Kim Van Der Merwe

KIM VAN DER MERWE - •-• http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kim-van-der-merwe/4/ab9/47b Energetic and dynamic leader with a proven track record of driving improvements and achieving overall business objectives. Demonstrates outstanding communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and negotiate with key stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and presenting strategy and results to all levels of the organization. Leverages strong business acumen with analytical skills and aligning Marketing, Finance, Sales and other teams to assess needs that support business growth and implement strategies that ensure business goals are exceeded. Continuous Improvement • Outstanding Communication Skills• Collaboration • Customer Centric • Project Management PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE VDM Trading CoMelbourne, Australia May 2020 – Current Owner E-Commerce Created and built successful online e-commerce brands on a variety of platforms. From merchandise development, inventory planning, customer relations, product / keyword ranking, main activities and achievements include: Product and Brand strategy Research of current market trends and collaboration with suppliers to identify new and upcoming trends Collaborate with other E-Commerce stores to form Partnerships, identifying local and global market opportunities Understanding market trends and identifying / analyzing target markets Increased synergy and development of effective strategies to maximize profits Effective Inventory management Utilizing multiple tools and software to analyze business drivers and KPIs to increase traffic to site and improve conversion rate and increase sales KNOWLEDGE SOURCEVirtual/Remote, Australia May 2020 – May 2021 Australia's premier wealth education company. Selling resources, tools, courses and specific training in the areas of real estate investment, online and small business Blue Sky Amazon – Success Coach Virtual one on one coaching with students who are building their own Amazon businesses Includes but not limited to: Establishing seller/Amazon relationship, product development, product presence on the platform, product launch and promotion, marketing and advertising, including PPC strategies, demand planning and forecasting inventory, replenishment, and keyword and product ranking BAXTER LABORATORIES PTY LtdMelbourne, Australia May 2019 – May 2020 $50 mil TGA licensed Contract manufacturer specializing in the development and manufacture of OEM Pharmaceutical, Sun Care and Skin Care products Operations Manager Lead the Operations teams including Engineering, Supply Chain, Production, Planning including S&OP, and New Product Development Effective culture development throughout the organization based on values by means of one on one coaching and team training Business Planning with Executive Team, including new Customer Business Development strategies Implementation of best practices in Supply Chain, Planning and S&OP, as well as the implementation of strategic KPI resulting in record breaking results Identifying and executing on cost savings initiatives throughout the operational processes to deliver improved gross margins THE PACT GROUPMelbourne, Australia Nov 2018 – May 2019 Leading provider of specialty packaging solutions in Australasia and Asia 20 Blow Mould Lines, ±60 employees. Four direct reports Manufacturing Manager Lead the implementation and accountability to meet cost centre P&L and forecasting Implement and drive High Performing Team Culture and Employee engagement with targeted focus on continuous Improvement in waste, equipment efficiencies and labor utilization Deliver 100% Delivery On Time In Full through sku forecasting, production planning, and execution BEAUTY MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS CORPTexas, USA May 2017 – Nov 2018 $80 mil Contract manufacturer of Cosmetic and OTC (Drug) Products Director, Quality Lead the Quality organization for rapidly growing Contract Manufacturer supporting top global Companies such as L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Shiseido, TIGI, and NaTerra Develop and execute Quality Improvement Plan, Management Strategy and leadership across the organization, producing a Quality Culture Implementation of Quality Management System and Quality Organization Establishing FDA Regulations & GMPs compliance, including managing inspections and response to 483s and Warning Letters and Consent Decree prevention UNITED 1 LABORATORIESTexas, USA 2016 – 2017 $50 mil Contract manufacturer of dietary supplements, sports nutrition and personal care products Director, Quality Lead and support the Quality organizations for 3 sites including development of teams, systems and practices according to FDA Regulations & GMPs Work as part of the Strategic Committee to develop plans and projects to support substantial business growth and movement of production between facilities, including due diligence audits Partner with R&D, Regulatory, and Plant production for new products development and on time execution Key contributor in Software development and implementation and ensuring all quality gates established L’ORÉAL 1997 – 2015 €22.98 billion, 32 brands, 130 countries, 78,600 employees, 6.3 billion units produced worldwide AVP, Dallas OperationsTexas, USA 2012 – 2015 $150 million retail stock in distribution with 60 employees. Managed $30 million budget and staff of eight direct reports Successful management of Operations, including Manufacturing, Distribution, and Customer Service with full fiscal responsibility, understanding the key levers that impact profitability, with specific focus on Safety, Quality, Employee relations and Training Developed strong partnerships with key stakeholders: Marketing, Sales and Global Marketing teams for the effective execution of projects. Maintained high communication levels including high level detailed presentations Successful organizational transition of acquisition organization to L’Oréal organizational structure and culture including numerous process and employee changes Led SAP implementation across entire Dallas operation. Successful “go-live” migrating to SAP, which resulted in no inventory shortages and zero downtime in all departments including e-Commerce impacts Director, Plant ProductionOhio, USA 2009 – 2012 25 packaging lines, 10 manufacturing skids, 130 employees. Managed budget of $5M capital and $1M general and a staff of eight direct reports. Strategic management of all production activity to accommodate growth of business (108mil units 2009 to 132mil units 2011). Effectively eliminated weekend crew requirements through process efficiencies Successfully transitioned to new organization (cell structure) and implemented High Performing Teams Implementation of Total Performance Management (TPM) across the entire facility Improvement of key metrics: • Water usage reduction of facility by 25% • Overall Equipment Efficiency (45% -> 60%) • Processing Uptime Ratio (35% -> 50%) • Quality Reject rate (3.2% -> 1.5%) Director, Plant QualityOhio, USA - Quality management for 100mil units with staff of 35. Managed budget of $500K and a staff of seven direct reports Directed and strengthened Quality Management Systems and processes to improve quality results and support business objectives including product launches. Led Facility initiatives for developing, implementing, and promoting positive employee experience Successful implementation and accreditation of ISO 9001:2000 Successful SAP implementation of Quality module with zero impact to business at Go-Live Training of Quality Management System for all plant personnel to ensure in process quality Director, Plant QualitySouth Africa, Wales, Australia - Directed and strengthened Quality Management Systems and processes to improve quality results and support business objectives including product launches. Identified gaps from acquisition organization and successfully transitioned to L’Oréal organizational structure and culture including multiple process and employee transitions Successful implementation and accreditation of ISO 9001:2000 EDUCATION / TECHNICAL SKILLS / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BS, ChemistryUniversity of JOHANNESBURG, South Africa Safety and Leadership Certification CEDEP – European Center for Executive Development, France SAP • Microsoft Office • Microsoft Project • E-Commerce • S&OP • Supply Chain • Helium 10 Team Building and Leadership Training – Team Trek, AR Team and People Management – L’Oréal ISO 9000:2001 Public Speaking and Teaching Quality Systems Management – L’Oréal France (numerous seminars) Safety Management – L’Oréal Quality Audit Certification TPM – Solving Efeso Environmental Leadership – L’Oréal World Perspectives Certification TGA/FDA Regulations CFR 21 Manufacturing Productivity and Efficiency – L’Oreal Amazon Seller – Blue Sky Amazon / Titan Start & Scale – Foundr HACCP cGMP