Damien's expertise in leadership and finance has been built over a 29 year career in key finance and general management roles in an international, multicultural and multilingual environment. He is fluent in French, English, German and Spanish. He also has a strong experience in project management. His leadership capabilities allowed him to gain a valuable experience in turnaround, restructuring and change management in companies owed by private equity or venture capital companies. In addition, Damien is accustomed to working efficiently in matrix or cross functional organisations.

Professional background

Prior to joining "Harlan" (2004 - 2010), Damien held during 22 years senior management positions as Manager Financial Controls, CFO, Deputy General Manager and General Manager in companies across several industries (construction, telecommunications, energy, life sciences). These companies were mainly based in France and Switzerland. During this period he gained a strong experience and expertise in Finance and support functions as well as in project management. At the same time, he developed his leadership capabilities and moved progressively to General Management positions. In 2004 he joined Harlan based in Switzerland as Chief Financial Officer. During 2005 he was leading the due diligence process as the Harlan Group was acquired by GENSTAR a private equity company based in California (USA). During this period he implemented new accounting and controlling methods according to international standards. Damien was as well a member of the group steering committee who sponsored the implementation of the "JDE" ERP, worldwide. He was as well involved in operations and had the responsibility of the Spanish and Indian subsidiaries. Three major capital expenditure projects where realized during this period. In 2007, Damien was appointed General Manager Switzerland, Germany, Spain and member of the CRS Division Management Committee. He had the overall responsibility of three legal entities and 5 sites with near 900 employees. He played a crucial role in the global pricing steering committee. During this period, he launched and implemented two major projects: the outsourcing project for non core activities, and the processes' reengineering project. During the last quarter of 2010, Damien decided to provide global consultancy services, headquartered in Switzerland.

Education and qualifications

Damien holds a Master and higher degree in accounting & controlling from the University of Haute Alsace (France). He is an MCE Business Mentor.

Personal

Damien is French and conducts his workshops in English, French, German and Spanish.