1) Client situation (anonymised):
A global, private equity-owned manufacturer of bespoke consumer goods faced a critical operational crisis in Poland. The site, once a reliable part of the group’s delivery chain, had lost alignment with group standards following an acquisition. Morale, responsiveness, and client confidence had visibly declined. With U.S. stakeholders demanding fast, measurable progress, the business required immediate leadership to restore stability and operational control. A permanent hire would have taken too long, risking further deterioration.
2) The challenge:
- Declining morale and visible fatigue across the factory team
- Escalating client dissatisfaction and risk of lost business
- Leadership vacuum with unclear accountability and slow decision-making
- Disengaged talent and key management departures
- Breakdown of operational cadence and reporting discipline
- Misalignment between headquarters expectations and local execution
- Bureaucratic processes and lack of agility on the shop floor
- High workload, vacancies, and overloaded teams
3) Interim role delivered (speed and fit):
An Interim General Manager was rapidly deployed to take full operational responsibility for the Polish site. The assignment was structured as a 9–12 month mandate to ensure continuity from stabilization through to sustainable performance. The interim leader was selected for immediate availability, proven turnaround experience at this site, and fluency in both English and Polish. This ensured credibility with both local teams and international stakeholders. The cross-border context required someone able to bridge U.S. owner expectations with Polish operating reality, restoring trust and cadence quickly.
4) What happened during the mandate:
First 30 days
- Assumed full operational control and clarified reporting lines
- Conducted rapid assessment of team structure, morale, and process gaps
- Re-established weekly and monthly KPI reviews with finance and operations
- Initiated immediate actions to reduce obsolete stock and free up production space
- Engaged directly with key managers to rebuild accountability and ownership
First 6 months
- Embedded a structured cadence of fact-based reviews across finance, HR, and quality
- Aligned local leadership with group objectives and clarified decision rights
- Launched a people engagement survey to diagnose and address morale issues
- Streamlined production scheduling and improved shop floor monitoring
- Reduced external warehouse dependency by optimizing internal logistics
- Supported heads of projects to take visible ownership of results and action plans
6+ months
- Sustained operational improvements and scaled best practices across teams
- Developed and mentored local leaders to ensure continuity beyond the interim period
- Maintained transparent communication with U.S. stakeholders, demonstrating progress at each review
- Prepared the organization for a smooth transition to permanent leadership
Handover and exit
- Transferred knowledge and operational frameworks to the incoming permanent general manager
- Ensured all critical processes and reporting cadences were institutionalized
- Conducted final alignment sessions with local and group stakeholders to secure ongoing stability
- Exited with clear performance metrics and a confident, engaged leadership team in place
5) Actions taken (execution focus):
- Restored weekly and monthly reporting cadence with clear KPI ownership
- Clarified roles, responsibilities, and decision rights across the management team
- Reduced obsolete inventory and freed up production and warehouse capacity
- Implemented structured operational reviews with finance, HR, and quality
- Launched and analyzed a people engagement survey to address morale
- Improved internal production scheduling and shop floor monitoring
- Facilitated cross-border alignment between U.S. owners and local teams
- Supported and coached local leaders to take visible ownership of results
- Embedded a culture of fact-based decision-making and accountability
- Reduced reliance on external warehousing through internal process improvements
6) Outcomes achieved (measurable proof):
- Operational cadence and reporting discipline restored within 90 days
- Production space utilization improved, freeing up nearly half of pallet locations
- External warehouse costs reduced through better inventory management
- Leadership accountability and decision speed visibly increased
- Morale and engagement improved, as measured by survey participation and feedback
- Escalation incidents with clients and owners reduced
- Stakeholder confidence rebuilt through transparent, fact-based reviews
- Sustainable processes and governance frameworks embedded for long-term stability
- (End of mandate) Organization transitioned smoothly to permanent leadership with no disruption
7) Why CE Interim:
CE Interim delivered a rapid, precise interim solution tailored to the urgency and complexity of the mandate. The interim general manager was deployed quickly, with proven experience in both turnaround and cross-border stakeholder management. CE Interim’s disciplined approach ensured restored cadence, clear governance, and trust across both local and group levels. The mandate moved forward safely, with visible progress and reduced risk for owners and leadership.
8) Call to action:
If you need an interim general manager to restore operational cadence and stakeholder confidence in a critical manufacturing environment, CE Interim can deliver the right leader quickly and reliably.
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.
