Simon Schmidt - Founder / Co-CEO / Independent Consultant

Q: Where is Simon based?

Simon is based in Schwetzingen, Germany .

Q: What languages does Simon speak?

Simon speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Advanced), Polish (Advanced), French (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Simon have?

Simon has at least 17 years of experience. During this time, Simon has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 6 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 2 months . Note that Simon may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Simon's latest experience?

Simon's most recent position is Founder / Co-CEO / Independent Consultant at Virtwo GmbH .

Q: What companies has Simon worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Simon has worked for Virtwo GmbH and MBCC Group .

Q: Which industries is Simon most experienced in?

Simon is most experienced in industries like Chemical , Construction , Media, and Entertainment and Publishing . Simon also has some experience in Professional Services and Telecommunication .

Q: Which business areas is Simon most experienced in?

Simon is most experienced in business areas like Project Management , Finance , and Strategy and Planning . Simon also has some experience in Business Intelligence , Marketing , and Accounting .

Q: Which industries has Simon worked in recently?

Simon has recently worked in industries like Media, Entertainment and Publishing , Professional Services , and Telecommunication .

Q: Which business areas has Simon worked in recently?

Simon has recently worked in business areas like Project Management , Finance , and Strategy and Planning .

Recommended expert

Schwetzingen, Germany

Experience

Feb 2022 - Present

4 years 1 month

Schwetzingen, Germany

Founder / Co-CEO / Independent Consultant

Virtwo GmbH

Founded a boutique consultancy
Coached the CEO of a film agency startup on company transformation and scaling the business model
Interim Head of Controlling for a PE-backed telecommunications and fiber optic company
Built and led a company-wide transformation program for a PE-backed telecommunications and fiber optic company

Oct 2021 - Jan 2022

4 months

Mannheim, Germany

Regional Chief Financial Officer

MBCC Group

Interim leadership of the European finance, controlling, and IT functions with over 200 employees
Stabilized the organization after a successful carve-out from BASF

Jan 2021 - Feb 2022

1 year 2 months

Mannheim, Germany

Group Senior Vice President Commercial Excellence / Managing Director

MBCC Group

Led the concept phase of the transformation program
Planned, implemented, and headed the global Commercial Excellence unit
Global responsibility for: Sales Excellence/CRM (Salesforce), Pricing, Digitalization, and the In-house Academy
Managed M&A projects including due diligence

Feb 2019 - Sep 2020

1 year 8 months

Mannheim, Germany

Carve-Out Program Lead

BASF Construction Solutions GmbH

Full responsibility for the operational carve-out of BASF's European construction chemicals business (including TSAs and IT separation)
Led the global standalone workstreams in the carve-out (including vision, mission, values; change management; functional TOMs; and new operating model)
Led and implemented a project to realign corporate management control (completely new KPIs, dashboards, and target-setting processes)

Sep 2017 - Sep 2020

3 years 1 month

Mannheim, Germany

Head of Controlling and Projects Europe

BASF Construction Solutions GmbH

Reported to the Head of the European Business Unit (SVP) and was part of the European Executive Management Team
Led 20+ operational controllers in Continental Europe and a central analysis and project management team
Successfully transformed the controlling unit into an efficient business partner organization (including achieving significant cost savings)
Implemented multiple improvement initiatives
Improved EBITDA by over 50%

Mar 2015 - Aug 2017

2 years 6 months

Austria

Head of Controlling and Projects Central Europe

BASF Österreich GmbH

Implementation of the new regional strategy for Central and Eastern Europe
Leading the European strategy workstream for commercial excellence and market development
Leading the controlling department for Central and Eastern Europe (16 countries)
Transforming the controlling department into a business partner organization including automated BI dashboards
Restructuring the sub-regional customer service organization into an efficient shared-service unit including a new KPI set

Nov 2012 - Feb 2015

2 years 4 months

Warsaw, Poland

Head of Project Management and Controlling

BASF Polska Sp. z o.o.

Full commercial responsibility for a €150m greenfield investment project (automotive catalyst plant)
Leading all functional workstreams to build a 400 FTE site organization
Responsible for transforming existing local functions (including HR, finance, procurement, IT, etc.) to meet requirements after the new site's opening
Leading the local controlling unit

Oct 2008 - Oct 2012

4 years 1 month

Ludwigshafen, Germany

Various Marketing and Business Development Roles

BASF SE

Developing a global business unit strategy (Home Care Chemicals)
Leading projects to evaluate strategic options for divisions (invest/harvest/divest)
Managing cross-functional synergy projects
Scouting new business potentials
Planning and leading industry initiatives (e.g., booth at the furniture fair)
Organizing major customer projects (e.g., key account role for IKEA)
Mentoring a junior staff member
Supporting strategy projects

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 Chemical (13 years), Media and Entertainment (4 years), Professional Services (4 years), Telecommunication (4 years), and Construction (4 years).

Chemical

Media and Entertainment

Professional Services

Telecommunication

Construction

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 Project Management (17 years), Finance (12 years), Strategy (9.5 years), Business Intelligence (4 years), Marketing (4 years), and Accounting (3 years).

Project Management

Finance

Strategy

Business Intelligence

Marketing

Accounting

Summary

I am a highly versatile ex-top manager with hands-on experience from 15 years of career at German corporations and a variety of successfully executed projects.

My inner drive, passion for people and urge to optimize, combined with industry and private equity experience, make me a valuable asset to your project!

Skills

Project/program Management
Business Transformation
Strategy
Performance Steering / Kpi Development
Controlling

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Spanish

Advanced

Polish

Advanced

French

Elementary

Education

Oct 2005 - Sep 2008

Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University

Diploma in Business Informatics (BA) · Mannheim, Germany

Oct 2005 - Sep 2008

The Open University

Bachelor of Arts · Business Administration · London, United Kingdom

Certifications & licenses

Professional SCRUM Master I

Profile

Created

August 2022

Last Update

January 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Simon based?

Simon is based in Schwetzingen, Germany.

What languages does Simon speak?

Simon speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Advanced), Polish (Advanced), French (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Simon have?

Simon has at least 17 years of experience. During this time, Simon has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 6 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 2 months. Note that Simon may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Simon be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Simon would be well-suited for roles such as: Founder / Co-CEO / Independent Consultant, Regional Chief Financial Officer, Group Senior Vice President Commercial Excellence / Managing Director.

What is Simon's latest experience?

Simon's most recent position is Founder / Co-CEO / Independent Consultant at Virtwo GmbH.

What companies has Simon worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Simon has worked for Virtwo GmbH and MBCC Group.

Which industries is Simon most experienced in?

Simon is most experienced in industries like Chemical, Construction, Media, and Entertainment and Publishing. Simon also has some experience in Professional Services and Telecommunication.

Which business areas is Simon most experienced in?

Simon is most experienced in business areas like Project Management, Finance, and Strategy and Planning. Simon also has some experience in Business Intelligence, Marketing, and Accounting.

Which industries has Simon worked in recently?

Simon has recently worked in industries like Media, Entertainment and Publishing, Professional Services, and Telecommunication.

Which business areas has Simon worked in recently?

Simon has recently worked in business areas like Project Management, Finance, and Strategy and Planning.

What is Simon's education?

Simon holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from The Open University.

Does Simon have any certificates?

Simon has 1 certificate: Professional SCRUM Master I.

What is the availability of Simon?

Simon is immediately available for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Simon?

Simon's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.