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Hi, I’m Natalia Meissner, a Strategic Operating Partner & CFO working with PE funds and their industrial portfolio companies. Welcome to my website!
If you’re responsible for driving returns across portfolio companies, you know that sustainable value creation requires both strategic direction and hands-on execution.
That’s where I come in.
I’m what I call a “Driver-Mechanic” – someone who can steer a company forward with strategic clarity while also rolling up my sleeves to fix what’s not working. Most businesses need both at different points in their investment journey, and I’ve built my career on delivering exactly the right leadership at exactly the right time.
Over my 25+ years working with companies across aerospace, automotive, power management, energy transition, and other industrial sectors, I’ve developed a practical approach to transforming operational complexity into measurable results. I don’t just advise – I implement. I don’t just identify problems – I solve them.
My Value Creation Pyramid™ framework isn’t something I created in a classroom. It’s the culmination of decades spent in the trenches at Eaton, Honeywell, and numerous mid-sized manufacturers, where I’ve consistently delivered $10M–$100M in enterprise value through hands-on financial and operational execution.
When I partner with PE firms and their portfolio companies, I focus on improvements that directly impact your investment returns:
✔️ Driving 15–30% EBITDA improvement through pricing discipline, margin enhancement, and cost optimization
✔️ Accelerating cash flow by 20–40% through working capital focus and operational efficiency
✔️ Positioning businesses to achieve 0.5–1.5x multiple expansion – not through financial engineering, but through operational improvements
✔️ Building exit readiness with operational transparency and a compelling narrative that attracts premium buyers
I integrate quickly with management teams because I’ve been in their shoes. I align fast with your investment thesis because I understand what drives PE returns. And I work with you – not around you – to deliver what both the business and fund need at each stage.
One of my favorite engagements was with a mid-sized industrial manufacturer struggling with margin pressure and working capital constraints. As the operating partner, I worked directly with the leadership team to implement practical improvements across operations, supply chain, and commercial functions.
Over five years, we grew EBITDA from $12.5M to $22M, paid down $12.5M in debt, and positioned the business to command a premium multiple. The result? An exit value of $182M – up from an entry value of $50M – delivering a 3.6x MoM and approximately 38% IRR for the fund.
This wasn’t achieved through financial engineering or multiple arbitrage. It came from rolling up my sleeves, understanding the operational details, and implementing practical solutions that created real improvement.
As a “Driver-Mechanic”, I adapt my approach to what your portfolio company needs at each stage:
🟢 Post-Acquisition – Validating the investment thesis, building 100-day plans, and implementing quick wins for early momentum
🔵 Mid-Hold / Value Creation Phase – Driving execution, enhancing margins, and positioning the business for strategic advantage
🔴 Exit Preparation – Final performance optimization, due diligence readiness, and equity story development
My approach is particularly effective in sectors where operational excellence drives valuation:
🔧 Manufacturing & Industrial – where process efficiency drives margins
⚡️ Energy & Infrastructure – where working capital optimization creates cash flow
🔩 Engineered Products – where strategic positioning commands premium multiples
🏭 Process Industries – where operational discipline reduces risk and enhances value
If you have a portfolio company that needs both strategic direction and hands-on execution, I’d welcome the opportunity to discuss how my “Driver-Mechanic” approach can help bridge the gap between investment thesis and operational reality.
I don’t offer theoretical frameworks or hands-off advice. I bring practical solutions, measurable results, and real-world experience to create value in industrial operations and PE investments.
Let’s connect to explore how we can accelerate EBITDA, unlock cash, and position your portfolio companies for premium exits. Together, we’ll bridge strategy and execution to drive measurable improvements in value creation, fund performance, and exit readiness.
Our approach begins by anchoring the investment thesis to operational reality. We don’t just design strategies—we architect value creation roadmaps that integrate execution from day one. Every initiative we propose is grounded in measurable outcomes, shaped by a deep understanding of how value is actually created, sustained, and realized within the holding period.
We deploy practical, field-tested Implementation Toolkits designed to deliver immediate traction and early wins. From working capital optimization to cost structure redesign and go-to-market refinement, our toolkits are engineered for rapid deployment and measurable impact—compressing time to value while minimizing disruption.
We serve as the connective tissue between PE sponsors and portfolio management teams. By aligning leadership around shared KPIs, value drivers, and clear decision rights, we create execution velocity without friction. Our model builds trust, transparency, and accountability from boardroom to shop floor.
Our work is designed to strengthen the metrics that matter—EBITDA, free cash flow, multiple expansion, and ultimately IRR, TVPI, and DPI. Whether stabilizing a carve-out or preparing for exit, our interventions build high-performing businesses that command premium valuations through operational excellence—not just multiple arbitrage.
As a bonus for visiting, we’re sharing our FREE PE Investment Performance Simulator—a powerful tool that connects operational execution to fund-level returns. This interactive model helps you quantify how improvements in EBITDA, cash flow, capital structure, and valuation multiples directly impact MoM, DPI, IRR, and TVPI. Whether you’re shaping a value creation roadmap or preparing for exit, this tool brings clarity to the financial impact of your operating strategy—bridging boardroom ambition with measurable outcomes.
