Jimmy Vansant

Transformation & OpEx Leader | Coaching Leaders | Culture & Change | Continuous Improvement

Zonhoven, Flemish Region, Belgium

About

I lead site-wide performance and transformation—combining Operational Excellence, change management and coaching to turn strategy into execution. I partner with Site Leadership Teams to build a data-driven performance culture, strengthen governance, and deliver measurable improvements across QDCI. Over the past 15+ years (industrial&biopharma), I’ve helped organizations: - Deploy and sustain strategy deployment (workshops, cascading, routines, progress tracking) - Drive breakthrough performance by targeting top losses, improving standardization and problem solving at the source - Build capability and ownership through coaching (incl. cross-site / international collaboration) - Enable performance through digital and analytics where it creates real operational value. My style is pragmatic and people-focused: align on the “why”, clarify decision rights, remove barriers, and make improvement stick through simple routines. I’m interested in roles around Operational Excellence / Business Excellence / Site Transformation / people&culture where I can create visible impact from day one. Outside of work, I’m a passionate sailor—teamwork, situational awareness and calm execution under pressure translate well to how I lead change. 📩 [email protected] — happy to connect

Experience

  • Head of Operational Excellence at Eurogentec
    Jul 2025 - Present · 1 yr

    As Operational Excellence Manager at Eurogentec, I help the site perform better by making change stick. I work with the management team and functional leaders to simplify governance, reduce escalation drift and duplication, and create clear ownership from shopfloor to leadership. I combine coaching, performance management, and continuous improvement methods to deliver sustainable operational results.

  • Head of Operational Excellence at Legend Biotech
    Oct 2022 - Jul 2025 · 2 yrs 10 mos

    Led Operational Excellence / Business Excellence work in a fast-growth cell & gene therapy environment, strengthening performance management, governance, and cross-functional execution. Focused on building CI capability, coaching leaders, and delivering site-wide improvements in reliability, compliance, and throughput.

  • Head of Operational Excellence at WuXi Biologics
    Sep 2021 - Oct 2022 · 1 yr 2 mos

    Supported operational excellence and transformation in a regulated CDMO environment, driving performance management routines, continuous improvement, and cross-functional problem solving. Focused on translating strategy into execution while strengthening standardization, data-driven decisions, and change adoption.

  • Head of Operational Excellence at Polpharma Biologics
    Nov 2020 - Aug 2021 · 10 mos

    As Head of Operational Excellence at Polpharma Biologics, I led the site’s Operational Excellence agenda. I designed and executed a holistic OpEx program—building Lean capability, strengthening governance, and driving measurable improvements in quality and operational performance. I fostered a strong, quality-first environment while improving efficiency through structured roadmaps, coaching, and cross-functional execution. Key impact: Developed and implemented a complete OpEx roadmap and program framework—including governance, routines, capability plan, and prioritized initiatives—fully documented and handover-ready for the new program owner to sustain and scale

  • Head of Operational Excellence at Lonza Netherlands B.V.
    Nov 2018 - Nov 2020 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    As Operational Excellence Manager at Lonza Netherlands, I supported the end-to-end performance of two sites by leading the Operational Excellence agenda in close partnership with Operations, Quality and supporting functions. I identified and prioritized improvement opportunities, translated them into executable plans, and ensured disciplined implementation—using Lean and structured problem solving—to meet and exceed site targets while maintaining strong quality and compliance standards. Key impact: Delivered the site OpEx objectives by driving a portfolio of improvement initiatives that strengthened site performance, operational efficiency, and team capability across both locations.