About
David Herrera
- 15-year career in operations and consulting
- 8 of them in my family's food company
- Ran DHL Consulting's practice in the Americas
- Engineer · MBA, HEC Paris
Where I come from
I come from an entrepreneurial family. I started my career in my family's food company, from 2011 to 2019, with a break for an MBA at HEC Paris. The company is more than forty years old. Today it has about 450 people and serves around 15,000 meals a day. It cooks in a central kitchen, runs its own distribution and caters at client sites.
My first role was in cost control. Then I led the redesign of planning, production and sales, and rolled out new software across the company. As director of strategy and operations, I managed the margins. Every month I went through each site's results with its managers, and we adjusted planning and production to keep margins healthy. I finished as chief of staff to my father, the founder. I helped him set up a board, choose new leaders for operations and sales, and guide the company through the change.
In 2019 I joined DHL Consulting, the in-house consultancy of DHL Group, one of the world's largest logistics companies. I worked first in Germany and then in the United States. Most recently I ran its Americas practice, a team of twenty. I was responsible for its profit and loss, and for the work we delivered. I also led its global practice for strategic logistics. For DHL's leadership, we worked on growth, turnarounds, investment decisions and AI transformation. For clients in consumer goods, energy and retail, we worked on supply chain strategy.
I have stayed close to my family's business and its decisions about the future. So I know how personal those decisions are for an owner, and how much they matter to the people and the customers.
Why Ashmark
Ash for strength. A maker's mark for pride.
Ash is the wood good tool handles are made from. It is strong, and flexible enough to absorb the blows so the work stays steady. A maker's mark is how a craftsman signs work they are proud to stand behind. That is the kind of owner I want to be.
Today
My family and I have made our home in the United States, and this is where we plan to stay. Ashmark is my main focus: finding a strong company and becoming its hands-on, long-term owner.
Alongside the search, I work as a fractional chief operating officer through ForgeHouse, my independent practice, helping owners and leadership teams improve their operations and put AI to practical use. It keeps me close to the everyday work of running a company.
Education
I studied industrial and mechanical engineering at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. I stayed for a master's in industrial engineering, focused on operations research, which uses math to make better operating decisions. Later I did an MBA at HEC Paris.
I also love food. I once spent three months training as a chef at a professional culinary school.
The long view
The plan is to buy one company, or two that fit well together, and keep them for many years. Over time I may add more, but only when the ones I own are strong.
