Operational advisory · Special situations
Operational expertise
when it matters most.
We partner with private equity funds and investors to stabilise, restructure, and transform businesses through carve-outs, post-acquisition transitions, and crisis situations. From the day of signing to a stable, standalone business — We provide the operational leadership that investors need when situations are complex, urgent, or both.
30+
Years of operational experience
20+
Mandates successfully delivered
€10M–100M
Transaction size range
Europe-wide
FR · DE · IT · BE · NL · ES · Baltics · CEE
Our services
Specialist advisory for complex operational situations
Private equity funds and investors call on us when situations require more than standard advisory. We embed with your portfolio company, lead the operational work, and stay accountable for the outcome.
Carve-out management
End-to-end operational leadership through separation from a parent organisation. We manage TSA negotiation, functional stand-up, Day 1 readiness, and the full transition to standalone operations.
Separation
Post-acquisition stabilisation
Rapid operational assessment and stabilisation in the critical weeks post-close. We deliver 100-day plans, interim management, and a clear value creation roadmap grounded in operational reality.
Post-close
Restructuring & turnaround
Crisis intervention and performance recovery for businesses under financial or operational stress. We manage cash, align stakeholders, and redesign the operating model to restore viability.
Crisis
Interim executive leadership
Parachute CEO, CFO, or COO roles during transition, leadership vacancy, or turnaround. We take on full executive accountability — not just advice — and deliver measurable results.
Interim
Operational due diligence
Pre-acquisition operational risk assessment to complement financial due diligence. We identify red flags, quantify integration complexity, and stress-test the business plan assumptions.
Pre-deal
Value creation support
Hands-on operational improvement during the hold period. We work alongside portfolio company management to drive cost reduction, margin recovery, and sustainable performance improvement.
Portfolio
Selected engagements
Complex situations. Delivered.
The following engagements represent a cross-section of our operational track record. Client names are confidential. Situations are real.
Industrials · Carve-out & restructuring
Post carve-out of specialised tooling manufacturer
Operational leadership of a post-acquisition carve-out from a blue-chip global group. Principal challenge: site restructuring complicated by a post-M&A dispute and live arbitration proceedings. Delivered operational continuity and full site restructuring while managing legal complexity in parallel.
Manufacturing · Post-acquisition · Arbitrage
Industrials · Carve-out
Carve-out of specialised paper mill from global parent
End-to-end carve-out management of a highly specialised paper mill from a leading global company. Principal challenge: restoring manufacturing excellence and reworking production processes degraded during a prolonged period of corporate transition.
Manufacturing · Carve-out · Process redesign
Industrials · Secondary transaction
Secondary buyout of multi-site component manufacturer
Operational leadership post-secondary transaction of a multi-site manufacturer of specialised components for the textile industry. Principal challenges: restoring profitability and establishing coherent multi-site management. Key outcome: EBITDA-positive within one year of engagement.
Manufacturing · Multi-site · Turnaround
Business services · Restructuring
Restructuring of B2B sales business unit
Operational and commercial restructuring of a B2B sales business unit with deeply embedded structural weaknesses. Principal challenge: building a functioning sales policy and process from the ground up. Key outcome: business unit returned to profitability within two years.
B2B · Sales · Profitability recovery
How we work
Embedded. Accountable. Results-oriented.
We does not produce reports and move on. We embed with your team, take operational accountability, and remain engaged until the job is done. Every mandate follows the same disciplined approach.
01
Rapid diagnostic
On-site assessment within days of engagement. We identify root causes — not symptoms — and establish a shared factual baseline with the investor and management team.
02
Structured plan
A clear, prioritised roadmap with defined milestones, accountable owners, and explicit decision points. No ambiguity about what success looks like or how we will measure it.
03
Embedded delivery
We work inside the business, not from the outside. As interim executive or embedded advisor, we are accountable for delivery alongside the management team — not observing it.
04
Clean handover
We leave behind a stable, self-sustaining operation. Full knowledge transfer to the permanent team, documented processes, and a clear forward plan before disengagement.
Why Avancero
Built differently. For situations that demand it.
Most operational challenges facing PE-backed businesses do not require large consulting teams. They require the right senior practitioner — with the relevant experience, full accountability, and the ability to move fast. Avancero was built around that conviction.
01
Senior-only delivery
Every Avancero mandate is led and delivered by a senior practitioner with direct, hands-on experience of comparable situations. No delegation to junior teams. No learning on your time.
02
Operational, not advisory
We take on executive accountability — as interim CEO, CFO, or COO — rather than advising from the outside. Our track record is built on situations where we were directly responsible for the outcome.
03
Right-sized for the mandate
We scale our involvement — and our team — to the complexity and size of each situation. For larger mandates, we draw on a trusted network of senior operational practitioners across Europe.
Leadership
Matej Kurent
Founder & Managing Director
Matej has over 30 years of international experience spanning operational turnarounds, carve-outs, restructurings, and business transformation across Europe. He has served as embedded CEO, CFO, and CRO across multiple mandates — taking full executive accountability in each.
Prior to founding Avancero, he led Gorenje France from crisis to 40% CAGR revenue growth through a complete business model overhaul. He holds an MBA from the University of Kansas and brings fluency in English and French, with working proficiency in German and Spanish — a rare combination for pan-European mandates.
Track record includes
Interim CEO · Interim CFO · Interim CRO · Carve-out director · Turnaround advisor
Prior experience
Managing Director, Gorenje France · Partner & Director, Poteza Ventures · General Manager, MTV Adria · Deputy Director, Mobitel
Languages & geography
English & French (fluent) · German & Spanish (working) · Europe-wide: FR, BE, DE, IT, NL, ES, Baltic states, CEE
Senior practitioner network
Avancero maintains working relationships with experienced operational executives across key European jurisdictions, available for deployment on complex or multi-workstream mandates.
Contact
Start a confidential conversation.
Most mandates begin with a single conversation. No forms, no intermediaries — direct access to senior expertise from the first contact. We respond personally, promptly, and discreetly.
Write to us directly
You will hear back from a senior practitioner — not an assistant, not an automated response.
Connect on LinkedIn
Paris, France · Available across Europe
All enquiries are handled personally and treated with strict confidentiality.
Who we work with
Private equity funds · Venture capital firms · Family offices · Corporate acquirers · Independent sponsors
Typical situations
Carve-outs in progress · Post-acquisition stabilisation · Underperforming portfolio company · Leadership gap · Imminent restructuring
Response time
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 24 hours. For urgent situations, mark your message as such and we will prioritise accordingly.