Michael Franklin

About Michael Franklin

Fluent in both tech and exec, I drive turnarounds and growth for private equity-backed companies. With over a decade of C-level experience as CIO and GM, I create value and accelerate ROI for investors by aligning operations, technology, marketing, and customer support with business goals to deliver results.SIGNATURE STRENGTHS: Growth & Exit Strategies for Private Equity Technology Leadership | Digital Transformation | Cybersecurity | AI IT & Operational Turnarounds Mergers & Acquisitions Marketing | Sales Operations | LogisticsMy expertise is in driving strategic transformations for underperforming companies pursuing aggressive growth or repositioning initiatives. I am known for delivering turnarounds, optimizing processes, rebuilding teams, and reigniting growth engines.I have been fortunate to have been part of some genuinely talented teams throughout my career. I am proudest of my team at Cabinetworks, where we achieved a successful exit for our PE sponsors (American Industrial Partners and GIC) by selling to Platinum Equity for ~$2.6B — a record 28x return on invested capital for AIP.OTHER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Enabled five acquisitions for Cabinetworks Group, growing from ~$300M to $2B revenue, as member of M&A strategy team. Conducted IT due diligence, TSA activities, and IT post-merger integration. Masterminded operational turnaround for ACPI, resulting in EBITDA increase to 10%–12%(from negative earnings). Defined turnaround strategy and key strategic projects, and led execution. Transformed customer satisfaction score from 95% at ACPI. Turned around IT organization at ACPI. Rebuilt team and created an environment of innovation by implementing/updating systems and tools including ERP, BI, CRM, and others. Saved $5M annually by optimizing logistics performance at American Gypsum. Drove strategy that defined operational expectations, reduced spot rate shipments, and increased visibility into ~$80M in freight costs. Spearheaded product portfolio improvements that generated $8.5M in new sales within 12 months at American Gypsum. Within 24 months, new product sales represented 30%+ of total revenue.COMPETENCIES: Strategic Planning | P&L Oversight | Corporate Governance | Business Development | Cybersecurity | Program Management | Project Management | Product Development | Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy | Process Improvement | Organizational Development | Change Management | Compliance | Risk Management | Cross-Functional Team Leadership | Industrial/Manufacturing Industry

Experience

1. Investor

   Harbor

   Apr 2025 — Present

   Harbor\'s mission is to support parents and improve family well-being by combining expert care with innovative technology. They offer ai powered smart baby monitors and personalized services like sleep coaching and lactation consulting to make parenting easier and more restful.

Education

• SMU Cox School of Business

  Master of Business Administration (MBA)

• University of Nevada, Reno

  Bachelor of Science (BS)