John F Merriweather | Global Business Transformation Executive

Three decades building the infrastructure of growth for the world's most demanding organizations.

John F. Merriweather is a Kellogg MBA–educated global executive with a singular expertise: taking large, complex organizations and making them dramatically more efficient, scalable, and profitable. His work spans Fortune 500 corporations, Big 4 consulting firms, and his own ventures — always at the intersection of strategy, operations, and transformation.

Whether designing a multi-continent shared services model, building a $60M savings roadmap, integrating a global M&A acquisition, or coaching the next generation of leaders — John brings the rare combination of boardroom credibility and ground-level execution that organizations at an inflection point need most.

The gap between where your organization is and where it could be is rarely a capability gap. It's a clarity and execution gap — and that's exactly where I operate.

Proven Results

A track record built at
the highest levels.

Merriweather Meridian Group

2026 – Present

Interim & Fractional Executive Leadership

Founder & Principal

Interim and fractional executive leadership for short-term contract roles in business transformation, global shared services and AI/automation execution. Stepping in when a transformation has stalled or a leadership gap threatens momentum — and driving execution, governance and measurable results.

Interim COO / VP Transformation Head of GBS AI program recovery M&A integration

WPP Global

2021 – 2023

Marketing, Media & PR

VP — Global Business Solutions, Strategy & Transformation

Spearheaded the strategic build-out of a startup Global Business Solutions organization supporting 30+ leading independent agencies. Led a 2,200+ person multifunctional team across Finance, Procurement, and Real Estate. Designed and delivered a 3-year transformation roadmap leveraging digital process automation (ServiceNow).

$60M projected savings 2,200+ person team 30+ agency network ServiceNow automation

Avantor

2018 – 2021

Life Sciences & Advanced Technologies

VP — Global Business Services

Led Global Business Services across four Delivery Centers (Europe, India ×2, Africa) and served as Managing Corporate Director for VWR International in Romania, Mauritius, and India. Led offshore M&A integration enabling Avantor's IPO (AVTR) and scaled the team from 900 to 1,400 in 18 months.

60% M&A cost reduction 55% team growth 40% productivity gain $6M additional dividends IPO enabled (AVTR)

Coca-Cola

2009 – 2018

Consumer Goods, Global Operations

Group Director — Global Business Services Governance

Transformed Coca-Cola's North American Finance Shared Services through offshoring, delivering 65% cost savings. Led 600+ associates across delivery centers in India, Poland, Central America, and the Philippines managing a $19M budget. Also led AI and robotics (RPA) indirect procurement strategy.

65% cost reduction 600+ associates $19M budget 15% YOY efficiency AI & RPA strategy

PwC / Deloitte

2005 – 2008

Big 4 Management Consulting

Director & Senior Manager — Shared Services & Strategy Advisory

Senior Shared Services and Outsourcing SME at PricewaterhouseCoopers. At Deloitte, led outsourcing strategy sales and implementation to C-suite clients, exceeding targets by 10% and securing $5M in new business through IT & Business Process Outsourcing solutions.

$5M new business C-suite advisory IT & BPO outsourcing

McDonald's

2002 – 2005

QSR / Global Technology & Procurement

Senior Manager — Global IT & Strategic Relationship Management

Led global technology supplier relationships, strategic vendor partnerships, and procurement transitions supporting McDonald's global supply chain initiatives. Managed cross-functional stakeholder alignment and vendor governance across a worldwide network of technology partners.

Global IT partnerships Supply chain technology Vendor governance Strategic procurement

IBM

1992 – 2000

Technology & Global Services

Global Project Manager — Major Accounts Network Services

Global delivery leader for Fortune 500 clients. Delivered innovative business solutions using eCommerce, ERP, and CRM platforms. Led cross-functional teams and managed strategic partner relationships, generating over $100M annually.

>$100M annual revenue Fortune 500 clients eCommerce / ERP / CRM

Interim · Fractional · Consulting

How John can help
your organization.

Available for: Interim COO / VP Transformation · Head of Global Business Services · AI & Automation Program Recovery · M&A Integration Leadership

AI & Automation Program Recovery

Turning stalled AI and automation programs into scaled results — from pilot to enterprise deployment, with the workflow redesign, ownership and accountability that make ServiceNow, RPA and AI initiatives stick.

ServiceNowRPA / AIDigital Strategy

Global Business Services Design

Architecting shared services organizations from the ground up — governance models, delivery center strategy, and organizational design for multinational operations.

GBS StrategyOrg DesignGovernance

Business Transformation & Cost Optimization

Designing and executing transformation programs that deliver measurable cost savings through offshoring, process automation, restructuring, and financial modeling.

Cost ReductionProcess AutomationFinancial Modeling

M&A Integration Strategy

Leading post-merger operational integration — offshore entity management, shared services consolidation, and enabling IPO readiness at scale. Proven at Avantor (AVTR).

M&A IntegrationIPO ReadinessConsolidation

Outsourcing & Offshoring Advisory

End-to-end outsourcing strategy — vendor selection, multi-national governance, BPO and IT outsourcing implementation with a track record spanning Coca-Cola, Deloitte, and PwC.

BPO / ITOVendor ManagementOffshoring

Executive Coaching & Leadership Advisory

One-on-one coaching for senior leaders navigating transformation, career transitions, or building high-performing global teams — grounded in 30+ years of real executive experience.

Executive CoachingLeadership DevelopmentTeam Performance

The executive who turns complexity into competitive advantage.

Three decades building the infrastructure of growth for the world's most demanding organizations.

A track record built atthe highest levels.

How John can helpyour organization.

Education & Honors

Ready to transform your organization?

The executive
who turns complexity
into competitive advantage.

A track record built at
the highest levels.

How John can help
your organization.