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CEO • COO • CRO • CFO

Value Creation Executive • Turnaround & Transformation Leader |

15+ years of C-level leadership as CEO, COO and CFO – interim and permanent, with a focus on private-equity-backed and mid-sized companies across GreenTech & energy, SaaS, HealthTech and industrials. My core: transformation, turnaround and profitable growth – from carve-out through scaling and internationalization (incl. the USA and Japan) to a successful exit. The results are measurable: +25% revenue and ARR growth, +31% EBITDA, vertical integration reduced by 40%, EBITDA effects of up to € 10m. As a graduate economist (Diplom-Volkswirt), head of the DDIM Energy expert group and a trilingual executive (German, English, Spanish), I combine analytical rigor with international leadership experience.

 

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Leadership

“Leadership that enables: corporate transformation is not a walk in the park – it is a mountain ascent. Success takes more than a good plan; it takes stamina and the will of every individual. In my role, I lead from the front, give direction and secure the critical passages.My goal is not dependence on me as a leader, but an organization that keeps reaching new summits on its own – well beyond my mandate.”

Francisco Baraona

Career stages

since 04/2019 · Interim Manager and M&A Advisor for companies in transformation

Selected mandates:

  • 03/2026 – 05/2026 · Interim Value Creation Manager, AI SaaS HealthTech (NDA): growth company at Series A stage; integrated business and financial model as the foundation of the equity story, support of the Series A financing (volume > € 200m)
  • 11/2023 – 12/2025 · Transformation Manager, leading energy utility (NDA): revenue € 1.5bn, 1,100 employees; two mandates in sales & operations (B2B/B2C); value-creation analyses and action plans with EBITDA effects of € 5m and € 2m p.a., respectively
  • 11/2021 – 09/2023 · Co-CEO, Schlafender Hase GmbH (HealthTech SaaS): scaling and operational restructuring of the founder-led organization; +25% revenue, +31% EBITDA, +33% FTE
  • 06/2020 – 11/2020 · Interim COO, Discovergy GmbH (GreenTech/smart metering): operational reality check and validation of the business plan; reprioritization of production and service to secure liquidity and profitability
  • 06/2019 – 02/2020 · Interim CEO, maihiro products GmbH (B2B SaaS): successful carve-out and establishment of an independent B2B SaaS company

03/2017 – 04/2019 · skytron energy GmbH

Private equity portfolio company, revenue € 9m, 80 employees; B2B SaaS monitoring and SCADA, manufacturing company (data loggers and controllers) in renewable energy; headquartered in Berlin, two subsidiaries (USA, Japan)

CEO

  • Establishment of an independent company (buy-out from a US group)
  • Implementation of a new digital business model (hardware-enabled SaaS)
  • Market entries and incorporation of subsidiaries in the USA and Japan
  • Build-up of a service and sales partner network
  • SaaS revenue growth +25%; 40% reduction of vertical integration
  • Design and management of a global M&A buy-&-build strategy
  • Successful sale of the company to a US competitor

11/2010 – 02/2017 · TÜV SÜD AG

Testing, inspection and certification (TIC) company, revenue € 2.2bn, 22,000 employees, based in Munich

Head of Business Unit Enterprise IT Security (06/2013 – 02/2017)

Revenue € 6m, 70 employees across Germany, India, Singapore, the USA, the UK and Canada

  • Transformation of an existing certification unit into a globally scalable digital service unit (new global business unit)
  • Revenue growth +13%
  • Design and management of a global M&A buy-&-build strategy

Executive Assistant to the Group Executive Board (11/2010 – 06/2013)

  • Project lead for the global CFO agenda
  • Management of a worldwide operational excellence agenda; EBITDA effects of € 10m

10/2008 – 09/2010 · Schörghuber Group

Family office and corporate group, revenue € 0.6bn, 2,600 employees, based in Munich

Manager Finance & Projects

  • Close collaboration with the owner family (group and family office)
  • Steering of operational excellence measures
  • Support of joint venture negotiations in the hotel business
  • Introduction of group-wide IT management based on the ITIL standard

2005 – 2008 · Strategy Consulting

Interim and project mandates in production, procurement and IT – incl. interim COO of an office furniture manufacturer (190 FTE): utilization +28%, EBITDA effect of € 2m

Proven track record

References and projects

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