I fell in love with supply chain and change management at a Ford Motor Company site in Cologne, Germany. About 20,000 people worked at the Ford Cologne complex, with another 30,000+ suppliers delivering products and services. It operated like a giant, intricate clockwork.

Over time, my respective teams and I got pretty good at maintaining and improving ‘clocks’ like this—so good that after twenty years with Ford in Germany, the USA, and the UK, companies like ABB, Infineon, and, in recent times, PepsiCo and Credit Suisse (now UBS) hired me to transform their global supply chain or procurement, quality operations, or manage complete corporate transformations, driving significant bottom-line impact and speed.

I've held positions such as Corporate Transformation Leader, Global Head of Operations and Quality, Head of Supply Chain, CPO, Board Member in China, the USA, and Switzerland, and Managing Director - in five industries.

I hold a BA from Cologne, Germany, and an MBA from Michigan State University, USA. In 2025, I earned a doctorate from UBIS University in Washington D.C., USA, where my research focused on the impact of supply chain re-design on GHG emission reduction.

Via helmig advisory AG, located in the canton Zürich in Switzerland, I now advise, teach, write, learn & speak about topics I am passionate about.

Recently, influenced by my research, my focus has shifted towards finding business-based solutions rather than regulatory ones for GHG emission reductions by applying a simple approach to this complex subject: Competition via restricted market access and a focus on Scope 3 emission reductions. Check out my podcast and my articles in diverse outlets.

For more details about what’s going on, see my LinkedIn or X page.