Strategic Advisory · Europe · Americas · Worldwide

Senior advisor to PE firms
and management teams in
nutrition, cosmetics & pharma
ingredients and CDMOs.

Three years on the investment side at Apax and sixteen as sector CEO across Europe and the Americas — bringing both lenses to every mandate, from first diligence call to exit.

How I work →
About

Operator turned advisor.

I have spent the past 25 years operating at the intersection of science, business and capital in specialty ingredients and CDMOs, holding CEO and Group CEO roles at businesses ranging from startups to €200M+ global groups. I know what it takes to grow, fix and exit companies in this space.

Today I advise private equity firms on transactions and portfolio value creation, and work with management teams navigating strategic inflection points. My approach is hands-on, analytically rigorous, and grounded in the operational realities of the sector. Not theory.

I am usually hired to answer one of three questions: whether to acquire an asset, how to make it perform, or who runs it next. The answer benefits from having done both jobs (investment and operating) across twenty-five years, the last seventeen as a senior operator in specialty ingredients. Value rarely comes from one lever alone: in practice it is built from inside the business (team, operating model, margin discipline) and from outside in parallel, through partnerships, bolt-on M&A, and access to complementary innovation.

25+
Years in sector
€200M+
Largest business led
16
Years as CEO — Europe & the Americas
Marc – Strategic Advisor

Europe · Worldwide

Investors

Working with investors.

Most of my PE work falls into three engagement types: pre-deal commercial diligence, post-acquisition value creation, and interim CEO mandates during ownership transitions. Mandates are typically in specialty ingredients (food, nutrition, cosmetics, pharma) and CDMOs, European or cross-border in scope, and concentrated in businesses between €50M and €500M in revenues.

01

Due Diligence & Transaction Advisory

Commercial, operational and management assessment for PE and strategic buyers targeting nutrition, cosmetics and pharma ingredient assets. Market sizing, competitive dynamics, management quality reviews and post-acquisition risk identification, including cross-border European and global transactions.

02

Operational Value Creation

Post-acquisition and in-flight performance improvement for PE portfolio companies. Commercial strategy, pricing, organisational design, manufacturing optimisation and revenue growth initiatives, typically in businesses with €50–500M in revenues operating in Europe or globally.

03

Interim CEO & Executive Leadership

Hands-on leadership during transitions, carve-outs, management gaps or transformations. Available for interim mandates where an experienced sector operator is needed to stabilise, reposition or prepare a business for the next stage of ownership or growth.

Client testimonial

"Marc has been working with us regularly over the past 24 months across several investment opportunities.

He is a trusted sparring partner, bringing rigor, structured thinking and balanced judgment when assessing a deal. He challenges assumptions constructively, speaks the language of operators and investors alike, and has consistently sharpened our conviction — in both directions.

Exactly the kind of advisor you want in the room."

Partner, member of the Investment Committee
European mid to large cap private equity investor

Innovators

Building with founders.

Alongside my work with PE firms, I support innovative startups and early-stage companies in nutrition, cosmetics and pharma ingredients, bringing operator experience to teams turning science into commercial businesses.

01

Commercial strategy & route-to-market

Defining segment focus, channel architecture, pricing and the commercial playbook needed to transition from technology-led to market-led.

02

Board advisory & governance

Board membership and advisory mandates, bringing industry perspective, operating discipline and outside-in challenge to founding teams and investors.

03

Fundraising & investor introductions

Equity story development, investor materials, and introductions to my network of specialist funds active in nutrition, cosmetics and pharma ingredients.

04

Industry partnerships & M&A readiness

Strategic partnerships with established industry players, and preparing the business for the next ownership transition: strategic buyer, PE platform, or scale-up funding.

Client testimonial

"Marc has been a trusted advisor and supporter throughout our journey as we navigate the ingredients space.

He brings a rare blend of corporate experience, startup insight, and deal-making pragmatism, helping us better understand what strategic partners need and how to structure collaborations that make sense for everyone involved.

His feedback is consistently thoughtful, direct, and grounded in real industry experience."

CEO, precision fermentation scaleup company

Leadership and drive,
forged in daily practice.

Experience

A career built in the sector.

Senior leadership positions across the full value chain, from discovery-stage biotech ingredients to large-scale global ingredients and CDMO operations.

Ourvita2023–2024Group CEO for PE-owned European CDMO in dietary supplements and cosmetics. Build-up strategy with integration mandate.
Gnosis by Lesaffre2018–2023CEO. Nutrition and pharmaceutical API division of a global fermentation group, scaled both organically and through bolt-on M&A across Europe and the US.
Qualitech 2017–2018Vice-President and General Manager, Food division. US family-owned group. Commercial repositioning and growth acceleration of a food inclusion business.
Advibio, LLC2015–2017, 2024–nowFounder & Independent Advisor. Mandates for multinationals, PE investors and innovators across nutrition, cosmetics and biotech; partnership structuring and strategic M&A.
Diana Plant Sciences2010–2015CEO / intrapreneur. Bioactives for cosmetics and nutrition from plant cell culture. Part of the PE-owned Diana Group. Exit via sale to Symrise.
Apax Mid-Market2007–2010Senior Associate, Private Equity. European mid-market healthcare and life sciences; deal sourcing and execution, portfolio board work.
Pre-MBA2000–2005Strategy consulting at Oliver Wyman & Company (London, financial services), then Strategic Planning Manager & Chief of Staff at Pfizer France ahead of Harvard MBA.
Network

Part of a wider network.

Active member of industry bodies and connected to a community of independent operators and advisors, collaborating on mandates where complementary expertise matters.

Professional associations

Industry & sector bodies

Advisor network

Trusted peers I know and recommend for specific missions

Contact

Let's discuss
your next mandate.

I take on a limited number of advisory engagements at any given time. If you are working on a transaction or value creation challenge in specialty nutrition, cosmetics, pharma ingredients or CDMOs, I welcome a first conversation.

Emailmarc@marcphilouze.com LinkedIn/in/marcphilouze LocationMilan · Europe · Worldwide