Excellence in the Ever-evolving and Demanding Food Industry!
The food and beverage industry is an important component of global economies, strongly connected to cultural and social practices. As consumer preferences evolve toward sustainability, health-conscious choices, and transparency, companies within this sector are focusing on operational improvements to meet these demands and to maintain a competitive edge. Innovation plays a crucial role, from advanced production techniques to digital transformations that optimize supply chain management and continuously refine best-in-class processes. Furthermore, the industry’s commitment to reducing waste, improving efficiency, and developing product quality underscores its significance in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as food security and environmental impact.
As the Group Head of Operational Excellence at Emmi Group, Alex Bolinelli is shaping industry standards with his unique, forward-thinking leadership approach. His career, rooted in lean manufacturing and consulting, reflects his passion for increasing operational efficiency and implementing transformative changes. Known for his hands-on approach, Alex engages across all organizational levels, from top management to shop floor teams, cultivating an environment where collaboration and continuous improvement thrive. His ability to balance strategic vision with practical execution has made him a key figure in driving sustainable results within the industry.
At Emmi Group, Alex’s efforts are aligned with the company’s long-standing commitment to operational excellence. Emmi, as a leader in the dairy sector, is dedicated to maintaining high-quality standards while pushing the boundaries of innovation in production and sustainability. With a rich heritage and a forward-looking approach, Emmi continues to play a key role in the global food and beverage sector, constantly adapting to meet the growing needs of consumers and the broader market. Through Alex’s leadership, the company remains dedicated to excellence and sustainability in its operations.
Let’s explore Alex’s journey from automotive to consumer goods:
Driving Change in Diverse Environments
Alex started his career 17 years ago at Volkswagen, where he gained valuable experience with lean manufacturing processes and learned how to effectively integrate production and logistics into the supply chain. This hands-on experience shaped his approach to operational excellence. During that time, he had the privilege of working closely with an exceptional leader from Porsche Consulting, who was a consultant at one of their facilities at that time.
This leader was a well-rounded professional with deep knowledge and a remarkable ability to make a significant impact on the organization. Alex admired his approach and expertise, and he became someone he aspired to emulate. He had a unique ability to spot underlying issues that others couldn’t see, and he taught Alex to develop that same critical perspective. His guidance and mentorship were pivotal in shaping Alex’s journey toward becoming a consultant.
Afterward, Alex transitioned to consulting, following his mentor’s steps, where he spent most of his career leading transformation projects across various industries. This experience allowed him to refine his ability to drive change in diverse environments and cultures.
Following his time in consulting, Alex led lean and digital transformation initiatives for Hilti in the manufacturing space. These experiences have prepared him for his current role at Emmi Group, where he continues to focus on operational excellence while constantly learning and growing.
Engaging Across Organizational Levels
He finds the most fulfilling aspect of his role to be the opportunity to engage with all levels of the organization. On the one hand, he collaborates with leaders to co-create strategies, and on the other, he works closely with employees on the shop floor to implement these strategies. Beyond the meaningful impact of improving processes, he is passionate about empowering teams and driving measurable results.
At Emmi Group, there is a strong cultural foundation where change is driven from the ground up, with targeted top-down guidance and full leadership support. “This collaborative environment is incredibly rewarding”. Seeing tangible improvements, such as increased efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction, reinforces his passion for operational excellence and the impact of his work.
Leadership in Operational Excellence
According to Alex, leadership in operational excellence requires a blend of vision, communication, and hands-on engagement. A leader must inspire the organization with a clear vision of success and challenge teams to continuously improve, fostering a mindset of continuous improvement.
It is also essential to demonstrate results and sustain progress, showing measurable impact. He does not believe a leader needs to be perfect or know everything. Instead, he values the power of attitude—taking ownership and maintaining a positive, solution-oriented mindset is crucial for overcoming challenges and keeping teams motivated.
He follows a few key principles that guide his actions: He treats problems as valuable opportunities, seeing the potential they offer for growth and improvement. He does whatever is required to achieve aligned goals, ensuring commitment to outcomes. Most of the time, he simply presses the “just do it” button, prioritizing action to ensure timely delivery and progress.
Ensuring Sustainability in Initiatives
He believes in the importance of an end-to-end (E2E) perspective. Cross-functional collaboration is essential for achieving excellence, as local optimization does not always translate to global optimization. His approach is to ensure alignment on E2E goals, creating a shared understanding of the purpose and value of the work across functions.
Open communication, setting clear expectations, and accountability are crucial in guiding teams. He strives to create an environment where collaboration thrives, and teams feel empowered to achieve their objectives.
One lesson he had to learn the hard way, after making several mistakes, was how to ensure sustainability in the implemented actions. One can drive an initiative to completion, but the real challenge is figuring out how to make sure the changes and implementations last over time. How does one ensure what is put in place remains? This question today stays at the forefront of his mind.
Maintaining a Positive Team Atmosphere
Alex prioritizes a clear, motivating vision to keep teams aligned on shared goals. Transparency and open communication are vital in building trust and ensuring issues are addressed early.
He also believes in personal connections, regularly engaging in one-on-one interactions to build strong, individualized relationships across the organization. Actively listening to colleagues and fostering a culture of trust helps create a positive, collaborative environment where people feel valued and supported.
Alex is an easygoing person and believes personality plays a role in maintaining a positive atmosphere within teams. However, it is not always easy to keep it high when a team is not performing. In those moments, he focuses on “cutting the noise” with direct and transparent communication with the major stakeholders to address the issues head-on. This is when trust is gained.
Consultative Approach to Challenges
He approaches challenges as a consultant would: first by understanding the situation thoroughly and setting the right context. Before acting, he ensures the team understands the burning platform—why change is necessary. This step is crucial in aligning everyone and creating a clear chain of support from the outset, ensuring they are doing the right things before focusing on doing things right.
The toughest part of any change is figuring out who is really on board and willing to support pushing it forward, as well as identifying and addressing the fundamental cultural elements that need to be changed.
Continuous Improvement through Research
He realizes that the more he learns, the more there is still to learn. Whenever faced with a challenge, he uses it as an opportunity to dive into new topics until he can effectively engage with experts. He spends hours researching and consuming content when necessary.
Alex also uses LinkedIn extensively to connect with peers facing similar challenges, which helps him network and share insights. He regularly benchmarks their practices against industry leaders, using conferences and fairs to push the bar higher and continually improve.
Prioritizing Family and Personal Well-being
Alex is married and has two boys, who are the most important part of his life. He confesses that he has made many sacrifices along the way, hitting the road early in his life and spending several years living on his own, fully dedicated to his studies and career, which helped him reach the position he is in today.
The journey was challenging, but he is proud of what he has achieved. He can say that his job today and what he does as a professional are significant parts of his identity. The way he sees it, if one can survive an engineering degree or life in consulting, one learns in parallel to balance work and life effectively.
Despite all the commitments he has made, they do not come close to the sacrifices his parents made to give him and his siblings the opportunity to succeed. Their dedication drives him to keep pushing forward and never settle.
One other principle he follows is “quality time.” He tries to prioritize quality over quantity in his personal time. Outside of working hours, he ensures he recharges by spending quality time with his family and engaging in activities that help him unwind.
Delivering Measurable Value
His advice to emerging leaders looking to excel in operational excellence and transformation roles is to step out of their comfort zone—that’s where real growth happens. Alex emphasizes being proactive, taking ownership, and always focusing on delivering value through measurable results. Building a reputation based on the ability to drive change and achieve results will follow them throughout their career.
