A French industrial SME specialized in high-value natural specialty ingredients is seeking its future Managing Director to lead the next phase of its strategic development and transformation.

With approximately 100 employees and an established international footprint, the company develops, manufactures and commercializes naturally derived specialty ingredients serving demanding markets including skincare, personal care, dermocosmetics, health-related applications and advanced industrial formulations.

The company operates at the intersection of natural specialty ingredients, sustainable chemistry and performance-driven cosmetic formulations, serving some of the most demanding international skincare and personal care markets.

Backed by long-standing industrial expertise, proprietary know-how and international customer relationships, the company is entering a new strategic chapter combining:

• operational strengthening,
• industrial scaling,
• international growth acceleration,
• innovation expansion,
• portfolio diversification,
• and organizational transformation.

The company is supported by an investment environment committed to long-term value creation and ambitious development objectives.

A strong understanding of formulation-driven ingredient businesses, innovation cycles and customer expectations within the cosmetics and specialty ingredients ecosystem is considered critical for success in the role.

The Role

Reporting directly to the shareholders, the Managing Director will lead the transformation and long-term development of the company across all strategic dimensions:

• industrial performance and operational excellence,
• international commercial expansion,
• innovation and portfolio diversification,
• organizational structuring and leadership development,
• profitability improvement,
• operational scalability,
• and strategic execution.

The role requires balancing strategic vision with strong operational leadership in a manufacturing-driven SME environment.

The successful candidate will be expected to combine:

• transformation leadership,
• industrial credibility,
• international business acumen,
• and the ability to scale a specialized industrial organization while preserving agility and entrepreneurial responsiveness.

The role also requires a strong understanding of the dynamics of specialty ingredient markets, including:

• innovation-driven customer expectations,
• formulation support environments,
• industrial scalability challenges,
• and differentiation through technology, performance and sustainability.

Beyond operational leadership, the future CEO is expected to become a true long-term stakeholder in the company’s development journey through direct alignment with shareholder value creation.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the company’s strategic roadmap
• Lead the organization through a new phase of transformation and growth
• Strengthen industrial competitiveness and operational performance
• Accelerate innovation capabilities, formulation-oriented product development and portfolio expansion aligned with evolving cosmetic and bio-based ingredient market expectations
• Drive international business development and customer proximity
• Strengthen the company’s positioning within the global ecosystem of cosmetic, skincare and bio-based specialty ingredients
• Build and reinforce leadership capabilities across the organization
• Assess and strengthen key organizational functions where necessary
• Lead organizational structuring and scaling initiatives
• Act as a key interface with shareholders and governance bodies
• Support the development of future strategic growth platforms and diversification opportunities
• Ensure sustainable, profitable and scalable growth

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an experienced executive combining industrial, commercial and strategic leadership capabilities within:

• natural specialty ingredients,
• cosmetic ingredients,
• bio-based materials,
• specialty chemicals,
• nutraceutical ingredients,
• or adjacent formulation-driven industrial sectors.

The ideal candidate brings:

• Proven MD / GM / Business Unit leadership experience
• Strong exposure to international B2B industrial environments
• Experience managing complex industrial operations and transformation programs
• Ability to scale and structure SME organizations in evolving environments
• Strategic mindset combined with strong execution discipline
• Strong financial and operational acumen
• Ability to attract, build and develop high-level leadership teams
• Experience interacting with shareholders, investment environments or governance bodies
• Strong interpersonal impact and leadership credibility
• Strong understanding of the specialty ingredients value chain, from innovation and industrialization to customer integration within formulations
• Familiarity with cosmetic ingredient ecosystems, including skincare, dermocosmetics, sensory ingredients, emollients, actives or bio-based alternatives
• Exposure to ingredient-centric B2B environments involving formulation support, technical customer interactions and innovation-driven market positioning
• Understanding of long innovation and qualification cycles typical of cosmetic and specialty ingredient markets
• Experience in businesses where differentiation relies on technology, application performance, formulation support and sustainability positioning
• Ability to interact credibly with technical, industrial and R&D teams despite not necessarily being a scientific expert
• Strong understanding of innovation-driven industrial businesses
• Fluency in French and English required

Experience within natural ingredients, cosmetic ingredients, specialty chemicals, bio-based materials or adjacent sectors is considered essential.

Candidates whose experience has been limited to highly matrixed large-group environments, without direct exposure to entrepreneurial industrial organizations, specialty ingredient ecosystems or transformation-oriented leadership responsibilities, may be less aligned with the nature of the role.

What Will Make the Difference

Beyond leadership experience, the successful candidate will demonstrate a genuine understanding of the strategic and technical dynamics of innovation-driven specialty ingredient businesses.

The ability to bridge:

• industrial execution,
• international business development,
• innovation platforms,
• operational scalability,
• and long-term portfolio differentiation

within demanding cosmetic and bio-based markets will be critical.

Entrepreneurial adaptability, operational credibility and the ability to drive transformation within a specialized industrial SME environment are considered essential.

Compensation & Equity Participation

The compensation package is designed to attract an executive capable of leading a strategic transformation project with long-term ambitions.

It includes:

• a fixed compensation structure,
• performance-based variable compensation,
• a long-term management incentive package,
• and the opportunity to invest personally alongside shareholders through an equity participation mechanism.

The role is intended for executives seeking not only operational leadership responsibilities, but also meaningful long-term alignment with shareholder value creation.

Additional Information

• France-based position
• International scope
• Industrial SME environment (~100 employees)
• Transformation and growth context
• Confidential search process

Please attach an English resume with your application.