Freienbach, Schwyz, Switzerland
Quality & Operational Excellence Executive | 20+ Years Experience | Global | Open to VP / Director / Head of Quality Roles I build quality organisations that perform and last. Over 20 years, I have led Quality, Operational Excellence, and Supplier Quality functions at VP and Director level across highly regulated, global manufacturing environments. I've worked across Automotive, E-Mobility, Consumer Electronics, Wind Energy, Construction Equipment, Water Technology, and the Cycling & Micro-Mobility industries - building and scaling quality teams and systems from the ground up and turning underperforming functions into strategic business assets. What I bring to a VP / Director / Head of Quality role: 🔹 Quality Strategy & QMS Leadership - ISO 9001 · ISO 13485 · IATF 16949 · VDA 6.3 · ISO 14001 · ISO 45001 · EN 9100· ISO 19011 - full ownership from design to certification and beyond. Lead Auditor 🔹 Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement (CI) - Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, with hands-on deployment of Lean, Six Sigma, APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, MSA, VSM, 8D, Kaizen and Agile across multi-site, international operations 🔹 Supplier Quality & Procurement - supplier selection, qualification, development, and performance management across Europe, Asia, and the Americas 🔹 Manufacturing & Operations - shop floor experience across high-mix and high-volume production environments; direct contributor to OEE, yield, scrap, and delivery KPIs 🔹 Global Team Leadership - built and led large cross-functional, remote, and multi-divisional quality and CI teams; full P&L and budget accountability; talent development and coaching 🔹 Change & Transformation - led cultural and structural transformation in complex, regulated businesses; from legacy compliance mindsets to proactive quality culture Industries I've worked in: Automotive | E-Mobility & Micro-Mobility | Consumer Electronics (TV, Loudspeakers, Accessories) | Wind Energy & Renewable Energy | Construction Equipment & Tools | Water Technology | Cycling Titles I'm targeting: VP Quality | VP Operational Excellence | Director of Quality | Director of Operational Excellence | Head of Quality | Head of Continuous Improvement | Head of Supplier Quality | Director Supplier Quality | Director of Manufacturing Quality I lead with integrity and clarity - at board level and on the shop floor alike. I believe quality culture is a strategic differentiator, and I have the track record to prove it. 📌 Actively open to VP, Director, and Head of Quality / Operational Excellence / CI roles — Europe or Asia, including relocation.
Professional Development & Skills Enhancement Break. Took a strategic career break to focus on professional development, personal growth, and skill diversification in emerging technologies and sustainable practices: * Artificial Intelligence & Technology: - completed comprehensive coursework in AI fundamentals and emerging AI tools. - gained hands-on experience with various AI platforms and their practical business applications. * Sustainability & Environmental Impact: - pursued specialized training in sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship. - studied renewable energy systems, circular economy principles, and sustainable supply chain management. * Personal Development & Wellbeing: - prioritized mental health and work-life balance through mindfulness practices and physical wellness. - mastered bicycle mechanics as a hands-on skill, completing advanced repair and maintenance training. - cultivated problem-solving abilities and attention to detail through technical mechanical work.
• Global quality team leadership, built high performing multi-site team, supporting quality assurance and operational excellence activities across the globe. Foster culture of continuous improvement, innovation and operational performance. • Led strategic transformation of global quality organisation, successfully developed new quality assurance strategy for a global network of external manufacturing partners. Effective deployment provided solid foundations for strategic growth and efficiency improvement (KPI performance management, risk mitigation, compliance). • OpEx: Defined and led deployment of proactive Quality Improvement Plans for strategic suppliers. More than 150 strategic improvements were implemented globally in 2022-2024, leading to notable quality improvement (warranty claims and customer satisfaction), cost reduction (Cost of Poor Quality) and compliance. • Global audit program: managed team of auditors. Creator of yearly audit plan and supervised execution. Coached and trained several quality auditors. • Trained and coached cross-functional teams in several quality and operational excellence disciplines. • Designed and global process ownership: new Quality Management System (QMS), supplier audit and qualification, New Product Development (PPAP/APQP). • Continuous Improvement Program management: Introduced and run implementation of Lean Six Sigma program (operational excellence cross-functional teams) – leader of global Value Stream program (E2E cross-functional process improvement). Accomplishments in process efficiency enhancement (new process governance, standardization and simplification) and operational performance improvement (supplier performance, risk management and compliance). Organised Lean Six Sigma YB trainings. • Foster partnership with global pool of suppliers. Building solid relationships is one of my strengths. • E-mobility (e-bike) core technology: electric motors, batteries, displays / HMI, cable, wires, harness, sensors.
• Supported global clients in quality assurance and continuous improvement strategic programs (quality management, supplier auditing and development, leading Operational Excellence / continuous improvement projects, DMAIC and strategic change management)..
• Led European Supplier Quality organisation; managed 45 Quality Managers & Engineers in 15 production sites in Europe, ME and India. Member of Global Procurement leadership team. • Significantly improved quality performance of four Business Units by 30%-50% p.a.. • Drove organizational and system transformation of quality organization. Accountable for creation of new quality strategy (2018-2020), review of quality toolbox, strategic quality planning (NPI) and risk management. • Enhanced collaboration and integrate quality teams (matrix org.) within and across the regions (EMEIA, AM, APAC). • Led Supplier Quality Audit program – managed 12 auditors, accountable for yearly planning, coaching and training of auditors (qualification of new auditors), audit follow up and development of suppliers. Successfully completed more than 190 supplier assessments in 3 years, leading to outstanding quality improvement, cost reduction and business risk mitigation. • Led global, cross-functional Task Force teams for problem solving and root cause analysis of major, escalated quality and warranty claims (8D, Lean & Six Sigma tools, CI improvement projects) • Developed and implemented Regional Supplier Development program. • Established Quality Reporting and Review process for all BUs/sites. • Led harmonization and standardisation of global processes - developed and led successful implementation of several quality assurance and supply chain risk management processes and tools: Supplier Audit (supplier evaluation & qualification), New Product Introduction incl. advanced quality planning PPAP/APQP, Supplier Quality KPI definition, Claims & Warranty Management (NCR, 8D), Supply Chain Risk Monitoring. • Responsible for talent development and strategical resource planning. Coaching and training of internal stakeholders and senior management. Successfully foster quality culture among senior leadership team and continuous improvement mindset at factory level.
• Global quality responsibility for a major product group (>65% of total sales). Management of approx. 20 strategic suppliers (metal cold forming, roll forming, galvanic coatings, thermoplastic materials, injection moulding plastic components). • Functional management of 3 Quality Engineers in Europe and Asia. Successfully developed new competences and improve efficiency of global quality team. • Led Quality Planning for New Product Development (NPI New Product Introduction) using gate-stage model APQP: qualification/validation and approval of new products and parts, supplier and process audit (VDA 6.3), risk assessment (FMEA). Managed quality assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) activities. • Successfully developed several suppliers to meet company’s targets by implementing Lean and Six Sigma tools. Improved quality performance by reducing number of warranty and customer claims by 5-8% p.a. and reducing TCO cost by 3-5% p.a. Achieved no customer claims for all newly developed products in period of 2015-2018. • Strategic improvement & OPEX: Introduced several Lean tools (VSM, Ishikawa, 8D, 5Y/problem solving tools, D-FMEA, P-FMEA, SPC, MSA, Poka-Yoke) in the daily operation of quality department and global external operations. • Coached and trained (QA, QC) several Quality Engineers in EMEA and APAC regions.