The AlchemistInterim management +33 6 64 96 04 11
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Interim CEO, MD & COO · Fashion and consumer goods · Paris

An interim CEO at the helm of your brand within two weeks.

For fashion and consumer-goods brands, and for the funds that own them. Turnaround, production, growth, exit: I take charge for 3 to 18 months against written objectives, get things done, and leave once the team can carry on alone.

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  • Available for a new mandate
  • Free, confidential call
  • Reply within 24 working hours
  • Written proposal within 5 working days
Portrait of François Chambaud
François ChambaudCo-founder of Atelier NA · Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe · Top of year, ESSEC
  • 15 yearsrunning companies, since 2010
  • 400people across 7 countries, more than 100 of them in France
  • €10MEBITDA in year 7, Atelier NA
  • €25Mrevenue in 24 months, GME, with a team of two

2016Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe2017Export Trophy, Atelier NA · CCI Grand Est2013LSA Innovation Trophy, Les Nouveaux Ateliers2013Enseigne d'Or, Les Nouveaux Ateliers2010Ranked first in year, ESSEC

Do you recognise one of these signals?

When to bring in an interim CEO

The earlier the decision, the more options remain. Thirty minutes is enough to tell whether I can help, and how.

You run or own a brand

The brand is losing money, momentum or direction

  • Cash is tightening and nobody is steering.
  • A factory or manufacturer no longer holds costs, lead times or quality.
  • After fast growth, the organisation and the teams can no longer keep up.
  • You decide alone, or you do not know where to start.

Typical engagement: interim management, preceded if needed by a Flash Diagnostic.

Talk about my brand (opens in a new tab)
You are an investor: PE fund, family office, acquirer

A portfolio company is drifting from its plan

  • The numbers are slipping and the reporting no longer explains why.
  • The CEO is leaving or needs backing, and it cannot wait.
  • You are considering buying a brand or a manufacturer.
  • You want an operator's view on the value-creation plan.

Typical engagements: Operating Partner, interim CEO or COO, operational buy-side due diligence.

Talk about a portfolio company (opens in a new tab)
Results

Numbers, not recommendations.

Real cases, clients not named. Period, scope and method detailed in conversation. Past results, not guaranteed.

Premium fashion wholesale
−40%

operating costs

Interim COO for 6 months: processes, teams and financial structure across the group's companies.

Industrial SME
+€2.1M

cash restored

Turnaround: cash plan, decisions on inventory and costs.

Mid-market fund
3

transactions supported

Commercial and operational buy-side due diligence, business plan.

B2B SaaS scale-up
×2.4

ARR

Commercial and product ramp-up.

Services

Interim management: four formats, scoped in writing.

Scope, KPIs, duration: you know what you are buying before we start. Formats can be combined.

Interim management Core service

CEO or COO · 3 to 18 months

I run the business: turnaround, restructuring, repositioning, growth. Processes, teams, financial structure, with reporting aligned to your shareholders.

Quoted after the scoping callGuide day rate: €1,500–€2,500 excl. VAT, depending on scope

Operating Partner

Funds, family offices · recurring mandate

Operational counterpart for your portfolio companies: value-creation plan follow-up, support for management, targeted intervention when a company runs into difficulty.

Retainer on request

Flash Diagnostic

5 days · then a 30- to 90-day Sprint

Offer, margins, supply chain, organisation and cash reviewed in 5 days. You leave with a prioritised 90-day action plan, which I can carry out with you. The full fee is credited against a mandate signed within 30 days of delivery of the plan.

€7,500 excl. VAT50% on order, balance on delivery of the plan. Full fee credited against a mandate signed within 30 days of delivery.

Monthly Advisor

Founders, executives · subscription

An operator at your side every month. Essential: about 2 days, review of the numbers and key decisions. Operational: about 4 days, sourcing, production, organisation. Three-month minimum term, renewable; 30 days' notice.

From €4,400 per month excl. VATOperational from €8,800 per month excl. VAT

Expertise · Fashion and consumer goods

Production & sourcing

In-house or outsourced factories, supplier audit and negotiation, unit costing, collection-to-production calendar, quality, inventory. Europe, North Africa, Asia.

Expertise · Mid-market

Acquisitions & financing

Target analysis, buy-side due diligence, business plan, cash-flow forecast. I prepare the figures you present to your lenders and investors.

Not sure which format fits?That is what the scoping call is for. I will tell you which one suits you, or whether someone else would be better placed.

Book a 30-minute call (opens in a new tab)

Services for businesses only. Prices exclude VAT. Mandates are performed under a written engagement letter, as an obligation of means rather than of result. I do not source or introduce investors or banks, and I provide no legal, tax or accounting advice. I limit the number of simultaneous mandates to stay fully available. Timings are indicative and subject to availability.

Process

From the first call to day one of the mandate.

Every decision has an owner and a date. So does the mandate.

  1. Day 0

    Scoping call

    30 minutes, free and confidential. You describe the situation, I assess the urgency.

  2. Day 1

    Go / no-go

    I tell you whether and how I can help. If not, I say so and point you to someone better placed.

  3. Day 5

    Written proposal

    Scope, quantified objectives, duration, price. Nothing left implicit.

  4. Day 14

    Start

    I take up the role, meet the teams and, if needed, build a 13-week cash plan.

  5. Every week

    Steering

    Figures tracked weekly, decisions logged, reporting to shareholders.

No alchemy.
One decision, one owner, one date.

François Chambaud

A company in trouble rarely lacks analysis. What it lacks is a decision, and time.

I have founded and run companies of up to 400 people, with businesses in 10 countries. I look at a business end to end: offer, product, factory, teams, customers, cash. I see how everything connects, and where it breaks.

A company changes when its teams change: I work with people before spreadsheets. I tell it as it is, shareholders included, and I act in the company's best interests.

Education
ESSEC (ranked first in year) · FH Dortmund
Languages
French, English, German
Companies founded
6, including Atelier NA and GME
Venture studio
Talent Backer, R.ART, Terrare: built and sold
Frequently asked questions

Before you call.

What does an interim executive do?

They take over the management of the company for a defined period, against written objectives: turnaround, growth, production, exit. My mandates last 3 to 18 months and I report to the shareholders.

How are you different from a consulting firm?

A consulting firm hands over recommendations. I take the decision and drive its execution, against written objectives, then leave once the team can carry on alone.

How much do you charge?

The Flash Diagnostic costs €7,500 excl. VAT for 5 days; the full fee is credited against a mandate signed within 30 days of delivery of the plan. The Monthly Advisor starts at €4,400 per month excl. VAT. Interim management and Operating Partner mandates are quoted after the scoping call, indicatively €1,500 to €2,500 per day excl. VAT depending on scope.

What do you get at the end of the Flash Diagnostic?

A prioritised 90-day action plan covering offer, margins, supply chain, organisation and cash, which I can then carry out with you.

How quickly can you start?

Reply within 24 working hours, written proposal within 5 working days, start possible within 2 weeks subject to availability. If it is urgent, call +33 6 64 96 04 11 directly.

What if the company is already in serious difficulty?

That is exactly what interim management is for. The earlier the decision, the more options remain: the first call is used to gauge the urgency and decide the next step.

Do you work outside France?

Yes. I work in French, English and German, and I have had businesses in 10 countries: Europe, the United States, the UAE, China. For production, I work in Europe, North Africa and Asia.

Why are your clients not named?

My mandates are confidential: a fund or a CEO does not want it known that a portfolio company is going through a difficult period. In conversation, I walk you through each case: context, role, duration, decisions taken and results.

Contact

A situation to deal with? Let's talk this week.

30 minutes, free, confidential, no sales pitch.

Book a 30-minute call (opens in a new tab)
Urgent
+33 6 64 96 04 11
Email
francois@the-alchemist.fr
LinkedIn
François Chambaud (opens in a new tab)

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