Sebastien Katch joins Verlinvest as Managing Director – Operations

BRUSSELS, Belgium; [April 15, 2024] – Verlinvest, the evergreen consumer-focused investment company, today announced the appointment of Sebastien Katch as Managing Director- Operations. In this new role, Sebastien will work closely with Verlinvest’s portfolio companies across Europe, the US and Asia, to support their operations on-the-ground.

Mr. Katch has over 25 years of operating and consulting experience with a wealth of knowledge and expertise within operational excellence, transformations, and organizational optimization. Most recently, Katch has spent three years as Chief Operating Officer at RealTruck, a leading online and wholesale retailer of aftermarket truck accessories, where he has overseen the operations, sourcing and procurement, manufacturing, and quality functions of the company. During his tenure, Sebastien built out the operational excellence pipeline, transformed multiple decentralized manufacturing sites and their supply changes into a unified organization, developed, structured and launched the company’s multiyear operations transformation, among other projects which resulted in the company improving gross margin.

Prior to this, Katch was an Operating Partner at private equity firm, L. Catterton, for nine years, where he focused on portfolio company value creation and led the Operational Excellence function. He also spent six years at McKinsey & Co., leading business operations, transformations, and McKinsey’s North American Manufacturing Strategy service line. Katch started his career with eight years in the Aerospace industry, where he designed and built commercial and military aircraft engines.

Katch holds an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master’s Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master’s Degree in finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, Canada.

“We are delighted for an operator of Seb’s exceptional caliber to be joining Verlinvest’s global leadership team,” said Roberto Italia, CEO of Verlinvest. “His background and extensive experience leading operational excellence across retail, luxury, consumer packaged goods, pet food, food and beverage, restaurant, and health and wellness sectors will be invaluable as we continue to execute on Verlinvest’s mission of driving consumer revolutions. I am looking forward to working closely with Seb on supporting our portfolio companies and creating value for Verlinvest’s shareholders.”

Katch’s appointment continues to bolster a growing Operational Excellence team within Verlinvest, which also recently welcomed former ABInBev commercial lead for Western Europe, William De Vliegher, to its Europe team, and strategic growth operator and former Swiggy and Disney executive, Nishad Kenkre, to its Asia team.