Strategic Operator / Consumer Brands

Make the business
behind the brand work better.

Product · Operations · Value Chain

I work inside ambitious consumer brands to improve the systems behind the product — from supply chain and fulfilment to internal processes, AI and sustainability.

Available for embedded, interim & project-based work
Value Chain — Operations — Supply Chain — Fulfilment — AI — Impact —Value Chain — Operations — Supply Chain — Fulfilment — AI — Impact —Value Chain — Operations — Supply Chain — Fulfilment — AI — Impact —Value Chain — Operations — Supply Chain — Fulfilment — AI — Impact —
Value Chain

I look at the whole value chain.

Supplier
Production
Packaging
Logistics
Fulfilment
Customer

Every supplier, handover and partner affects your margin, resilience and impact. I find where the chain creates unnecessary cost, complexity or dependency — and work with the team to fix it.

EfficientAgileResilientScalableResponsible
Where I can help

Real problems, not service packages.

01

Your 3PL costs are eating into margin

Review the setup, pricing and economics — find where cost hides and a structure that fits the business.

02

Your supply chain is too dependent

Assess supplier concentration and sourcing, then diversify to build resilience and flexibility.

03

Too much work is still manual

Map how work actually happens, cut unnecessary steps, and let automation or AI take the repetitive parts.

04

Your processes have become too complex

Streamline workflows, handovers and decisions so the team moves faster with less friction.

05

Production isn't as efficient as it could be

Look at planning, suppliers, timelines and dependencies to improve how product moves through the business.

06

Your packaging needs a better solution

Find materials, suppliers and approaches that improve margin while reducing environmental impact.

07

You're building something new

Set up the operational foundations, processes and partnerships to move a new venture forward.

Focus areas

Not separate services. One connected system.

01

Supply Chain & Sourcing

Supplier selection, sourcing, procurement, cost structures, production and resilience — understanding how each part of the chain affects the others.

SourcingProcurementProductionResilienceCost
02

Fulfilment & 3PL

Pick & pack, storage, shipping, returns and minimum fees add up quietly. I assess whether the current partner still fits your stage and volumes — and what a better structure looks like.

3PL reviewTrue costPartner comparisonReturns
03

Process Improvement

Process mapping, workflow redesign, ownership, documentation and operating rhythms — removing duplicated work and manual admin.

MappingWorkflowsOwnershipOperating rhythm
04

AI & Automation

An AI-first operating mindset, not an AI project. Context first, then leverage: eliminate, simplify, automate — and keep the human where it matters.

EliminateSimplifyAutomateAI-assisted
05

Product & Product Operations

Structure across product development, costing, timelines, SKU complexity and launch readiness — so product moves without stalling.

DevelopmentCostingSKU complexityLaunch
06

Operating Model & New Ventures

How the business is set up to run: roles, systems, partners and priorities — and the foundations behind a new venture.

Operating modelSystemsPartnersNew ventures
Process, AI & Automation

Don't automate a broken process. Fix the process first.

Then automate what should no longer require manual work. For every process, the same five questions:

01

Can we eliminate it?

02

Can we simplify it?

03

Can we automate it?

04

Can AI handle part of it?

05

What actually needs a human?

I don't just advise. I embed.

I work alongside the people closest to the business, take ownership where needed, and build improvements the team keeps using after I leave.

EmbeddedInterimFractionalProject-based

Better value chains are better for business — and the planet.

I care about how a business grows, not only how fast it grows. Environmental and long-term impact should be part of real product, sourcing and operational decisions — not an afterthought.

MaterialsPackagingResource efficiencyWasteResponsible sourcingResilient supply
Who I work with

Ambitious consumer brands where complexity is starting to get expensive.

BeautySkincareWellnessLifestyleDTCConsumer GoodsFounder-led BrandsGrowing Brands
About

Liza Kogelnik is a strategic operator working with consumer brands to build better, more agile businesses across operations, supply chain, production and the systems that connect them.

Most recently, she led operations at a seven-figure skincare brand, working across product, suppliers, production and fulfilment. Previously, she worked in business operations at a climate NGO.

She holds an MSc in Sustainability Entrepreneurship from one of Europe's leading business schools and has worked and studied across Ljubljana, Lisbon, Paris and Berlin.

Contact

Let's make
it work better.

Tell me where the business is losing money, time or momentum. If I can help, we'll find the right way to work together.