Bernhard Kernen

Group CFO/Managing Director @ TPEG Tech Power Electronics Group

About

Results-driven (Group) CFO/Managing Director with broad financial expertise & international experience in the premium manufacturing industry (Life Science/Pharma/MedTech, Food/Beverage, Plastics, Electronics/EMS/Renewable Energies, Automotive/Off-Highway) Achievements • Finance: Ensuring high-quality decision-making basics (monthly/year-end financial statements, budgets, forecasts), absolute adherence to deadlines, effective liquidity and currency management • Controlling/Business Analytics: Implementation of BW/BI, evaluation of BI tools; responsibility for cost reduction programs, positioning controlling as a proactive business partner • IT/Digitization: Successful migration from Infor to SAP ERP 6.0, leadership responsibility for S/4HANA implementation, successful deployment of Workday HCM/HRM • Processes & AI: Introduction of an E2E process management system as part of S/4HANA implementation (in Signavio); establishment of an AI Competence Center • Procurement: Development of a centralized indirect procurement function (strategic purchasing volume approx. €50–70 million p.a.) • HR: Evaluation of a future-proof HR system (SuccessFactors), capability-building programs for executives (Academy), positioning HR as a proactive business partner • Infrastructure Projects: Project management and negotiations with providers, subsidy and credit lenders for projects worth several million euros (factory expansion with a new business unit, strategic raw material storage) Experience • > 15 years of leadership experience (goal- and result-oriented) as Board Member/Managing Director/Head of Finance in family-owned businesses in Germany and Mexico • Organizations with up to 1,800 employees and revenues of up to €400 million, overseeing multiple international entities (manufacturing and sales) • personnel responsibility: 5 direct reports and >50 employees Scope • Medium-sized, family-owned businesses • International, growth- and future-oriented, innovative • Technically advanced products with a premium standard Core Competencies • Management of all commercial areas (Accounting/Controlling, IT, Procurement, HR, Legal), extended process understanding in areas such as Sales, Production, Logistics, QM • Proven track record in project management (IT, infrastructure), digitization, organizational and personnel development, ensuring profitable growth • Decisive, entrepreneurial “doer” with strong IT affinity • Change management processes (e.g., new reporting tools, Finance/HR as business partners)

Country

Germany

City

Ulm

Industry

Electrical & Electronic Manufacturing

Skill

Private-Equity-Unternehmen, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Leadership, Business Strategy, Forecasting, Negotiation, Product Development, Continuous Improvement, Sales Management, Project Management, Business Planning, Financial Analysis, Financial Reporting, Marketing Strategy, New Business Development, Business Development, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), HGB, Risikomanagement, Strategischer Einkauf

Experience

Group CFO/Managing Director

TPEG Tech Power Electronics Group

2025-6 - Present · 1 yr 4 mos

Teningen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Joint responsibility for Accounting, Controlling, Human Resources, and IT in an international context. Financial statements and reporting, liquidity management, steering systems (KPIs, evaluation, actions), planning, forecasting, professionalization of processes and systems, change and transformation

Managing Director/CFO

elobau

2022-12 - 2025-5 · 2 yrs 6 mos

Leutkirch im Allgäu

Management of the ensian/elobau Group, direct leadership of the following areas: - Finance and Controlling - IT/Digitization and Processes - Human Relations - Legal and Compliance Responsible for: - Strategic leadership (corporate identity, long-term strategy, short-term business plan/budget) - Designing the framework conditions, including enablement - Consolidated financial statements as well as liquidity (Treasury) and financial planning - Reporting framework with Business Intelligence - End-to-end process organization - Software strategy (implementation projects for ERP, HRM, etc.) and IT governance - Organizational and personnel development (New Work, change projects)

CFO Prettl Beteiligungs Holding GmbH

PRETTL group

2022-1 - 2022-11 · 11 mos

Pfulllingen

Finance/Investment Controlling/Treasury/Legal/Compliance Responsible for 15 international portfolio companies with a total revenue of approximately €140 million p.a.: -Profit responsibility for the portfolio companies (EBIT and ROC), together with COO and CEO (also shareholders) - Liquidity planning and security, (external) financing concepts - Improvement of working capital - Regular (weekly/monthly) reporting in collaboration with the respective CFOs/financial managers - Process owner for budgeting/mid-term planning - Support for M&A processes - Commercial responsibility for the Holding GmbH - Legal and compliance matters

Member of the Management Board, Fin & Admin

MartinBauer

2019-9 - 2021-12 · 2 yrs 4 mos

Herzogenaurach, Bavaria Germany

Management of the depts Finance und Controlling, HR and indirect Procurement Botanicals/Plant extracts for industries Food/Beverage; B2B Business Analytics (SAP Analytics Cloud), HR-System (SuccessFactors), Migration SAP ERP 6.0, HGB Achievements: - Business Analytics: introduction of SAP Analytics Cloud SAC as a modern reporting tool for the management (replacing Excel) including extended forecasting und planning functionality - Purchasing: establishment of an indirect purchasing dept (strategic purchasing volume approx. 50 – 70 m EUR p.a.), hiring Head of Dept with savings targets p.a. - IT: successful migration from Infor to SAP ERP 6.0 per 1/7/2020, member of the Steering Committee and responsible for modules FI/CO - HR: evaluation of a future-oriented HR system (SuccessFactors) to replace a heterogenous system landscape

Chief Financial Officer/Board member

RAUMEDIC

2017-7 - 2019-8 · 2 yrs 2 mos

Helmbrechts, Bavaria Germany

Management of the depts Finance and Controlling (incl. Order Mgt), IT, Purchasing (incl. front desk, canteen und car pool) as well as Legal/Compliance MedTech, Polymers/Silicone; B2B S/4 HANA Readiness-Check, Risk Management, Business Analytics (SAP Analytics Cloud SAC), MES and PDM/PLM systems, Savings Purchasing, HGB (Swiss GAAP FER, IFRS), ISO 13485 Achievements: - Finance: implementation of the invoice processing software FIS within 3 months, reduction of manual processing in accounting/process improvement - IT: set up IT strategy/roadmap for S/4HANA (replacing the 12 years old SAP ERP 6.0), readiness-check, brown-/greenfield approach, project organisation etc.; implementation of MES and PDM/PLM software as part of digitization initiative - Purchasing: ensure yearly result effective savings of > 5% of the volume, avoiding single sourcing, proactive supplier management

Managing Director Finance & Admin

Anklam Extrakt GmbH

2015-6 - 2017-6 · 2 yrs 1 mo

Anklam, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Germany

Management of all commercial areas of the company: Finance, HR, IT, Purchasing and Quality Assurance QA Plant extracts for food & beverage and Pharma; B2B Achievements: - Finance: implementation of the module FIN in the ERP system GUS within 6 months, validation of the ERP system under GMP (with QA) to assure GMP certificate - Project management for the construction of a raw material warehouse (strategic warehouse, investment of 3,2 m EUR), incl. negotiation of subsidy funds and credit line - Market cultivation: setup business in Mexico in cooperation with Sales (i.a. supporting Sales Rep, recruiting of a national Sales Rep, setup supply chain incl. customs clearing)

n/a

Sabbatical

2014-11 - 2015-5 · 7 mos

South America Trip until May 2015

visited countries: Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia

CFO/Director Finance & Admin

REHAU S.A. de C.V.

2010-4 - 2014-10 · 4 yrs 7 mos

Celaya, Guanajuato Mexico

Management of the depts Finance/Controlling, IT and Purchasing Polymers for Automotive, Home Appliances and Building; B2B Achievements: - Finance: reduction of external audit findings (PWC) from approx. 15 to 0 within 2 years, improvement of quality of the year-end closing - IT: introduction digitization of production processes (MES, project enhancement SAP PP), connect operational and financial/controlling processes (consistent workflow and data) - Project management for the extension of plant Celaya (investment approx. 2 m USD in infrastructure, further 12-15 m USD in production lines Automotive)