Chief Operating Officer

Henry Dann

Naperville, IL ***** - 331-***-**** - ***********@*****.*** - https://linkedin.com/in/henry-dann-3176329a/ Fully Work Authorized (L2-S), No Visa Sponsorship Required PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Results-driven executive with 25+ years of progressive leadership across operations, commercial, and sales in the chemical, feed/food additive, food ingredient, nutraceutical, dosing equipment and hygiene sectors. Proven ability to drive sustained revenue growth, high delivery performance, and strong profitability through disciplined P&L leadership and Lean-focused continuous improvement. Recognized as the connective bridge between operations, technical expertise and commercial strategy - equally effective leading manufacturing and driving scalable throughput and optimizing efficiencies. KEY SKILLS

• Operational Leadership & Manufacturing Excellence

● Cross-Functional Leadership & Team Development

● Supply Chain Strategy, Global Sourcing & Logistics

● P&L Ownership and Cost Control

● Product Innovation, Technology Transfer & Commercialization

● Commercial Strategy, Technical Sales & Market Expansion

● KPI Development & Performance Management

● Customer Engagement, Key-Account Management & Retention

● Advanced Microsoft Office

● Proficient in English & Afrikaans

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Chief Operating Officer 04/2020 - 12/2025

Bitek Industries (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa Specialty chemical, feed additives, disinfectants, detergents, food-ingredients & dosing equipment manufacturing & nutraceutical distribution, throughout Southern Africa / SADC / Sub-Saharan Africa / Indian Ocean Islands / India / Australia

● Designed and executed operational strategies that improved combined local and 3PL logistics performance, raising OTIF delivery reliability from 86% to 98% while strengthening compliance and risk controls across all business units.

● Built a nutraceutical agency and distribution business for Adisseo from the ground up, growing it to 30% regional market share within six years and sustaining 34% average annual volume growth through strategic territory expansion and the deployment of advanced dosing equipment solutions to apply liquid MHA methionine across South Africa, SADC, Sub Saharan Africa, and the Indian Ocean Islands.

● Conducted customer feasibility studies for the positioning, location, pipework reticulation, design and implementation of specialized PLC-integrated dosing application equipment for liquid methionine.

● Standardized manufacturing processes, operating procedures, reactor design setups, and production workflows across multiple liquid disinfectant, detergent, and powder feed additive product lines to enable smooth scale up of batch sizes and reliably meet increasing demand.

● Aligned growth and retention strategies to prioritize key account customer development by expanding cross division product offerings, increasing account penetration, diversifying revenue streams, and reinforcing long term customer retention.

● Visited and negotiated directly with Chinese chemical manufacturers to establish direct sourcing, secure favorable contracts, and optimize shipping and payment terms, reducing bulk raw material costs by 24% and significantly improving the reliability and resilience of the import supply chain.

● Reduced VOC losses by 18% through investment in double-jacketed, modified pressure/vacuum reactor vessels that lowered formulation costs through reduced wastage of active volatiles and improved product efficacies.

● Directed multi-site manufacturing, supply chain, quality, engineering, and logistics operations with full financial accountability.

● Developed and executed long-term strategic plans supporting corporate growth, market expansion, and customer acquisition.

● Improved OEE, production throughput, labor productivity, product yield, quality, food safety, and cost efficiency through Lean, continuous improvement principles.

● Co-managed annual budgets, forecasts, and long-range financial planning; strengthened cost control across labor, materials, logistics, and energy.

● Oversaw capital projects, automation upgrades, and facility improvements to expand capacity, reliability, and ROI.

● Strengthened supply chain performance, inventory management, S&OP planning, demand forecasting, and capacity planning to support customer service.

● Partnered with sales, R&D, technical, production and marketing teams to support product innovation, development and commercialization.

● Served as executive “go-to-person” for customer key accounts - resolving technical, service, quality, performance and delivery issues while supporting new contract negotiations.

● Built and developed high performing leadership teams through succession planning, capability development, and effective change management.

● Established KPI-driven operating systems and dashboards to improve visibility, accountability, and decision- making capabilities.

● Improved product throughput efficiencies by 25% through evaluation and conducting “Time & Motion studies” on each product and production line.

● Strengthened raw material supplier networks to secure competitive cost structures, fixed period advantages, reliable supply, improved commercial leverage and rebates allowed on special payment terms.

● Drove continuous improvement by applying structured problem-solving and root-cause analyses to boost reliability and eliminate production wastage.

Managing Director 04/2005 - 03/2020

Bitek Industries (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa

● Delivered 19% average annual revenue growth through disciplined commercial and operational leadership.

● Expanded the business across South Africa, SADC, Sub-Saharan Africa, India, the Indian Ocean Islands, and Australia, building a resilient multi-region distribution network.

● Strengthened supply chain reliability and efficiency by shifting to direct imports and global bulk purchasing, reducing inventory carrying costs and improving delivery cycles.

● Held full P&L responsibility across Bio-conditioning, Biosecurity, Commodity Trading, Nutraceutical, Cleaning and Hygiene and Dosing Application Equipment divisions, overseeing budgeting, capital allocation, and margin performance to maintain net margins above 21% and GP’s 53% for the company.

● Led and developed a total of 12 sales teams across international, regional, and local territories, across 5 divisions, improving CRM discipline and forecasting accuracy, commercial readiness and supporting 20+ new successful product launches.

● Directed commercial strategy across 173 product lines, setting sales targets, pricing strategies, and market- expansion plans aligned with company objectives.

● Built and personally managed 30+ key customer relationships — including JSE listed food and beverage companies, international feed mill groups, petfood manufacturers, rendering plants, vitamin and mineral premix companies, agencies, distributors, independent nutritionists and veterinarians, our JV partner in India, and other industrial end users — ensuring strong technical engagement, cross selling penetration, high service delivery, and long term account retention.

● Developed and led the sales division across technical sales advisors, product managers, sales managers, country managers and the Chief Customer-, Financial-, Product-, and Marketing Officers—driving disciplined pipeline planning, margin improvement, cost analyses, budgeting, KPI delivery, accurate sales forecasting, S&OP planning, CRM discipline, and strong accountability.

● Partnered with Operations, R&D, and Supply Chain to align production capabilities, new product development, inventory planning, and service-level commitments with commercial demand. EARLY CAREER EXPERIENCE

Technical Sales Director 03/2004 - 03/2005

Bitek Industries (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa

● Led multi region commercial, operational, and technical growth by managing the India JV partnership, expanding into Australia, securing and overseeing the Evans Vanodine UK manufacturing license, directing Cleaning & Hygiene operations for major food processing customers, strengthening cost structures through global sourcing, and building high performing cross functional teams — driving sustained market expansion, operational excellence, and long term customer retention. Technical Sales Manager 03/2002 - 02/2004

Bitek Industries (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa

• Developed new African and IOI export markets, strengthened sales execution across teams and distributors, expanded key-account penetration by 32% by product cross-selling, and led product-launch and business-development initiatives in coordination with R&D and operations. Technical Advisor 03/2000 - 02/2002

Bitek Industriies (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa

• Expanded global product reach, increased liquid-preservative adoption by 40% through engineered dosing systems and strengthened customer capability via on-site technical assessments, demonstrations, and training workshops. Technical Sales Consultant 06/1997 - 02/2002

Bidvest SA - Crown National (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa Crown National (Pty) Ltd is a leading South African supplier of spices, seasonings, food ingredients, and meat-processing equipment, with a heritage dating back to 1912. As part of the Bidcorp Group, the company provides innovative, high-quality products and technical expertise to the meat and broader food industries, supported by modern manufacturing facilities, pilot plants, and a national distribution network.

• Expanded market presence in the meat-processing sector, driving 22% revenue growth through ingredient applications and boosting corporate sales by 17% YoY via targeted acquisition strategies and disciplined 80/20 account focus.

Production Manager – Fresh & Processed Meats 03/1996 - 05/1997 ARC – Animal Nutrition & Animal Products Institute, Irene, South Africa ARC Institute conducts meat science and animal nutrition research to improve livestock productivity and food quality in South Africa. It provides specialized R&D and analytical services supporting the country’s meat industry and agricultural sector.

• Directed end-to-end processed-meat production with strong hygiene systems, while implementing new technologies and optimizing facility performance to boost throughput, reduce costs, and support profitable product expansion. QC Laboratory Technician 03/1996 - 05/1997

Royal Beech-Nut (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa FMCG manufacturer specializing in high-volume production of dry-mix desserts, confectionery, biscuits, baking ingredients, squashes and concentrated beverages, supported by multi-department processing, quality control, and packaging operations.

• Performed multi-department QA testing using defined methods and calibrated equipment, delivering accurate analyses and strengthened quality performance on high-volume product lines. Lieutenant 1st in Command 01/1990 - 12/1991

SANDF – South African National Defence Force, South Africa SA’s unified military force responsible for national defense, peacekeeping, border security, and civil-support operations, comprising the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Military Health Service, known for rigorous training and deployments across Africa.

• Advanced from Lieutenant 2nd-in-Command to Lieutenant 1st-in-Command after completing elite Junior Leaders training; served as an instructor responsible for developing new recruits, enforcing discipline, and supporting company-level operational readiness during compulsory national service. EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science (BS), Food Technology

Tswane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa National Diploma, Food Technology

Tswane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT/AFFILIATIONS

• SAAFOST – South African Association for Food Science & Technology, Professional Member, 08/2008

• Leadership Training for Managers, Dale Carnegie, 08/2006

• ISO9000:2000 Implementation & Evaluation of Quality Systems, SABS, 05/2005

• HACCP principles, Van Holy Consulting, 06/1996

• Sales Performance, Training & Development, Tony Karam - Smash Targets, 03/2023

• Future Focussed Selling Skills, Performance Catalyst Corp, 02/2019

• Key Account Management Strategies, Sales Skills, Motivation & Teamwork, SI Training 03/2017

• Sales impact Training, Hugh Cummins, 04/2014

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