Restructuring Expert · CEO · Executive Coach

When everything is at stake,
you need someone who has genuinely
been there.

Twenty turnarounds in thirty years. Always as the person in the chair — CEO, CRO, CTO — with full accountability for the outcome. Not advising from the outside. Deciding from the inside, sometimes with my own capital at risk.

Jörg Weidenfeld
20+Turnarounds as CEO / CRO
30Years operating experience
DACH+Europe, Nordics, North America
OwnCapital invested — skin in the game
Track record

I have sat in the chair — as CEO, CRO, and transformation officer — with full accountability for the outcome. The mandates below are a selection. All numbers are audited results, not projections.

As CEO · Consumer goods

Century-old baby products manufacturer

Debt €150M → €30M  ·  EBITDA 0% → 10%

Full financial and operational restructuring. Debt-equity swap, €10M new capital. The leadership team is still running it today.

As Transformation Officer · Automotive

Autoliv Europe  ·  €3B revenue  ·  27,000 people

EBIT −2% → +6%  ·  USD 240M performance uplift

World market leader in passive safety. The mandate was as much about building leadership capability as delivering the numbers. Both happened.

As Managing Director · Packaging

Premium packaging group  ·  €300M revenue

EBITDA +€30M  ·  Leverage 10× → <2×

Without fresh capital. Without external consultants. The team did it — I helped them see that they could.

As CEO · Lighting · PE-backed

Aura Light  ·  European market leader

Full restructuring across four European markets

Rationalized country P&Ls, reduced leverage, secured new capital. Built a leadership structure that outlasted the mandate.

As entrepreneur · Own capital at risk

Bundy Refrigeration

Negative equity on acquisition → healthy EBITDA

When your own money is on the line, the quality of every decision changes. This mandate gave me something no fee-based engagement ever could.

As founder · Built from zero

Savify AG  ·  AI-powered procurement

>€5B mandated spend in year one

Turnaround and building come from the same instinct — seeing clearly when others can't, and moving when others hesitate.

What clients and colleagues say

"Very transparent, fact-based, rapid in response. We valued especially the focus on operational improvements from day one — and the integrity to tell us his convictions straight, even when it wasn't what we wanted to hear."

Head of Special Credits Management Major Nordic investment bank

"Jörg and I jointly headed a company requiring transformation over three years. He is a great observer who precisely analyses organisations and individuals — and always with the discipline to execute. Most importantly: Jörg is fun to work with, even at the most stressful times."

Frank Hornung, Dr.  ·  CRO, CEO, CFO Former client & transformation co-leader

"Jörg is a very dynamic and professional leader. Under his leadership we achieved excellent results and high motivation throughout the team. He managed to restructure the company and bring it back to success in a very short time."

Frank Veldhoven  ·  Senior Business Advisor Former direct report · Aura Light

13 detailed recommendations on LinkedIn ↗

Current roles

Three active commitments — each grounded in the same belief: lasting performance requires both operational rigour and human clarity.

Restructuring · Transformation · Advisory

Lighthouse Advisors AG

My primary advisory brand. Specialist boutique for restructuring, transformation, and interim management. I work with management teams and owners navigating difficult situations — directly, not through junior teams.

lighthouseadvisors.ag  ·  launching 2025
CEO & Co-Founder

Savify AG

AI-powered indirect procurement optimisation. Fully success-based model — no savings, no fee. €10B+ spend under management, 1,100+ negotiations completed.

savify.io ↗
Senior Advisor

Lazarus Working Capital Solutions

Strategic advisory for companies facing liquidity pressure and working capital challenges. Specialist boutique, practical solutions, fast execution.

lwcsolutions.de ↗
Podcasts

Real conversations about leadership under extreme pressure — from someone who has been in the room, not just read about it.

Co-host · Ongoing · German

Stark im Sturm

Co-hosted with Jens Alsleben. Leadership clarity for turbulent times — psychologically grounded, operationally sharp. 30 minutes per episode. For executives who want to lead through storms, not just survive them.

Listen on Spotify
Guest · The People Equation · Episode #38

Der Feuerwehrmann

"The Firefighter." Behind the scenes of corporate rescues — the panic, the politics, and how to turn the atmosphere in the room when the company is on the edge. A frank conversation about what it really takes.

Listen now
Guest · The People Equation · Episode #52

Aiming High

On ambition, resilience, and what it takes to keep aiming high when the pressure is relentless. A conversation about staying clear-headed and purposeful — in business and in life.

Listen now
Executive coaching

There is a moment in every crisis where the numbers are clear — but the leader isn't.

Being the CEO or senior executive is often a lonely place. The decisions that matter most are the ones you can share with neither your direct reports nor your board. What you need is someone with no agenda other than helping you think — and who has faced versions of this before.

I coach CEOs and senior executives through major transformations — professional and personal. Restructuring a company and restructuring a life share more than most people acknowledge. I have been through both, and I bring that full experience into every conversation.

No framework. No intake process. No programme. This is built around what you actually need. Executive coaching is part of Lighthouse Advisors AG, developed further at lighthouseadvisors.ag/humanceo.

Who this is for

CEOs and senior executives navigating restructuring, succession, burnout, or reinvention. Leaders who need a clear-headed, experienced thinking partner — not another consultant.

I work with a small number of people at any time. Sessions are remote, intensive, and completely confidential.

First conversation is always free and off the record. You speak with me directly — no screening, no junior pre-call.

Let's have a conversation.

Pick a time directly in my calendar. It's a real conversation — not a pitch, not a process. You speak with me from the first call.

If you'd rather write first: I read everything personally and always reply myself.

jw@lighthouseadvisors.eu

Jörg Weidenfeld  ·  St. Gallen, Switzerland
German · English · French · Swedish · Finnish · Spanish