Our Team
The members of our team are situated in important
locations in various countries. Each one of them is
able to cover multiple territories as well as various
functions.
Rolandas Lukšta
Associate Partner in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia , Moldova, Poland and CIS​
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Rolandas has 20+ years international sales and business development experience. He worked in Whirlpool EMEA as sales, Lithuania market director and business development manager in Lithuanian and Russian markets. As sales director in Snaige refrigerator factory he was in charge of sales supervision more than 30 countries. Rolandas’ experience includes: Set up and management of an international sales organization, strategic planning, controlling, supply chain and P&L; Business development, export-import operations; Launches in new markets and of new brands, OEM projects.
Alessandro Rovida
Associate Partner in Italia
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Senior executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience in global sales, trade marketing and product development, spent in multinational environments like 3M, Fujitsu, Whirlpool, with extensive market knowledge of Europe, USA, Asia and Brazil.
Familiar with leading national and international teams, coordinating business creation and product launches worldwide, the in durable goods industry. Alessandro hold a degree in Business Administration and marketing at Bocconi University in Milan and a Master in general management at SDA Bocconi He developed a strong wide network of contacts with different companies, and different industries around the world
Konstantin Semenov
Associate Partner in Ukraine and Caucasus region
Konstantin has 25+ years International Leadership experience that helped him to build and lead strong and ambitious teams to guarantee the market entry for Profitable growth in 8 countries.
He worked as Sales Director in Braun SDA and Market Director at Whirlpool EMEA in 1997-2016.
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Konstantin successfully developed new business in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belorussia.
His experience includes hard negotiations and client development in competitive environment as GM, Sales, KA Expert including marketing, distribution, customer service, planning, supply chain, P&L, credit control and risk management skills.
Costantino Tamburrini
Associate Partner in Switzerland and Italy
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Senior Executive with a successful track record in Sales and Business Development. Swiss based Italian born, Intercultural and multilingual, university degree in International low with a post-graduate diploma in International Marketing and Trade.
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He has held commercial roles of increasing responsibility within Multinational Companies in the durable consumer goods and catering equipment sectors. Owner of an extensive network of business contacts worldwide.
Andrea Ojetti
Associate partner - Turkey and Italy
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In his +40 years career has served in top management positions in multinational corporations. Based in Mexico, Argentina, Switzerland, China, Singapore and finally Turkey he’s an expert in international trade and manufacturing of durable consumer products.
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Since 2005 resident in Ä°stanbul, Turkey, were he’s been general manager of Indesit Company and Candy Hoover group.
Italian mother tongue he’s fluent in English, French, Spanish and Turkish.
Paul Tierney
Associate Partner in Hong Kong and China
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Paul has 20 years of experience in Asian markets specializing in the field of manufacturing and international trade. His experience includes starting and running companies in both Hong Kong and China, as an avid entrepreneur and engineer he has number of research publications and patents under his name.
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In recent years he has focused on supplying Bathroom and Sanitaryware products to the US, EU, UK and Chinese markets. He is currently the VP for such a successful manufacturer supplying the North American and EU and UK markets, along his journey he has cultivated a wide range of contacts in said territories.
Peter Schutte
Associate Partner – Netherlands
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Peter is an experienced Global Sales Director with a demonstrated history of 25 years working in the consumer goods industry. Skilled in Marketing Management, Coaching, Retail Sales, and Sales Management. Strong sales professional graduated from MBO Leiden.
Most recent assignments bringing PlasmaMade successfully to the European Market.
At this moment Peter is, among other things, also the distributor for Fhiaba in the Netherlands and Germany.
Speaks fluent Dutch, English and German.
Vassil Iliev
Associate Partner – Bulgaria
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Vasco is bringing 20+ years of experience in consumer electronics industry. As a business leader he had full responsibility for developing local market strategies and execution, marketing and sales, finance, logistics, HR, aftersales service. Vast experience in business acquisition and integration gained through recent merger of Whirlpool and Indesit operation
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Most recent assignments include projects related to business intelligence and e-commerce.
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Speaks fluent English, Russian and Bulgarian. Graduated from University for World and National Economy.
Rajiv Kapur
Associate Partner – India
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With more than 32 years of local experience in diverse range of industries & roles: ranging from Consumer Durables, to FMCG and industrial products, from handling P&L responsibilities and managing large teams with a national footprint, to strategic business portfolio planning and launching of new business models.
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He was a member of the executive leadership team at WHIRLPOOL India, with key responsibilities including the delivery of operational, tactical goals to strategic planning for a long-term sustainability of business.
Oren Eschenasy
Associate partner - USA and Canada
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A proven leader and an accomplished executive with over 30 years of international sales, marketing and product development experience. Extensive professional experience included stints with appliance multinationals Whirlpool Corporation, Electrolux, and Midea Group.
Directed, coordinated and facilitated the supply and distribution of goods and services to the Caribbean, Andean and Central American regions.
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Held sales manager and director level sales and product development positions in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Latin America and Europe.
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Coached, trained and mentored sales teams throughout Mexico and Latin America, successfully integrating company culture and strategic sales objectives.
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Developed channel, product, and marketing strategies for wholesale, self-service, department store channels and regional independent dealers. Customers included Home Depot Mexico, Wal-Mart Central America and Almacenes Siman in Central America.
Bruno Sgarbi
Associate partner - Italy
having more than 30 years experience spent in creating a meticulous net of distributors throughout OVERSEAS MARKETS for few leading European manufacturers of Electrical Appliances ( MDA & SDA) such as OCEAN, SanGiorgio, BRANDT Group & FAGOR ....as well as General Manager for the dedicated Branch till 2019
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Indeed oriented to perform and problem solving mind set, since I'm available for RI/Organization of the net of sales for Companies / Manufacturers having an ambitious plan of growth in Export activity (English, French, Spanish).
Michael Tsidemidis – Harris
Associate Partner in Greece and Cyprus
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Michael, academically MSc and MBA holder, has an international background, in Commodities, Property and Electronics and Electrical products, starting in ’80s.
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Operating from London UK, most of his career, has an expertise in the Greek and Cyprus Markets.
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As CEO, of Schaub Lorenz International GmbH, a Licensing Business, has been exposed to experiences, in several of the 92 countries, that the brand Schaub Lorenz is registered.
Additionally, MTH, was involved, in the DESERTEC (Green Energy) PROJECT and the Resilience Action Fund NGO – Led by the United Nations Intl Strategy, for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
Patrick Soumet
Associate partner in Morocco
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Patrick spent nearly 30 years managing local and international companies, as general manager, country manager, sales and marketing manager in Spain, France, Turkey, and Morocco now since nearly 25 years.
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During his career, he worked in various domains such as Transport, Electronics, Domestic appliances, FMCG in Food distribution, and have developed in Morocco brands like TEFAL, ROWENTA, INDESIT, CANDY, IKUSI, CRUNCHIPS or TABASCO
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His expertise grew in Morocco, country that he knows quite well and wich became one of the leader of Africa.
He speaks French as motherlanguage, English, Spanish and some Moroccan. He is graduate from french university with a DESS ( MBA equivalent ) and follow since this year a DBA.
Josef Blaha
Associate partner - Czech & Slovak
Josef is a seasoned business leader with almost 30 years of experience in the field of household appliances (MDA, SDA) as well as appliances for commercial use, especially premium brands such as AEG, Electrolux, Samsung and Liebherr.
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During his professional career, he worked in various positions with responsibility primarily for sales, marketing, business development, project management, but also other operations from the area of general management.
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Josef graduated in mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Prague and also holds an MBA degree in executive management from the Dominican University of Chicago.
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Josef’s mother tongue is Czech, he also speaks English and German.
Alejandro Laya
Associate Partner - Venezuela
Alejandro is a highly experienced professional Consultant in the Home Appliances and the Consumer Electronics industries, with 20 years of experience developing business relationships with global brands and factories such as Electrolux, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Changhong Group, etc. He holds a Master's degree in Management from the Ashridge Business School (UK) and a Master's degree in Marketing from Lorange Business School-CEIBS (Switzerland). He is fluent in English, Spanish handling also Portuguese.
He has particular focus on Latin America, where he possesses a vast and active business network. He has held various executive and high managerial positions throughout his career, including roles such as Product Category Manager, Head of Sales, Area Sales Manager, Country Manager and Commercial Director, providing him with invaluable insights and expertise navigating the complex business landscape of the region.
Additionally, he has extensive experience in developing brands through wholesale distributors, stores chains, key accounts and big box stores. He has very well developed skills in marketing, trade marketing, import/export and international logistics, making him a well-rounded business professional capable of leading expansion strategies and driving business growth.
Garth Tiltmann
Associate partner in Dubai
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Passionate, well-versed commercial marketing executive with more than a decade of international Consumer Durable Goods sector experience, having increased responsibility governance within multinationals across strategical as-well-as tactical functional roles with a strong product-centric focus and expertise in business development and growth.
Proud, successful, and consistent performance track record in business value creation for the largest global fortune 500 companies’ brands; Electrolux (AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi & Kelvinator) and in the
past 11 years that of Whirlpool Corporation (Maytag, Whirlpool, Ariston, Indesit & KIC etc) Middle East, Africa, Turkey as well as EMEA outbound export markets.
University of Pretoria degree in International Business, Marketing & Communication distinguished by the Golden Key International Honour Society lifetime recognition affirmed in having lived and worked abroad: South Africa, Italy and presently the United Arab Emirates.
Garth has learned that understanding a regions’ multicultural and diversity differences is needed when considering the provisions for “best-in-class” and market “tailor-made” product offers. This inspired him to lead teams with Integrity, dedication, and support though critical thinking in solving “headwinds” with a “sleeves-rolled-up” and inclusive approach towards achieving success for all stakeholders.
Riad Almawy
Associated Partner in the Levant region
An accomplished Business Leader with 25+ years' experience in driving multi-million-dollar growth for companies within the home electronics, appliances and consumer goods industries in the UAE, MENA and globally. An expert in the development of new business and ensuring delivery of products and services to the highest standard whilst motivating multi-disciplinary teams. Well-versed in working at Board level to develop sales and operational strategies, plans and profit targets with the ability to provide valuable input on decisions relating to business turnaround, diversification and expansion.
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Ability to drive ground-breaking initiatives in-line with corporate visions. Significant experience in managing businesses and developing and implementing innovative market penetration strategies across territories to drive company expansion in line with targets.
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Expert analyst of market trends, disruptive technologies and competitor activity to support sound decision-making at a senior level and an out-of-the-box approach to developing effective strategies to achieve sales targets in line with corporate aims.
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Advanced business modelling skills and proven ability to hold responsibility for multi-million-dollar P&Ls, budgets, cash flow, performance and balance sheet analysis and reporting.
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A skilled negotiator in operational and commercial roles. Well-versed in scrutinizing deal-making and contractual processes to maximize bottom-line results whilst ensuring equitable outcomes for all parties.
Engaging effectively with stakeholders up to Board level to gain buy-in and approval for initiatives and projects. Skilled in winning trust through transparency and fostering confidence to drive business improvements. Multilingual capability in English (Fluent), Arabic (Fluent), Farsi (Fluent), Italian (Good), French (Good) and Turkish (Fair).
Friedrich Frank
Associate partner in Poland
A mature hands-on leader with over 2 decades of experience in the international multichannel retail environment. Capitalizing on my strong customer focus, result orientation, entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and comfort in dealing with transformation. Professional skilled in Category Management, Buying & Sourcing, Trade-Marketing, Supply Chain, and Services as well as On- and Offline Commercial Operations.
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Repeatedly led challenging commercial initiatives in fast-paced and evolving business environments and have collaborated with partners worldwide maintaining strong relationships with producers, forwarders, distributors, and diverse retail partners.
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Proud to be a senior executive director with over 25+ years of experience in Consumer Electronics, having served the largest European electronics retailer in various countries such as Germany, China, Turkey, Russia, Switzerland, and Poland.
Leo Vignone
Associated partner in Australia and New Zealand
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Executive sales and marketing management with more than 40 years ; industry experience of business development both local and international Team leadership covering multinational brands Whirlpool Oceania and local market brands.
Leadership expertise in the appliance industry experience includes coordination of brand development product platform, creation, product sourcing from Europe and Asia. With a full network of product approvals and compliance for agencies in both Australia and New Zealand markets.
Network connections include both global and local logistics providers to ensure smooth operations and Coordination from factory to end consumer.
Akis Diamantopoulos
Associate Partner in Greece and Cyprus​
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Akis is a commercial leader with an extensive experience in B2B Sales and Business Development of Consumer Electronics, SDA and FMCG in various international brands (iRobot, Samsung Electronics, Toshiba, Coca Cola a.o.). Always in leadership positions with knowledge of local and foreign markets, worked with big retailers like Dixons, Media Markt, Public, Cosmote, Vodafone, etc. Proven skills in launching and developing new brands in new markets, OEM projects with hands-on culture, motivating and promoting teamwork, strategic thinking, target achievement history and results driven.
Torsten Hehner
ASSOCIATED PARTNER IN Darmstadt, Germany​
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Board member and Managing Director Sales/Marketing/HR with 30 years of international management experience in family-owned, medium-sized manufacturing companies in segments of Mechanical engineering/commercial kitchen technology (HoReCa), Construction supply industry, Franchising with focus on Planning, implementation and management of Sales and Marketing processes to develop existing potential and new business areas to cover both B2B and B2C channels. Pragmatic sales support and management, coaching and sales training with consistent own Key account responsibility. Marketing responsibility for strategy, planning and implementation of customer-focused and sales-orientated measures. Reorganisation / restructuring of sales and marketing teams to adapt to new structures while simultaneously increasing efficiency.
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Product Launch of Key-unit at one World-market-leader in HoReCa in Japan, Russia, Italy, Spain and China. Worldwide Fairs & Exhibitions covering different channels (B2C, B2B).
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Strong knowledge of Retail, Food&Beverage, Kitchen Manufacturer, HoReCa in major European countries (France, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, UK, Baltic countries, Romania, Benelux) and in extra-Europe (Australia, APAC).
He has developed new international business opportunities; teamwork management with cross-functional teams in R&D, market, sales, service, consumers, communication.
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Torsten Hehner has a Master of Business Administration at Frankfurt University in 1991.
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He is passionate about travels, culture (classical music, theatre) and his family.
MAIN SKILLS: Sales and Marketing; Market analysis, Market segmentation, Brands, Communication/Social Media, Business Strategy, Service, Innovation, Benchmark, Consumers Insights, Trends, Business Case, Project Management, Training/Coaching, Managerial skills and Team Building.
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LANGUAGES: German native, English fluent; French elementary; Italian elementary
Carlo Pagan
Associate Partner in Switzerland​
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Carlo Pagan (executive MBA at SDA BOCCONI Milan and at University of Nevada Reno) is a marketing professional and consultant with over 30 years of experience. He has also almost 20 years of experience in the international marketing academic world as Adjunct Professor at University Ca Foscari Venice and Treviso Campus, University of Trento, Swiss University of Management, Economy and Finance (UMEF) of Geneve and as Visiting Professor at Astrakan University,
In +20 years working in leadership positions in the consumer goods industry, had global marketing roles in Indesit Company (now Whirlpool), Electrolux, Brandt Moulinex, De Longhi, Stock, leading multifunctional teams.
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In the entertainment sector, as a Board member of Venice Marketing & Events he managed the organization of Carnival of Venice and all the main events of the town.
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As a 10+ year of experience consultant, he has worked with C Level executives to develop brands and products in global companies . Proven knowledge in understanding markets, quantifying opportunities, developing concepts for innovative products, and achieving product-market fit.
Alberto Pavarone
Associated Partner in Milan, Italy​
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Head of Marketing and Business Strategy with +20 years' experience in an international context in companies' multi-products, multi-brands, dealing with Product, Innovation, Digitalization, Range segmentation, Brand positioning, Pricing, Communication, Fair & Exhibitions covering different channels (B2C, B2B, Premium-Luxury).
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Strong knowledge of Retail, Food&Beverage, Kitchen Manufacturer, Vending-Impulse, HoReCa, Home Appliances, Commercial Refrigeration markets in major European countries (France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden), and in extra-Europe (Australia, China, APAC, LATAM, USA).
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He has developed new international business opportunities (Export Revenues +20%/year), defined Multi-years Product Plans (identified 8-10 new opportunities/year), managed go-to-market campaigns (5-8 campaigns/year); teamwork management with cross-functionals people responsible for product development, market, sales, service, consumers, communication, industrialization, business case.
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Alberto Pavarone has a Master in Marketing & Sales Management at CESMA Business School in Milan in 2009, Degree in Business Psychology at University of Turin in 2007, Master's Degree in Electronic Engineering at Politecnico of Milan in 1996, Six-Sigma Black Belt Certificate at Whirlpool Europe in 2001, Master in Leadership and Management at ilSole24ore School in 2010, Master in Business Strategy and Management at ilSole24ore School in 2009.
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He is passionate about travels, culture (history, geography, psychology, philosophy, sciences), car and motorbike, watches and sport as Rugby player, Sail Skipper, Scuba diving instructor, swim instructor, jogging, soccer at 5.
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MAIN SKILLS: Marketing, Market analysis, Product Development, Market segmentation, Pricing strategy, E-commerce, Brands, Communication, Business Strategy, Service, Innovation, Digital, Benchmark, Consumers Insights, Trends, Business Case, Project Management, Training, Managerial skills and Team Building.
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LANGUAGES: Italian native, English and French fluent; German elementary; Spanish elementary