Irmgard Drey
Selfemployed - Interims Management in M&A Environments
Experience
Selfemployed - Interims Management in M&A Environments
Irmgard Drey e.K.
- Consulting and implementation in the areas of human resources, finance, and IT for medium-sized companies in the telecommunications, plant engineering, real estate, metal processing, pharmaceutical, and energy supply sectors
- Setting up and redesigning HR departments—specifically in carve-out or merger environments
- Management coaching and interim HR management
- HR IT: SAP HCM implementation of various requirements, compensation management, works agreements, outsourcing, payroll, budget planning/HR controlling
- Centralised support and advice to management on HR strategy and end-of-year reporting processes
- Developing company pension schemes, building reporting tools, and generating HR/payroll reports
- Implementing the Company Pensions Strengthening Act and designing corporate frameworks
- Developing coordinated training programs for departments and department managers
- Junior manager coaching
- Compensation/benefits, recruiting, interviews, search
- Introducing time management with SAP HCM, process optimisation for time tracking, general data protection regulation document management, etc.
- Digitisation project for tax audits, such as personnel files and expense compensation for employees in the construction industry
- Cost reduction projects to improve operational efficiency
- Leading negotiations with works councils and economic committees
- Redesigning compensation concepts in personnel management—fit for the future.
Global HR Transformation & PMI / Carve-out - Interim Senior HR / Change & PMI Lead
(Industry / Technology)
Tasks
- Leading HR workstreams in multiple post-merger and carve-out projects (EU/international)
- Harmonising contracts, company agreements, compensation and HR policies
- Providing sparring support to the board, management, legal, and people & culture teams Results / KPIs
- Harmonised over 85% of all HR regulations within 9 months
- Reduced HR-related PMI risks by over 40% (audit & legal findings)
- On-time PMI implementation without delaying the business go-live
- Acceptance rate of new HR standards among leaders over 90%
Post-Merger Integration HR - Interim HR & Payroll Transformation Lead
Tasks
- Reorganising HR and payroll support structures
- Introducing integrated time management
- Coordinating with the parent company
- Recruiting specialists
- Budget planning and succession planning
Results / KPIs
- Stabilised payroll within 3 months
- Works agreements
- Introduced transparent time management for over 20 employees
- Works council approval of all new models without escalation
Compensation & Benefits International - Interim C&B / HR Systems Lead
(Pharma / Biotech)
Tasks
- Integrating international C&B structures into SAP HCM
- Building budget, forecast, and reporting logic
- Audit-proof documentation
Results / KPIs
- International comparability of compensation data for 100% of target roles
- Shortened budget and forecast cycles by ~25%
- Successful internal and external audits without findings
HR Systems & Payroll Excellence - Interim SAP HCM / Payroll Expert
Tasks
- Optimising reporting requirements (DEÜV, A1, social security, international)
- Harmonising master data and wage types
- Quality assurance after system updates Results / KPIs
- Reduced reporting error rate to under 0.3%
- Cut manual corrections by over 50%
- Stable payroll processes after releases from the first payroll run
Global HR Shared Services Build-out - Interim Head of HR Shared Services
(Industriekonzern)
Responsibilities
- Set up and lead an international HR service center
- Manage external payroll providers (e.g., ADP)
- Implement governance, SLA, and reporting structures Results / KPIs
- Established an SSC for over 6 countries / more than 5,000 employees
- Reduced payroll cycle times by ~30%
- Achieved provider SLA compliance >98%
- Saved about 20% annually in HR operating costs
Founder, Managing Director
TripleCar GmbH
- Spearheaded the expansion of service lines encompassing vehicle and real estate trading, international vehicle rentals, hospitality, and business consulting, aligning operational objectives across strategy, personnel, systems, and coaching functions
- Built payroll-system for the rapid expansion of private hire transport operations in 2 new expanison markets
- Led 40 employees in various sectors of the secondary automotive transport market
- Increased revenues year on year expanding self-drive rentals to 3 new countries within the EU and 50+ Vehicles on the road
- Secured key partnerships with international mobility providers and financial institutions, enabling expansion of service offerings and solidifying TripleCar GmbH's position within the European mobility and real estate sectors.
Payroll & HR Transformation - Interim Head of Payroll / HR Operations
(Energie / Infrastruktur)
Responsibilities
- Stabilize error-prone SAP HCM payroll processes
- Ensure year-end closings, audits, and special payroll runs
- Integrate time management and collective bargaining rules Results / KPIs
- Reduced payroll error rate from over 6% to under 0.5%
- 100% on-time payroll within three payroll cycles
- Successful external audits with no findings
- Significant reduction in escalations from business units (-60%)
Carve-out & Restructuring - Interim HR Director / Payroll Lead
Responsibilities
- HR-side separation of multiple entities including SAP HCM separation
- Introduction of new working time and shift models
- Social plan, transfer company, staff reduction Results / KPIs
- Successful carve-out with no interruption of payroll
- Legally compliant handling of over 100 transfer and severance cases
- Introduction of new shift models for more than 1,000 employees
- Led a team of 14 in the HR shared service center
Audit Support & HR System Landscape Build-out - Interim HR Consultant
Responsibilities
- Support social security and tax audits
- Build a new HR system landscape (SAP system transformation)
- Roll out new time management processes Results / KPIs
- Error-free audit execution
- Successful SAP transformation with zero downtime
- Fully integrated, automated, and error-free time management
Payroll Reorganization & Leadership Coaching - Interim Payroll Lead / HR Coach
Responsibilities
- Stabilized payroll after leadership change
- Coached new HR and payroll leaders
- SAP customizing, testing, regulatory reporting
Results / KPIs
- Successfully handed over to new leadership after 6 months
- Established sustainable backup and knowledge-sharing structures
- Increased team satisfaction (internal feedback) by >30 %
Reorganization & Team Leadership for HR Business Partners and Payroll - Interim HR Business Partner and Payroll Lead
Telecommunications
Responsibilities
- Compensation and benefits management
- Filling leadership positions
- Strategic realignment of departments
- Led teams in 2 departments
Results / KPIs
- Error-free processing of >1,500 payroll cases
- Separation support
- BEM (company integration management) interviews
- Leadership coaching
- 100% implementation of digital personnel file
CEO / Financial Management
Mac Cicero GmbH
- B2B - advertising agency and general advertising services
- PR-Branding in the pharmaceutical industry especially for congresses and fairs
- Directed financial planning and resource allocation initiatives to sustain business growth in the competitive pharmaceutical sector, aligning fiscal strategies with long-term organizational objectives.
Entrepreneur / Managing Director
Irmgard Drey e.K.
- General management consulting and related services, particularly in the areas of human resources, strategy, systems, consulting, and coaching
- Directed operational improvements by restructuring internal workflows, streamlining project management processes, and guiding cross- department collaboration to support sustainable organizational growth in different industries.
Payroll-Accounting Management
Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH
- Assumed management responsibility for payroll accounting for ca. 3,500 individual accounting cases with 4 employees under management
- Implemented and introduced an international accounting software SAP R/3 with data transfer from legacy systems
- Took over the billing and payroll-accounting for Saturn Electro- Handelsgesellschaft mbH with approx. 1000 billing cases
- Established payroll systems in the expansion countries and led the introduction of the SAP HR modules OM, PA, PY and PT
- Expansion of national personnel administration and accounting into an internationally operating Competence Center (CC) HRIS with the following structure: National service center "Accounting" with the main tasks of file management, time management, personnel data maintenance, data maintenance for organizational management, preparation of monthly accounting Service, process and product management Accounting and special support "Top management both nationally and internationally"
- HR-Controlling Business Partner - Country Support
- Developed international HR payroll policy with communication concept for policy competence
- Business process management
- Business development: developed and implemented professional excellence in the HR Services & Processes department; led the development of internal communication and work platform for HR-PY managers
- International project management with quality and risk management
- Led the Post-Merger-Integration of HR Processes and Systems
- Led specialist team for Due Diligence of HR Systems for mergers and acquisitions
- Organised and coordinated workshops for human resources strategy development
- Reengineering of business process for efficient human resource management
- Intra-company change management consultation
- Great Place to Work – managed and coordinated the development of an information and communication concept
- In cooperation developed and introduced the HR-IT roadmap
- Establishment and expansion of an international HR controlling agency
- Developed and implement strategic and operational HR reports
- Introduction of SAP BW with international rollout
- Consolidated international payroll and personnel administration processes, ensuring seamless alignment with regulatory frameworks across multiple expansion markets.
Authorized Signatory
Rheinhold & Mahla Unterstützungskasse GmbH
- Administered legal and financial obligations as an authorized signatory for the in-house support fund, ensuring accurate documentation and regulatory adherence during fund transactions and stakeholder communication.
Human Resources Department - Taskforce | IT-Coordinator
Rheinhold & Mahla AG
- Communicative bridge between employees and payroll-management
- Active member of internal cost committee for the reduction of general administrative costs
- Statistics and ad-hoc reporting for general labor cost oversight
- Support fund management for in-house retirement fund
- Prepared and managed pension commitments for unionized and senior employees
- Processed due diligence for employee construction loans
- Procurement and processing of information for annual / year-end reporting to stakeholders
- Procurement and implementation of new personnel information system at Reinhold & Mahla
- Severely disabled person registration, professional association registrations, State Statistical Office, trade tax breakdown, contributions for the various employers' associations, contribution splitting for the occupational and occupational health service, Chamber of Commerce and Industry membership fees
- Generalist support function operational departments in preparation of documents related to foreign contract workers
- Led team for the settlement and adjustment of pension benefits
- Coordinated cross-functional collaboration to streamline pension benefit calculations, ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory requirements and enhancing process transparency.
Human Resources Department - HR Coordination
Siemens AG
- Payroll-Management and execution
- Travel-Expense-Reporting
- Account reconciliation
- Domestic and foreign secondments
- Processing of hiring, transfers and terminations, appointments and contract changes.
Industries Experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.
Experienced in Professional Services (29.5 years), Pharmaceutical (26 years), Advertising (26 years), Retail (24.5 years), Manufacturing (8 years), and Energy (4 years).
Business Areas Experience
The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.
Experienced in Human Resources (40.5 years), Project Management (33 years), Strategy (28 years), Finance (27.5 years), Marketing (26 years), and Accounting (24.5 years).
Summary
Senior HR executive with many years of international experience leading HR and HRIS transformation programs in the context of carve-outs, mergers & acquisitions, and post-merger integrations. Specialised in stabilising and realigning HR and SAP HCM landscapes, data harmonisation, organisation design, governance, and overseeing global workstreams. Strong leader, confident decision-maker, and experienced in handling complex stakeholders, international management teams, and external providers. Highly skilled in separating, migrating, and reintegrating HR processes and systems—with a clear focus on business continuity, compliance, and sustainable process quality.
Skills
- Income Tax Law
- Social Security Law
- Labor Law
- Coaching Training - Dehner Academy
- Sap R/3 Hr - Modular Programming
Languages
Education
Fernuniversität Hagen
Intermediate diploma with subject-specific higher education entrance qualification · Economics · Hagen, Germany
Telekolleg München
University Entrance Qualification · Munich, Germany
Evening school (adult education center)
Certifications & licenses
Boating License SBF Sea And Inland Navigation
Certificate Of Participation In The Training According To Section 4 Paragraph 1 No. 4 Of The Restaurant Act
Certificate Of Professional Suitability For Domestic And International Transport By Taxi And Rental Car
Passenger Transport License - (Taxi)
Profile
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