Operations, Transformation & Supply Chain
Thirty years turning complex industrial and consumer operations into efficient, high-performing organisations. Through Optero I partner with companies navigating growth, transformation or cost pressure, on consulting and advisory mandates across Switzerland and internationally.
Does this sound like your week?
Eight situations I get called into, and exactly what you get.
Operations & Performance
How do I bring my costs back in line with my volumes?
We find the real cost drivers and fix the biggest ones first.
- Cost baseline and driver map
- Savings roadmap with a business case
- Renegotiated 3PL terms
How do I get my supply chain ready for the next stage of growth?
We debottleneck the flows and resize the network for where you are going.
- Flow and capacity diagnostic
- Network options with a business case
- Service back under control
How do I make my supply chain resilient to the next disruption?
We map the vulnerabilities, close the critical gaps, and build in the right buffers.
- A risk and vulnerability map
- A mitigation plan for critical flows
- Scenario-tested continuity
Transformation & Change
How do I get my ERP programme to land and stick?
We reset scope and governance, and put the business in the owner's seat.
- Honest status and a realistic roadmap
- Governance and decision cadence
- An adoption plan the business owns
How do I know which digital and AI investments will actually pay?
We separate the hype from the few use cases that pay, check your data is honestly ready, and govern them through to benefit.
- Digital and AI use cases ranked by value and feasibility
- A data-readiness check
- A business case and benefits tracking
How do I make change stick in my teams?
We align your leaders, coach your managers, and make improvement routine.
- Change plan with clear ownership
- Coached managers
- Routines that outlast me
Programmes & Integration
How do I get a clear view of my project portfolio?
One list, one set of criteria, one governance rhythm.
- A PMO up and running
- A prioritised portfolio
- An executive dashboard
How do I get my post-merger integration back on track?
We integrate around the customer and harmonise in the right order.
- Day-1 and day-100 roadmap
- A harmonised operating model
- Synergy tracking
How I can help
Consulting and advisory mandates, hands-on when needed and strategic throughout.
Operations & Performance
Running and improving operations, and turning them into measurable results.
- Operations & Operational Excellence
- Supply Chain & Logistics
- Cost & Performance Improvement
Transformation & Change
ERP and SAP backbone, advanced planning, data and dashboards, automation readiness, and the change that makes them stick.
- Digital Transformation & Change
- Change Management & Coaching
Programmes & Integration
Governing, delivering and rescuing complex programmes, including post-merger integration.
- PMO & Portfolio Governance
- M&A & Post-Merger Integration
- Project & Programme Recovery
Selected results
Digital transformation
Governed the group digital-transformation portfolio and led a 2,500-user SAP GLOBE rollout with 100% adoption and no disruption.
Process optimisation & debottlenecking
Standardised and debottlenecked processes across 30+ markets, embedding Lean continuous improvement that delivered 22% efficiency gains.
Cost & service performance
Redesigned networks and cost-to-serve to cut logistics cost by 16% and supply-chain cost by 10%, while improving service and safety.
What colleagues say
A few words from people I have worked with and led over the years, from their LinkedIn recommendations.
When Philippe took over, he quickly saw that our team was working in silos. He led us on a remarkable journey to becoming a high-performing team, growing together like never before. He was one of my most inspiring managers and a genuine coach in every situation.
Lorenz Schneeweiss-Schuetz · Regional Manager, Supply Chain & Procurement Technology · Nestlé
Philippe is a strategic and thoughtful leader who consistently aligns initiatives with business objectives, ensuring maximum value from every investment. With a genuinely user-focused mindset, he excels at balancing risk, innovation and operational needs.
Angela Willows · CFO, Macphie (ex-Nestlé) · Scottish Female CFO of the Year 2026
When Philippe ran our global portfolio, it was organised as meticulously as a Swiss watch. He gave clear visibility on status and trends, and always made sure, patiently, that open actions were followed up. He also shared his knowledge generously to get our whole project team on the same page.
Pete Becker · IT Solutions Lead, Procurement · Nestlé
Three ways to start
Every mandate begins with a short call. From there, one of three shapes usually fits.
Diagnostic
2 to 5 daysA short, sharp look at the real problem before you commit to anything bigger.
- Findings from the ground, not from the reports
- A prioritised plan with a business case
- A straight recommendation, including doing nothing
Right when: You sense something is wrong and want clarity first.
Project mandate
3 to 12 monthsWe deliver the change with your team, not instead of it, and leave the capability behind.
- A team that owns the result
- Delivery protected while the change lands
- Capability that stays after I leave
Right when: You have decided to act and want experienced hands to make it happen.
Advisory
A few days a monthA senior sounding board for you and your leadership team, without adding headcount.
- Sparring on the decisions that matter
- Governance and a review cadence that sticks
- Coaching for your managers
Right when: You have the team, and you want experienced challenge.
Not sure which one fits? Start with the call and we will work it out together.
Book a callMy method: Go · See · Think · Do
A Lean mindset applied to programme and project management. Rather than steer from status reports alone, I start where the work actually happens.
Go
Go to the ground. I start at the Gemba, with the teams and the reality of the operation, not only the reports.
See
See the facts. I map the processes, data, bottlenecks and dependencies objectively, so decisions rest on evidence.
Think
Think it through. I structure the problem, set clear priorities and governance, and design solutions with the people who do the work.
Do
Do with discipline. I execute against clear KPIs, remove waste, standardise what works and improve continuously.
Executive perspective, hands-on delivery, and a people-first style that makes change stick.
Hands-on strategic and operational expertise, kept current
Alongside thirty years of practice, I keep my toolkit current through EPFL advanced studies (MAS + CAS).
Digital & Data
Turning data into decisions across the value chain, and governing the investment that gets you there.
- Data strategy for value chains
- Demand sensing and forecast analytics
- Digital twins
- LLM and AI for planning and decision support
- Advanced planning platforms (o9, OMP)
- Governance of digital and AI investment
Resilience
Building supply chains that absorb shocks instead of amplifying them.
- Risk and vulnerability mapping
- Scenario testing and stress cases
- Business continuity for critical flows
- Network and sourcing robustness
Risk Management
Governing risk, dependencies and priorities across complex portfolios.
- Portfolio and programme risk governance
- Dependency and interface management
- Prioritisation under constraint
- The MoR framework in practice
Sustainability
Leading operations that are efficient with resources, not just with cost.
- Resource-efficient operations
- Sustainable supply chain design
- Sustainability embedded in operating routines
Three decades of industrial leadership, kept current
I am a senior operations and transformation leader with thirty years of international experience at Nestlé, across Switzerland, Ukraine, France, Germany and the United States. I have led supply chain and logistics organisations, a group digital-transformation portfolio, and programme management offices, always with full accountability for delivery, cost and performance.
Optero is the consulting company I founded to do that work. I am a Lean Leader Champion (EPFL), completing an EPFL Master in Sustainable & Resilient Supply Chains, and I work fluently in French, German and English.
Optero stands for Operations, Performance, Transformation, Excellence, Resilience, Outcomes. For interim executive mandates, where I take the seat and the accountability myself, see schmid-philippe.ch.
Let's talk
Based in Switzerland, available for mandates locally and internationally.