Mike Paternoga

Head of Operations - Brandt Group | Multi-Site Manufacturing | Food & FMCG | MBA

Kerken, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

About

Operations & engineering leader with 20+ years in food and FMCG. Expertise in plant start-ups, production scaling, and transformation leadership. Driving operational & organisational excellence, efficiency, and sustainable growth across international manufacturing networks.

Experience

  • Head of Operations at Brandt Zwieback-Schokoladen GmbH + Co. KG
    Feb 2026 - Present · 6 mos

  • Head of Operations at Vivara/CJ Wildbird Foods
    Aug 2023 - Jan 2026 · 2 yrs 6 mos

    Led the setup and operations of a new German production site, transferring manufacturing from the UK and introducing performance-driven processes.

  • Persönliche Zielverfolgung at Career Break
    Jun 2023 - Jul 2023 · 2 mos

    Completed MBA thesis on Operational Excellence and took a strategic break before the next leadership role.

  • Head of Factory at Active Nutrition International GmbH
    Apr 2022 - May 2023 · 1 yr 2 mos

    Directed operations and engineering at the Voerde factory, driving performance, lean initiatives, and investment planning as authorised signatory.

  • Head of Technology at Natsu Group
    2016 - 2022 · 6 yrs

    Head of technology, managing engineering, CAPEX and efficiency projects across sites in DE/NL/BE, while harmonising technical standards.