Oliver Wight appoints Andy Walker as CEO and Birgit Breitschuh as COO

Oliver Wight, an international consulting firm specialised in business improvement, has installed a new leadership team for its UK and EMEA business.

Effective the 1st January 2026, Andy Walker has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Birgit Breitschuh has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. Both have been with Oliver Wight for over a decade and will continue their roles as partners.

In his new role, Walker will oversee Oliver Wight’s strategic planning, commercial direction and ambitions across the EMEA region, while Breitschuh will head internal operations, including processes, governance, talent and finance – ensuring operational excellence across the organisation.

Headquartered in Gloucester, Oliver Wight delivers projects across the UK, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in areas such as business transformation, integrated business planning, performance improvement, supply chain, change management, and business intelligence. The business is led by a 22-strong partner group.

In 2025, Oliver Wight was named a leading consulting firm in the UK by Consultancy.org, and previously, the firm was named on FT’s list of UK’s leading management consultants.

Outside of the EMEA region, Oliver Wight also has offices in the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

Andy Walker

In his client-facing role, Walker works across a wide range of industry sectors including sportswear, fashion, brewing, energy, defence, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, service, retail, and consumer goods. He specialises in integrated business planning, an approach to operations management that Oliver Wight has championed for decades.

Walker advises and coaches senior management on how integrated business planning can help their organisations redesign business processes and drive sustainable improvements; enhancing customer service, increasing factory efficiency, optimising inventory, and reducing costs.

Prior to joining Oliver Wight in 2009, Walker held leadership roles in industry. He started his career in professional services, among others working at EY in its M&A business.

Birgit Breitschuh

Breitschuh meanwhile has a career that spans two decades working for major consumer goods companies. After spending five years with Unilever and Kraft, she worked nine years for Wrigley (Mars), where she held leadership positions in its supply chain business.

In her role as European Sales & Operations Manager at Wrigley, Breitschuh strengthened alignment between sales and supply-chain teams and processes. She led a portfolio spanning more than 35 countries, with responsibility for group sales exceeding ?1.2 billion.

She joined Oliver Wight in 2013 and is based in the company’s Munich office. In her client work, she specialises in innovation, supply chain management, and change management.

Kirsty Braines

After three years as CEO, Kirsty Braines has returned to a full-time role focused on partner and client engagement. She has been with the consulting firm since 2007 and is based in the UK.

“We thank Kirsty for her leadership and commitment,” said Oliver Wight in a statement. “Her steady guidance has been invaluable during a period of significant growth and evolution.”