Michel Thenin - Founder and Managing Partner
Michel is known as a P&L executive whose approach is geared toward value creation through innovation.
All along his career, Michel has held several positions in the US and abroad, essentially employed by a large privately owned US company in the Manufacturing / Industrial B2B space. He turned around manufacturing operations, acquired / restructured companies, implemented product transfer to overseas facilities, and developed markets globally (Europe, China, India, Japan, Australia, Brazil, etc.), including environmental, petrochemical, food, pharmaceutical and biotechnology. He restructured and developed sales channels.
Michel’s approach managing a business entity focuses on rationalization, value creation and innovation, helping to position it in the high-end market space, as opposed to a commodity offering. Under his leadership, the entities he managed developed 41 inventions, leading to 236 patents issued globally.
Michel earned 2 Master’s Degrees in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from French Engineering Schools. He also earned an MBA with Distinctions from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University. Worth noting, Michel worked for the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales as a quality engineer on the Ariane 4 Space Launcher Team in Kourou, French Guyana.
Michel is currently a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the University of Illinois-Chicago’s College of Engineering and a member of the French American Chamber of Commerce - Chicago.
About us
Our Philosophy
Fog and Friction Business Consulting LLC heavily leveraged Carl Von Clausewitz concept develop in his book “On War”.
Claus Von Clausewitz is a famous military theorist from the Napoleon Bonaparte era that created several important strategic concepts still used today. Although his work was created for the military in mind, his concepts can just as easily be applied to other professions. His concept of Fog and Friction, perfectly encapsulates the difficulties one will face when enacting plans in the realm of uncertainty.
Fog refers to the uncertainty of information, the difficulty in evaluating what is good information and its value. Business is the conquest against the unexpected.
Friction refers to the difficulties encountered when plans are put in action, these include human error, logistical problems, difficulties in coordination, and how corporate culture interacts with employees.
The aim of a business is simple, the actualization and realization of plans is complex.