Ferhat Uensal

Chief Operating Officer @ Active Brands AS

About

Seasoned executive with a track record of driving Enterprise Value across Private Equity portfolios—both as an operator and strategic advisor. I specialize in professionalizing global platforms by aligning high-stakes transformations with clear investment theses. Currently, as COO of Active Brands, I lead global operations from Oslo to Shanghai. Beyond my primary P&L mandate, I am trusted by our PE ownership (FSN Capital) to facilitate portfolio-wide value creation initiatives, bridging the gap between operational execution and the exit strategy. I thrive on 'unlocking' EBITDA by integrating legacy strength with modern, scalable efficiency.

Country

Germany

City

Stuttgart Region

Industry

Retail

Skill

C-suite, Automotive, Purchasing, Procurement, Negotiation, Process Improvement, Analysis, Management, Strategic Sourcing, Continuous Improvement, Leadership, Supply Chain, SAP, Supplier Quality, Management Consulting

Experience

Chief Operating Officer

Active Brands AS

2024-11 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos

Oslo, Norway

Responsible for Operations across Product Development, Sourcing, Supply Chain, and Demand Planning with teams in Oslo and Shanghai. In addition, I support our PE owner on select portfolio-wide value creation initiatives, with a focus on operational synergies and scalability as the FSN Procurement Network Lead. Active Brands is a fast growing house of premium Sports Apparel and Equipment Brands. The brand portfolio consists currently of Kari Traa, Dæhlie, Sweet Protection, Johaug, Bula, Åsnes and Vossatassar. Founded in 2009, Active Brands has evolved from a Norwegian brand incubation platform to a global brand accelerator with a strong international footprint. The main shareholder is the Nordic private equity investment company FSN Capital.

Chief Transformation Officer

Active Brands AS

2024-1 - 2024-11 · 11 mos

Oslo, Norway

Leader of Product Creation, Sourcing & Production

Strategic Advisor

Active Brands AS

2023-6 - 2023-12 · 7 mos

University Lecturer

Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart

2026-3 - Present · 7 mos

Managing Director and Owner

Marlene Blacx Consulting

2020-4 - 2023-12 · 3 yrs 9 mos

Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

Strategic Advisor to Private Equity portfolio companies, driving value creation across diverse industries. - Profitability transformation at Global Amusement Park provider - Cost take-out project at German Automotive e-tailer - Profitability transformation at Swiss Outdoor Retailer - Operating Model restructuring in F&B space at Spanish Amusement Park

Advisor

DataKapital

2022-5 - 2023-6 · 1 yr 2 mos

Istanbul, Turkey

Strategic Advisor

WTP Buynamics

2020-5 - 2021-4 · 1 yr

Strategy Senior Manager

Accenture

2014-3 - 2020-4 · 6 yrs 2 mos

Learned to lead teams and execute projects across sectors in Europe, Qatar, US, Mexico. Project Portfolio - Zero Based Budgeting - Global Transformation Projects - Design and implementation of Operating Models - Performance Improvement - Cost Reduction - Operations Management