Transformation Lead

The organisation

Caldic touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every day. They inspire innovative and sustainable solutions in life sciences and specialty chemicals for the food, pharma, personal care, and industrial markets. With a leading presence in Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific, its strengths lie in its global network combined with local expertise. As a result, Caldic has stood out as a rapidly growing, innovation-driven organization in recent years. The company employs about twelve hundred people worldwide, serves over thirty thousand customers, and earns approximately one billion dollars in annual revenues.

Advent International recently acquired Caldic. Advent International is one of the largest independent private equity partnerships. It is highly experienced in the global chemicals industry, investing in well-positioned companies with significant operational and strategic potential to create sustainable value by driving revenue and earnings growth. The transaction will close by the end of Q1 2022.

“We are thrilled that Advent International is stepping in to support us in our next phase. Their commitment will help us to achieve the next level of our growth ambitions and extend our global reach.” – Alexander Wessels, Group CEO

The acquisition by Advent International is expected to accelerate Caldic’s growth and enable it to continue to provide high-quality products and services to customers worldwide. In addition, it allows Caldic to join forces with GTM, the largest independent specialty chemicals distributor in Latin America, which was acquired by Advent International back in 2014. GTM’s strong foothold in Latin America will enhance Caldic’s ability to provide customers with innovative and sustainable products and services. Together, they will become a truly global industry leader that will operate under the Caldic brand and is well-positioned for further growth.

The position

Caldic is a world-leading provider of value-add life sciences and specialty chemicals. PE-investor Advent International has recently acquired the company to accelerate growth. The Transformation Lead will design and execute the global strategy to make that happen. A role with great exposure, impact, and career opportunities.

Tasks & responsibilities

Caldic is looking to reinforce its Transformation Office with two Leads. They will be responsible for the design and execution of Caldic’s global strategy, including commercial, operational, procurement, organizational, digital, M&A, and financial initiatives. They will leverage best practices, prioritize the most critical projects, and allocate resources efficiently. The Transformation Leads will be working closely with the Group CEO, CFO, and Strategic Program Director. Additionally, they will have frequent interactions with Advent International, including the Deal Team and Portfolio Support Group. 

“After two to four years in the Transformation Office, you will be well-equipped for an exciting next step within Caldic. You will learn everything there is to know about our business and work closely with senior leadership.” – Maxime Toth (ex-BCG), Group Strategic Program Director

The Transformation Office (4 FTE in total) will become end-to-end responsible for a set of value creation levers, e.g., commerce or procurement. In operations, for example, the Transformation Leads could get the opportunity to completely redesign Caldic’s practices, taking the company from a collection of acquired business lines to operational excellence at a global scale. This includes, among others, managing the site network and linking operations to other strategic initiatives. Other key topics could be implementing a commercial strategy (e.g., market-based pricing and approaches to cross-selling), making sure Caldic is ready to become a publicly listed company when the moment is opportune, and exploring opportunities in new markets, for example, through M&A.

Developing and driving strategic initiatives will require strong communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, and quantitative modeling skills. The Transformation Leads will work closely with external consultants and project teams from across the organization, helping them deliver targeted results, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, and fostering excellent teamwork. The roles will be based in Rotterdam but will involve frequent travel.

The exposure, impact, and career opportunities make Caldic’s Transformation Office an ideal landing spot for top-tier Strategy Consultants who want to transition to industry leadership. They will work closely with senior management and get the opportunity to redesign a company end-to-end on a global scale.

Candidate profile

Requirements*

• Over two years at a top-tier strategy consulting firm
• Transformations and project management experience
• Intercultural and pro-active mindset
• English plus at least one other language

* Research shows that while male candidates feel confident enough to apply when they meet about 60% of the requirements, female candidates only apply when they tick every box. So if this role has your name on it, but you’re not sure about the criteria, we still want to hear from you.

Interested? 

You can apply to this position by using the link below. Caldic is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.