1386 Interim Multi-Plant Turnaround CEO / CRO – Europe

About Our Client:

Our client is a European industrial group operating manufacturing sites in several European countries, supplying engineered materials and semi-finished products into consumer-facing end markets. Performance in one part of the business has become fragmented and inconsistent: declining volume and contribution, pricing and costing discipline that varies from site to site, and a leadership gap that has prevented previous strategy work from turning into execution. The operations are viable individually, but they have never been run as a single platform.

CE Interim has been appointed to place an Interim Manager to lead a dedicated, time-bound turnaround of this business, bringing manufacturing footprint, supply chain, pricing and product strategy under one accountable leader. The mandate runs for a defined period and concludes once the turnaround objectives have been delivered and are running independently.

Further mandate details will be shared with qualified Interim Managers under a signed non-disclosure agreement.

Project Description:

The Interim Multi-Plant Turnaround CEO takes full, CEO-level ownership of a defined 12 to 18 month turnaround across a multi-site manufacturing business, with direct accountability for turning a fragmented network into a single, disciplined, value-creating platform.

• Holds overall accountability for turnaround performance across the network, reporting to group leadership
• Leads a full diagnostic across financial, commercial and operational performance by site, customer and product in the first 90 days, defining scope, milestones and governance
• Builds and secures approval for a recovery roadmap covering footprint, productivity, supply chain and commercial recovery within the first six months
• Owns execution across pricing, product strategy, costing, customer segmentation and productivity through the core of the assignment
• Establishes consistent pricing, costing and margin governance across a previously inconsistently run multi-site network
• Drives consolidation of the manufacturing footprint, taking clear decisions on which sites to invest in, restructure or exit
• Embeds new performance routines and operating discipline so the turnaround holds once the mandate concludes
• Operates with full executive authority and direct senior access, while staying close enough to site-level reality to know whether the plan is real

Expected Results:

Success is measured in restored profitability, disciplined operations, and a platform strong enough to run on its own once the mandate concludes.

• Sustainable improvement in underlying profitability and contribution margin across the network, not just headline volume
• A rationalised manufacturing footprint, with clear decisions taken on the weakest parts of the network rather than deferred
• Improved cost-to-convert through better productivity, yield and waste performance
• Restored commercial discipline: consistent pricing, a coherent product strategy, clear customer segmentation and healthier margin quality
• A stronger, more resilient supply chain supporting the consolidated footprint
• Continued growth and new business development running alongside cost and margin recovery, not instead of it
• Performance routines embedded and running independently once the mandate concludes

Interim Manager Required Skills:

A senior industrial CEO or general manager with a direct track record of multi-plant turnaround and European footprint consolidation.

• Proven CEO or senior general management experience in multi-site industrial manufacturing
• Deep, hands-on materials-processing background spanning commercial, operational, technical and financial dimensions
• A confident P&L owner able to connect pricing, product strategy, customer profitability and shopfloor execution
• Experience introducing standard performance routines, KPI discipline and continuous improvement across multiple sites
• Executive credibility at board level, combined with the instinct to test whether a plan is real at site level
• Comfortable holding personal accountability for a defined-length mandate under time pressure
• Decisive on difficult footprint calls without losing the organisation in the process

Track Record Required:

Interim Managers should be ready to provide concise, specific examples of multi-plant turnaround or transformation assignments they have personally led in a materials-processing environment. Each example should cover:

• The scale and structure of the manufacturing network involved
• The starting situation and the mandate given
• The diagnostic approach used to establish the fact base
• The specific actions taken across footprint, supply chain, pricing or product strategy
• The level of authority held, and how full accountability was exercised
• The measurable results achieved, and over what timeframe
• How performance was embedded so it held once the mandate concluded

Priority goes to Interim Managers who have personally led a multi-site turnaround end to end, rather than advised on one.

Key Requirements:

• Direct, personal leadership within manufacturing that transforms bulk or base materials into semi-finished or finished products. General industrial or assembly experience without this materials-processing background will not meet the mandate’s requirements.
• CEO or senior general management leadership of multi-site European industrial operations, with direct P&L ownership
• Direct experience consolidating manufacturing footprints, supply chain, pricing and product strategy as turnaround levers
• Comfortable taking full accountability for a defined-length mandate, not advising on one
• Fluent English is essential. Additional European languages are an advantage.
• Available for a defined 12 to 18 month mandate with regular travel across multiple European locations

Type of Assignment:

Interim

Scope of Interim Assignment:

Turnaround and Transformation

Functional Area of the Interim Manager:

General Management

Location:

Interim CEO / CRO

Duration:

12-18 months

Start Date:

October 2026

Why work with us?

CE Interim delivers proven executive interim leaders within 72 hours across borders, cultures, and industries. We specialize in high-impact interim management for private equity firms, family offices, and global corporations facing moments of transition: digital transformation, market entry, operational turnaround, post-merger integration, or crisis.

What sets us apart is not just the speed or depth of our network, it’s how we lead. Every engagement is personally guided by a CE Interim managing partner: former CEOs, CFOs, or COOs who’ve been on your side of the table, steering organizations through high-stakes decisions.

With a global talent pool and operational reach spanning Europe, the USA, and the Middle East, we don’t fill roles, we build trust, lead transitions, and deliver outcomes.

As part of the Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of Executive Interim Management companies, we ensure seamless international execution through 25+ offices and 80+ senior partners in over 50 countries.

Executive Leadership Breaking Borders. Outcomes Without Compromise.