Short biography
I became CEO of an electronic contract manufacturer in 2005, in 2015 I took it to become a medical device CDMO (contract design & manufacturing organisation) with FDA listing. In 20019 we brought in a PE and in 2021 I brought an outside CEO to take my place, staying as Executive Director until we sold 100% to a large PE in 2023. During my time the company grew from 170 to 1,500 employees and 2 factories in China as well as 1 in Thailand, an R&D centre in Israel and sales in Europe & US.
Main skills
Strategic Planning throughout the pyramid of vision, goals, top level strategy, basic strategy, tactics and operational.
Leadership: managing through internal-entrepreneurs & leadership teams (VPs, EVPs, etc…), leading through inspiration and self-motivation, etc…
Operational Excellence in manufacturing.
Medical/FDA requirements in Manufacturing & Quality Assurance & control
Profitability in complex operating environment
Zero defect manufacturing (it’s never zero, but the point is the organisation understands that is a main goal during manufacturing and designs the whole process and support around it)
Sales processes & funnel design
Design for manufacturability
Delegating in leadership
I know the above seems like a lot of capabilities, but running a company for 16 years I had to learn everything and do it relatively well – otherwise the company would not have survived…I also know what it looks like when someone capable is doing it, so this is just a partial list
Areas of interest for mentoring
Young entrepreneurs about to set off, especially from engineering & business background
Mid-level management going into senior management
Perhaps most importantly – new CEOs (within first 2-3 years) – this is a lonely job that is unlike senior management or any other management by an order of magnitude. I’ve made lots of the mistakes, would like to help others avoid them
Motivation to be a mentor
I became a CEO at 29 years old, I was not prepared, not supported and didn’t have resources. Thus, I made a ton of mistakes and suffered over many years until I found my feet. Most of the things that made me much better at my job as CEO aren’t rocket science but can be hard to figure out on your own, I’d like to help leaders be better, have more fun being leaders and work more effectively.
Availability for mentoring sessions
- Face to face;
- Online meeting.