Stefan Leirich - Director Procurement Europe

Q: Where is Stefan based?

Stefan is based in Munich, Germany and prefers 100% remote projects.

Q: What languages does Stefan speak?

Stefan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Stefan have?

Stefan has at least 19 years of experience. During this time, Stefan has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 5 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 2 months . Note that Stefan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Stefan's latest experience?

Stefan's most recent position is Director Procurement Europe at Zarges Holding GmbH .

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

In recent years, Stefan has worked for Zarges Holding GmbH and SJL Management & Consulting .

Q: Which industries is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in industries like Automotive , Professional Services , and Healthcare . Stefan also has some experience in Manufacturing .

Q: Which business areas is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in business areas like Procurement and Purchasing , Supply Chain Management , and Strategy and Planning . Stefan also has some experience in Quality Assurance (QA) .

Q: Which industries has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Manufacturing .

Q: Which business areas has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in business areas like Procurement and Purchasing and Supply Chain Management .

Recommended expert

Munich, Germany

Experience

Sep 2019 - Mar 2022

2 years 7 months

Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany

Director Procurement Europe

Zarges Holding GmbH

Headed the establishment of a procurement organisation in Europe, including Lead-Buyer and NPD Buyer roles for the region as well as e-procurement and procurement tools.
Started global sourcing.
Drove increase in savings by three times from 2019 to 2020, reduced suppliers by 10%, quality complaints by 15% and improved on-time delivery by 10%.
Inspired a high-performance team of more than 60 purchasing managers, regional lead buyers, supervisors supplier quality, supplier quality engineers, commodity buyers, NPD buyers and planner buyers through regular training, coaching and mentoring.
Administered a spending budget of $200M for more than 10 production plants and regional distribution centres in Europe.
Reduced costs by 3% EBITDA increase through effective negotiation, standardisation, VEVA/design to cost, BCCS, SCM, benchmarking, MoB, buy and resale, market analysis, relocation, outsourcing, insourcing and consolidation activities.
Supervised formulation and implementation of category strategies with a rolling forecast by category.
Set up SSC in Hungary including NPD, commodity and supplier quality function.

Jan 2019 - Present

7 years 2 months

Munich, Germany

Owner & Interim Executive

SJL Management & Consulting

Provided specialised consultancy services for the development and execution of purchase organisations local, regional, and global SMEs and MNEs.
Consulted and trained organisations in purchase best practices and theory.
Directed purchase organisations in setting performance KPIs for CSF of business, designing cost-saving programs, organising and developing high-performance purchase teams.
Transformed organisations to strategic purchasing and solved supply issues in taskforces.

Dec 2015 - Jun 2019

3 years 7 months

Munich, Germany

Global Category Manager & Purchasing Manager Imaging

Agfa-Gevaert HealthCare GmbH

Directed the creation and execution of an Imaging Business Division purchase organisation in Europe and Asia, mentoring 43 purchasing managers, supervisors supplier development, supplier development engineers, buyers and planner buyers.
Achieved a twofold increase in savings from 2016 to 2017, improved on-time delivery to 95%, and reduced quality complaints by 20% and suppliers by 15%.
Produced PPV budgeting and rolling forecast by category for a spend budget of €350M across five production plants in Europe and Asia.
Devised a Lead-Buyer concept, global sourcing, e-procurement tools, category strategies and program cost target achievement before and after SOP until EOSL.

Jul 2010 - Nov 2015

5 years 5 months

Berlin, Germany

Purchasing Manager BU

Visteon Deutschland GmbH

Spearheaded 37 commodity, program, VGSS buddy and operations buyers and supplier quality engineers in the establishment of a business unit purchase organisation in Europe.
Managed a $500M budget spend for 10 production plants in Europe, including econ budgeting and rolling forecast by plant.
Delivered savings of 30%, cost BOMs 5% below target, reduced quality complaints by 10% and failure parts by 20%, and improved on-time delivery to 98%.
Steered preparation and implementation of commodity strategies, program cost target achievement and actions for product cost optimisation.

Oct 2008 - Jun 2010

1 year 9 months

Schwaikheim, Germany

Corporate Quality Manager

Schefenacker Group Services GmbH

Central coordination and optimisation of the group quality management system according to ISO/TS 16949:2002.
Coordinated internal and external audits including planning, performing, root cause analysis and corrective actions.
Implemented process management software globally.
Professionally led 18 quality management representatives.

Apr 2007 - Jun 2010

3 years 3 months

Schwaikheim, Germany

Global Commodity Manager

Schefenacker Group Services GmbH

Controlled creation and execution of strategies and budgets per commodity and region (NA, Europe, AP), including negotiations and development of local, regional and global contracts.
Trained and motivated 15 lead buyers.
Administered a budget spend of €200M.
Oversaw strategic supplier nomination, development and evaluation and product cost optimisation initiatives (standardisation, VEVA, LCCS, BCCS, SCM, benchmarking, make or buy).
Founded a regional lead buyer organisation per commodity and processes and systems.
Achieved savings of up to 10%.

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 Automotive (8.5 years), Professional Services (7 years), Healthcare (3.5 years), and Manufacturing (2.5 years).

Automotive

Professional Services

Healthcare

Manufacturing

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 Procurement (19 years), Supply Chain Management (19 years), Strategy (3 years), and Quality Assurance (1.5 years).

Procurement

Supply Chain Management

Strategy

Quality Assurance

Summary

Dedicated and dynamic Executive with a proven track record of senior management and people leadership, strong commercial acumen and competency in global procurement management, sourcing and purchasing. An effective and articulate communicator, engaging effectively with C-level stakeholders, leading multinational, cross-functional teams through coaching, training and mentorship. Demonstrated capabilities in developing/implementing the procurement strategy for companies’ product portfolios and building close relationships with suppliers and key people relevant to the industry. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with extensive experience in directing price and delivery terms negotiations to ensure delivery continuity while reducing costs and improving quality at the same time.

Skills

Global Procurement Management
Supply Chain Management
Budget Spend Administration
Category/commodity Strategies
Product Cost Optimisation
Organisation Design & Development
Global Sourcing And Purchasing
Market Analysis/npd Function
Supplier Quality
E-procurement/artificial Intelligence
Development/engineering
Contract Negotiations/development
Process/quality Management System
Supplier Relations/evaluation
Continuous Improvement
Stakeholder Engagement
Teamwork And Capability Building
People Leadership And Development
Environmental, Social And Corporate Governance
Windows, Ms Office, Ms Project 2000, Lotus Notes
Elite, Solomon Iv, Mesonic Vi, Oracle 10.7, Navision-financials, Sap S/4hana Mm, Qad Mfg/pro, Wips/cmms
Autocad 9.0, N5-solutions, Costdata, Bravosolution, Sievo

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Elementary

Education

Sep 2009 - Sep 2020

Henley Business School, University of Reading

Master of Business Administration, Executive MBA · General Management · United Kingdom · B

Jul 1999 - Mar 2006

University of Applied Sciences

Master of Industrial Engineering / Diplom-Wirtschaftsingenieur (FH) · Industrial Engineering · Hamburg, Germany · A

Jul 1997 - Jun 1999

BME e.V.

Bachelor of Purchasing and Materials Management / Fachkaufmann für Einkauf/Materialwirtschaft (IHK) · Purchasing and Materials Management · Frankfurt, Germany

...and 2 more

Certifications & licenses

Price Analysis For Fast Profits With Focus To Break-Even-Discussion

Remote

Fit For Video Conferencing And Negotiations “Close The Gap”

Remote

Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training

Remote

Stress Resilience With Positive Psychology

AOK in Weilheim

Disease Management

TUM in Munich

Risk Management

Apollo in Mortsel

Development Of Commodity Specific Strategies In Indirect Purchasing

BME Akademie in Frankfurt

Just Do It & Do It Now

SAS Soufflot at Berlin

Time & Priority Management

SAS Soufflot at Lille

International Project Management

Schefenacker Business School at Paris

Strategic Financial Analysis Training

EIPM (European Institute Of Purchasing Management) at Geneva

Effective Negotiating Course

Karrass Worldwide in London

Strategic Portfolio Management Training

EIPM at Geneva

Purchase Controlling

costdata AG in Cologne

Cost And Value Management Training

EIPM at Geneva

Quality Management Representative – Internal Audit Course

RKW SACHSEN in Chemnitz

CAD Engineer Course

Verband Deutscher Eisenbahnfachschulen in Munich

Profile

Created

November 2024

Last Update

May 2025

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Frequently asked questions

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

Where is Stefan based?

Stefan is based in Munich, Germany and prefers 100% remote projects.

What languages does Stefan speak?

Stefan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Stefan have?

Stefan has at least 19 years of experience. During this time, Stefan has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 5 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 2 months. Note that Stefan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Stefan be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Stefan would be well-suited for roles such as: Director Procurement Europe, Owner & Interim Executive, Global Category Manager & Purchasing Manager Imaging.

What is Stefan's latest experience?

Stefan's most recent position is Director Procurement Europe at Zarges Holding GmbH.

What companies has Stefan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Stefan has worked for Zarges Holding GmbH and SJL Management & Consulting.

Which industries is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in industries like Automotive, Professional Services, and Healthcare. Stefan also has some experience in Manufacturing.

Which business areas is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in business areas like Procurement and Purchasing, Supply Chain Management, and Strategy and Planning. Stefan also has some experience in Quality Assurance (QA).

Which industries has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Manufacturing.

Which business areas has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in business areas like Procurement and Purchasing and Supply Chain Management.

What is Stefan's education?

Stefan holds a Master in General Management from Henley Business School, University of Reading, a Master in Industrial Engineering from University of Applied Sciences and a Bachelor in Purchasing and Materials Management from BME e.V..

Does Stefan have any certificates?

Stefan has 17 certificates. Among them, these include: Price Analysis For Fast Profits With Focus To Break-Even-Discussion, Fit For Video Conferencing And Negotiations “Close The Gap”, and Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training.

What is the availability of Stefan?

Stefan is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Stefan?

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