backed environments: revenue growth, margin improvement, digital acceleration, and successful exits. At HOFMANNs, backed by Partners Group, we grew revenue by 36% in two years with a industry leading profit margin exceeding 20% and completed a successful exit to Compass Group - the world's largest food service company stock-listed in the UK. I'm selectively exploring Board and Advisory mandates where my experience can create real, measurable impact. Focus areas: → Consumer Health | NEM & Supplements | Food | DACH + International → PE-backed Transformation | Sales Transformation | Digital Growth & D2C → Strategy & Business Model Development | High-Performance Team Building → M&A, Exit Readiness & Investor Relations

Experience

  • Group CEO at NZYM Group
    Nov 2024 - Present · 1 yr 9 mos

    NZYM is a leading consumer healthcare group specializing in the production (VitaFill, SanumTec) and distribution of premium organic nutritional supplements, natural cosmetics, and beauty product brands (Dr. Niedermaier, SinoPlaSan, Berlin Organics).

  • Chief Executive Officer at Dr. Niedermaier | Fermentation
    Nov 2024 - Present · 1 yr 9 mos

  • Chief Executive Officer at SinoPlaSan AG
    Nov 2024 - Present · 1 yr 9 mos

  • Chief Executive Officer at vitafill GmbH
    Nov 2024 - Present · 1 yr 9 mos

  • Chief Executive Officer at HOFMANNs
    Oct 2021 - Apr 2024 · 2 yrs 7 mos

    HOFMANNs is a premium food manufacturer with a rich tradition spanning over 60 years with more than 1.200 employees. In my tenure, backed by stock-listed private equity firm Partners Group, I orchestrated a successful exit to strategic investor Compass Group, the world's largest food service company stock-listed in the UK.