Vladimír Huťan
Managing Director, Head Of Operations Europe, Lighting Division
Bratislava
Summary
Versatile Managing Director with proven abilities across all levels of organizational management. Talented in developing partnerships, overseeing personnel and developing tactical plans to meet strategic goals. Proven leader with significant background in creating unique, trustful and inspiring working culture. A seasoned leader in operational excellence and transformation, I've spearheaded large-scale changes at FORVIA Hella, enhancing efficiency through digitalization and automation. My strategic vision and effective communication have driven profitability and fostered a culture of continuous improvement, mentoring teams to achieve beyond targets.
Strategic and results-oriented business leader with experience in strategy, planning and operations. Skilled in developing and executing business plans to maximize profitability, streamline operations and maintain compliance with applicable legislations and industry regulations.
Overview
2025
2025
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Managing Director and Head of Operations EU/IL DIV
FORVIA Hella
Trenčín, Slovakia
1 2023 - Current
- Driving transformation of the EU industrial footprint into highly specialized and strongly utilized core technologies, including relocations, diverse consolidations of current production portfolio and restructuring or rightsizing programs.
- Improving overall manufacturing costs by turnaround programs within critical plants and sustainably increasing company profits through performance optimization strategies and efficiency improvements.
- Deploying newly defined group production excellence system, focusing on highly automated and digitalized industrial ecosystem. (with HSE and sustainability at forefront)
- Identified issues within production, workforce, and material sourcing and implemented successful solutions.
- Prepared strategical planing 3-5y and annual budgets with focus on manufacturing costs in order to improve predominantly competitiveness of the european footprint
- Strategically coordinated operations according to objectives and capabilities, effectively allocating resources to meet demands and Operations targets, KPIs
Managing Director, Country Manager Slovakia
FORVIA Hella
04.2020 - 01.2023
- Successfully transformed and merged Slovakian Lighting footprint within a strategical project "ONE Slovakia", incl. closure of 1 out of 4 factories, legal restructuring under one entity, SAP harmonization and building up country organization.
- Established completely new R&D center focusing on rear-combination lamps, connecting design and manufacturing at one place in order to improve competitive edge of this segment rapidly. Succeeded in the right portfolio order in take gains.
- Positioned the CEE Purchasing hub within ONE Slovakia, expanded it into the largest strategical purchasing and supplier management base within EU.
- Prioritized the right portfolio diversification and manufacturing footprint utilization strategies, boosting the company's profit especially with operational synergies.
- Promoted significantly our employer branding, company image particularly through internal & external communication campaigns, new PR strategy and focus on building lasting and highly efficient company culture.
Global Director of Operations
Bizlink Technology
05.2017 - 03.2020
- After successful completion of the acquisition of the entire business unit under BizLink technologies, led the post merger integration throughout the entire Operations and processes.
- Further expanded site in Serbia and restructured/downsized Slovakian factory accordingly (after return back from assignment in China, after 3y in summer 2018)
- Established further clear and competitive goals, growth roadmaps, and strategic business plans.
Global Director of Operations
LEONI
04.2015 - 05.2017
- Drove operational improvements, global industrial strategies and deployment of standards with all manufacturing locations and central technical functions (over 2000 employees worldwide, located in 4 factories - Slovakia, 2x China and newly established and developed factory in Serbia)
- Full P/L responsible for all production sites
- Supported global product development and partner relationships, expansion into new markets and acquiring new high profitable product segments
- Representing various legal functions like MD in Serbia or Member of Board of Directors in Chinese entities.
- Standardizing operation processes to worldwide best-practice levels (manual processes and automation)
- Managed operations costs, average hourly rate, costs per pcs within targets as a basis for today’s and future competitiveness
- Developed BU EA worldwide manufacturing footprint - (closed manufacturing site in Vietnam, established new low cost extended workbench in Serbia – later developed in real plant)
- Ensured customer orientation and solutions-oriented thinking
- Prepared and defined investment concepts & strategies
- As executive board member involved in due diligence and preparation for sale of business unit, which was successfully concluded within 2017. (transfer under BizLink Technologies)
Plant Manager
LEONI Slovakia S.r.o.
01.2014 - 04.2015
- Deploying of the EA BU strategy & budget for the plant
- Full P/L responsible (recovered poor fin. results of previous year)
- Set up appropriate working structures and communication map of the plant including business approvals and information matrix
- Responsible for achieving all business objectives - Improving overall working capital and cash flow
- Define Job descriptions & roles, targets and expectations for departments (e.g. standards, WI, escalation models, dept concepts)
- Allocate resources according to targets and priorities - Ensure management structure to realize plant key projects (NPI’s, SOP’s) on time and in the required quality.
- Initiate, manage and monitor strategical Investment projects. - Deploy and demonstrate key company values across entire plant
- Risk management & Compliance (define emergency plan, ensure compliance to international, local and company regulations)
Quality Manager
LEONI Slovakia S.r.o.
01.2013 - 01.2014
- Led a dept. with approximately 18 employees, responsible for Lab, customers quality, QMB & UMB, supplier’s quality & incoming control and internal quality
- Constant improving of PPM better as industrial standards (customers like BSH, Miele, Bosch, Philips, Panasonic etc…)
- Developing and implementing full range of internal control methods (SPC, MSA, poka-yoke tools) to avoid any quality issues
- Creating and defining strategy for continues quality improvement of all products, budgeting and planning investments into Lab
Quality Management
RF, Spol. S.r.o.
03.2007 - 01.2013
- Started as quality inspector in production during studies at the university and grew through almost all dept. positions like quality technician, resident engineer at Daimler, supplier Q and also strong customer quality leader, ending as Quality manager - Led dept. of 50 employees, responsible for Lab, 3D-measuring center, customers quality team, QMB & UMB, supplier’s quality & incoming control and internal quality including product audit)
- Ensuring full ISO/TS16949 and ISO14001 compliance through all company processes and structures, implementing CSR -
- Managing all PPAPs and APQP for new ramp up projects
- FMEA moderator for all customer’s projects and related production processes
- Regular reporting, monitoring and improving of quality score of all customer’s projects and deliveries (including warranty)
Education
Master’s Degree - Finance, Banking And Investing
University of Economics
Bratislava 09.2004 - 08.2010
Skills
Effective leader and communicator
Profit and loss full accountability
Operational Efficiency, digitalization and automation
Large-scale transformations and change management
Coaching and mentoring
Strategic planning and execution
Cross-functional team management
Policy/program development
English business fluent
German advanced
Timeline
Managing Director, Country Manager Slovakia
FORVIA Hella
04.2020 - 01.2023
Global Director of Operations
Bizlink Technology
05.2017 - 03.2020
Global Director of Operations
LEONI
04.2015 - 05.2017
Plant Manager
LEONI Slovakia S.r.o.
01.2014 - 04.2015
Quality Manager
LEONI Slovakia S.r.o.
01.2013 - 01.2014
Quality Management
RF, Spol. S.r.o.
03.2007 - 01.2013
Master’s Degree - Finance, Banking And Investing
University of Economics
09.2004 - 08.2010
Managing Director and Head of Operations EU/IL DIV
FORVIA Hella
1 2023 - Current