Sebastien Gaumet

As part of Smith+Nephew’s Strategy, Technology & Operations Excellence organization, I lead global strategic programs across manufacturing network, capacity, technology and operational excellence. I support long-range planning, Smart Manufacturing roadmap governance, portfolio and investment decisions, P&L scenario modelling, and cross-site transformation to strengthen scalability, resilience and execution across Advanced Wound Management.

Led North America Self Care manufacturing network strategy through Kenvue’s separation from Johnson & Johnson. Scope covered a multi-billion-dollar business, six sites, and major capacity, footprint, technology and capital decisions. Reconfigured approximately 40% of the network, introduced scenario-based capacity planning, guided portfolio and make-versus-buy choices, and led complex site and product transitions while protecting business continuity.

Led a 250+ employee OTC pharmaceutical manufacturing organization across production, engineering, quality, supply chain and operational excellence, with accountability for safety, service, cost and site performance. Expanded capacity by 30%, reduced operating costs by 15% and quality incidents by 50%, while strengthening maintenance excellence, equipment reliability, governance and cross-functional execution.

Led manufacturing, engineering, operational excellence and overall site performance for a regulated MedTech operation, with accountability for safety, quality, service, cost, people and capital execution. Reduced annual operating costs by 7%, quality incidents by 80%, sustained 99% on-time delivery and increased project-delivery capacity fivefold through stronger governance, prioritization and resource allocation.

Led manufacturing performance and continuous-improvement initiatives within a regulated MedTech operation, focusing on productivity, service, cost and organizational capability. Increased production efficiency by 20%, reduced scrap and waste by 15%, shortened cycle times by 25%, supported 95% on-time delivery and established a multi-million-dollar budgeting process aligned with operational priorities and growth.

Led plant engineering, automation, maintenance and capital-project execution within a regulated MedTech operation. Managed a $10M capital plan covering equipment design, installation and qualification. Increased production capacity by 15%, improved equipment uptime by 25% and reduced maintenance costs by 20% through automation, preventive maintenance, reliability programs and stronger engineering execution.

Led the engineering organization and strategic automation portfolio for a regulated MedTech manufacturing site. Delivered three major automation projects, increased production efficiency by 15%, managed a $12M capital portfolio covering equipment implementation, qualification and operational transition, and reduced equipment downtime by 20% through Six Sigma, reliability improvement and stronger engineering execution.

Led manufacturing engineering teams responsible for sustaining operations, improving process capability and supporting product quality and regulatory compliance. Increased production efficiency by 15%, reduced defects by 20% through Lean and Six Sigma, managed a $5M capital budget covering equipment upgrades and operational improvements, and strengthened team productivity through clearer priorities, capability development and resource optimization.

Led new-product industrialization, process transfers and manufacturing-readiness activities within a regulated MedTech environment. Transferred a manufacturing process from the UK to Switzerland, reducing setup time by 15%. Managed a $2M capital project covering equipment installation, qualification and production start-up, and partnered with R&D and Quality on specifications, process capability and regulatory-submission documentation.

Led process-improvement and equipment-optimization initiatives within a high-volume manufacturing environment, focusing on cost, output, quality and operational reliability. Reduced production costs by 12%, increased output by 18%, led a $1.5M equipment-upgrade project and reduced defects by 20% through stronger CAPA, non-conformance management and cross-functional problem solving.

Worked with critical automotive suppliers to improve raw-material quality, resolve non-conformities and strengthen supplier performance. Reduced supplier non-conformities by 20% through CAPA and root-cause analysis, improved supplier performance by 15% through structured quality reviews and corrective actions, and recovered approximately $200K in costs related to supplier quality failures.