Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Versatile Senior Executive with over a decade of leadership experience managing local operations of European MNCs in China and the APAC region. Adept at managing medium- and large-scale organizations, up to a strategic business unit with €100+ Million revenue and 1,000+ employees across multiple plants. My experience covers, among others, industrial manufacturing and sales entities in the Electronics, Heating Technology, and Healthcare sectors. MANAGEMENT APPROACH: My professional focus is on ensuring operational stability, protecting profitability, and scaling manufacturing footprints. I provide comprehensive management across all organizational levels and project lifecycles: - CROSS-LEVEL ALIGNMENT: From discussing at eye-level with expert departments, to leading regional management teams, and aligning global and local strategy. - END-TO-END EXECUTION: I take full responsibility for initiatives through all phases, from analysis and design through to implementation—either through delegation with oversight or hands-on myself. - TEAM DEVELOPMENT: I take pride in developing teams, both personally and professionally. CORE FOCUS AREAS: Having navigated multiple economic up- and downturns, I scale operations across volatile regulatory and macro-economic environments: - PROFITABILITY & COST MANAGEMENT: Protecting profits during periods of intense local market involution (neijuan) through targeted cost reduction. Driving efficiency has been a core principle since the start of my career. - MARKET EXPANSION: Expanding product portfolios, entering new geographic markets (e.g., India), and building up greenfield footprints for capacity expansion. - SINO-EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE: Bridging local Chinese market conditions with strict European internal corporate frameworks and local regulatory compliance. - BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION: Directing regional turnaround management, organizational development and restructuring, and process digitalization. I further actively advocate for the European business community as an elected Board Member of the European Chamber of Commerce (Nanjing Chapter). I hold a Chinese Permanent Residence Permit (Green Card) and am proficient in German (native), English (business fluent), and Mandarin (fluent). Add me on WECHAT: FlorianH
Full-Scope Executive Leadership combining multi-plant operational governance with high-level strategy down to shop-floor execution in a strategic business unit with 1,000+ employees and €100 Million annual revenue. Specialized in driving regional transformation, managing intense market involution (neijuan), and building high-performance cross-cultural organizations: • REGIONAL LEADERSHIP & CULTURE: Disciplinary manager for the local Management Team in a complex matrix organization. Maintained operational oversight across the entire value chain—including Operations (SCM, Production, Quality), Finance, HR, Procurement, and Sales/R&D to drive a high-performance and accountability culture. • GLOBAL CORPORATE SENIORITY & TURNAROUND: Represented the region in the group's top-tier Senior Management Circles and DC Global Leadership Team. • STRATEGIC EXPANSION INTO INDIA: Architected the foundational market entry strategy and operating model for India, leading production partner selection and key client engagements through the launch phase. • P&L MANAGEMENT, PROFITABILITY PROTECTION & TURNAROUND: Accountable for the regional P&L from strategic planning to execution. Stabilized regional revenues amid intense price competition by holding Sales accountable to strict volume, turnover, and pipeline targets, while directly executing systematic cost-reduction programs. Aligned regional execution with HQ objectives and drove regional turnaround and margin-improvement initiatives. • OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & SCM: Optimized production and SCM by driving factory cost-outs and strict safety compliance. Increased automation, balanced production for high-volume products to reduce overtime cost, optimized warehouse footprint, localized maintenance sourcing, and increased fixed-cost flexibility. • SINO-EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE: Aligned local Chinese operations with European corporate governance frameworks, maintaining continuous executive oversight of regional risk and compliance.
Highly analytical corporate governance and risk expert, additionally operating as a proactive and hands-on co-pilot to the CEO. Proven capacity to lead administrative, digital, and infrastructure projects cross-functionally through matrix influence: • GREENFIELD INVESTMENT INTO SECOND PLANT: Led the complete execution of a USD 25 Million greenfield manufacturing facility in Qingdao as Project Lead, steering the project team, managing approvals, local government incentive negotiations, governance design, and setting up a cross-functional shared-service structure. • CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: Operated as strategic co-pilot and deputy to the CEO, steering regional P&L and operational excellence by influencing and aligning all non-finance functions through collaborative matrix management. • REGIONAL FINANCE DEVELOPMENT & GLOBAL ALIGNMENT: Drove regional initiatives to optimize process performance, accuracy, and workload efficiency in strict alignment with global corporate reporting standards, and optimized the regional banking structure. • COMPLIANCE & RISK GOVERNANCE: Established robust SOP frameworks, implemented cross-functional internal audit recommendations, and ensured compliance with corporate guidelines (e.g., anti-bribery, data protection), the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG), and China's Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL). • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: Modernized regional working methods by introducing cloud-based approaches, successfully increasing process speed, data accuracy, and workload efficiency across both Asian entities and corporate HQ.
Versatile manufacturing administrator and designated Deputy Managing Director specialized in stabilizing, optimizing, and scaling factory performance under shifting market conditions through deep organizational alignment: • FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS: Responsible for daily financial management (Accounting, Controlling, Treasury, Tax), multi-factory budgeting, cash flow optimization, and localized risk mitigation, including transfer pricing and intercompany entrustment loans. • DEPUTY PLANT MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION: Acted as official Deputy to the Managing Director with cross-functional commercial responsibility; directed plant administration with full disciplinary and budgetary ownership for HR, IT, and EHS. • NEW PLANT SETUP: Built up the finance department and administrative infrastructure for a new factory in Zhejiang from greenfield to operational start, including successful SAP FI/CO Go-Live. • CROSS-ENTITY LIAISON: Drove forward operational and strategic initiatives through both the Chinese production and the sales entities via personal network and matrix influence.
Commercial strategist adept at bridging technical, analytical, and product management functions to secure market share and align localized market intelligence with European headquarters: • COMMERCIAL LEADERSHIP & PLANNING: Led multidisciplinary commercial teams (Product Management, Price Management, Sales Controlling) with full disciplinary/budget responsibility and official signature authority for banking and regional contracts. • STRATEGIC MIDTERM FORECASTING: Steered strategic planning, utilizing sales controlling, SAP data and market developments to forecast quantities, turnover, fixed costs, and regional P&L metrics within global corporate programs. • IOT PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & INNOVATION: Served as Head of the strategic program "Internet Connectivity China," managing the cross-functional development of a localized IoT platform from technical spec to operational launch; won 2nd place for top innovations across the global Viessmann Group (12,000+ employees) for an Offline-to-Online solution. • MARKET INTELLIGENCE & DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: Managed market intelligence to define market sizes and evaluate competitor landscapes, while overseeing IT and SAP roadmaps to modernize commercial data transparency.
Practical phase of the exclusive DAAD scholarship program "Language an Practical Training in China". Data-driven commercial intelligence specialist utilizing structural market research and localized insights to unlock regional growth opportunities for the global healthcare multinational: • EXECUTIVE BOARD EXPOSURE: Participated directly in meetings of the Asia-Pacific and Chinese Management Teams, gaining early insights into regional corporate governance and multinational strategy execution. • REGIONAL GROWTH & MARKET ENTRY STRATEGY: Executed market analyses, competitor mapping, and SWOT evaluations to adjust regional sales strategies and develop mainland China market-entry concepts for a new medical product.
Operational excellence and business transformation specialist focused on lean methodologies, workflow automation, and large-scale structural cost optimization: • GROUP-WIDE COST RESTRUCTURING: Acted as a core team member for a group-wide cost-reduction initiative, significantly overachieving target sustainable savings of €37.5+ Million through SAP FI/CO data analysis and cross-hierarchical workshops. • PROCESS OPTIMIZATION & AUTOMATION: Mapped complex operational processes using lean methodologies, reducing personnel requirements at a target unit by 33%, and designed a process maturity model to measure performance across departments. • BOARD ASSISTANCE & ASSIGNMENTS: Executed special assignments directly for multiple board levels, developing decision templates for the Group COO and formulating core strategy presentations for the Group CEO's address at a major financial conference.
• Lectures given in micro- and macroeconomics, German business laws and taxation • Examination supervisor and administrative duties