Strategic Advisory · Milan

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

25 years building, scaling and transforming businesses across the specialty ingredients and CDMOs value chain — from lab to market, seed capital to exit.

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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.

Earlier in my career I worked in investment and strategy before moving into principal roles in food, nutrition, cosmetics, and pharma ingredients, where I have remained ever since.

25+
Years in sector
€200M+
Largest business led
4
CEO mandates
Marc — Strategic Advisor

Milan, Italy

Services
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.

Rowing · Paris · 1990s

Leadership and determination,
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.

Ourvita
(fmr. Procemsa Group)2023 — 2024Group CEO — European nutrition CDMO; led group restructuring and commercial repositioning ahead of next expansion phase
Gnosis by Lesaffre2018 — 2023CEO — Specialty nutrition ingredients; drove international commercial expansion and product portfolio extension via acqusitions
Qualitech 2017 — 2018Managing Director, Food Business Unit & Vice-President
Advibio, LLC2015 — 2017Senior Advisor to PE firms, corporations and innovators in nutrition and cosmetic industries
Diana Plant Sciences2010 — 2015CEO — Plant cell culture business; built team and commercial infrastructure from early-stage to scale
Apax Partners2007 — 2010Private equity — Healthcare and consumer investing; due diligence and portfolio operations
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 something in specialty nutrition, cosmetics ingredients or pharma — I would be glad to hear from you.

Emailmarc@marcphilouze.com LinkedIn/in/marcphilouze LocationMilan, Italy — Europe-wide