Choosing the right consultant
In a sector as complex as business internationalization you need experience – a great deal of it! You must have spent years working with foreign companies, speak their language and be familiar with the dynamics of international markets, all regulated by very different mechanisms – and I can talk about the complexities of Japanese general trading companies if you wish. You must also have managed imports and exports, perhaps even in diverse commodity sectors. So much better if you have IMIT, Italian Managers for International Trade, certification accredited by AICE, the Italian Association of Foreign Trade. Only then can your client depend on you.
That is me and what I do every day for those who choose me.
My story began way back…
Choosing the right consultant
In a sector as complex as business internationalization you need experience – a great deal of it! You must have spent years working with foreign companies, speak their language and be familiar with the dynamics of international markets, all regulated by very different mechanisms – and I can talk about the complexities of Japanese general trading companies if you wish. You must also have managed imports and exports, perhaps even in diverse commodity sectors. So much better if you have IMIT, Italian Managers for International Trade, certification accredited by AICE, the Italian Association of Foreign Trade. Only then can your client depend on you.
That is me and what I do every day for those who choose me.
My story began way back…
Choosing the right consultant
In a sector as complex as business internationalization you need experience – a great deal of it! You must have spent years working with foreign companies, speak their language and be familiar with the dynamics of international markets, all regulated by very different mechanisms – and I can talk about the complexities of Japanese general trading companies if you wish. You must also have managed imports and exports, perhaps even in diverse commodity sectors. So much better if you have IMIT, Italian Managers for International Trade, certification accredited by AICE, the Italian Association of Foreign Trade. Only then can your client depend on you.
That is me and what I do every day for those who choose me.
My story began way back…
I started out in the years preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall and from 1984 to 1989 lived in the former German Democratic Republic: in Leipzig, where I studied German at the university, and in East Berlin. We exported semi-processed hides and viscose staple fibre from Germany and imported Italian yarns.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, our business continued and spread to Austria, Switzerland and unified Germany, with an operational base in Vienna until 1994.
I then spent time working for Candy Elettrodomestici, from 1994 to 1998, as Area Manager for Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In the latter country, I worked, in 1996, to establish and subsequently manage a sales office in Warsaw, coordinating the Polish, German and Dutch sales divisions.
In 1998, I was offered a management post with Sumitomo Corporation Italia, at the time one of the 15 leading and largest companies in the world.
The period from 1998 to 2005 was extra special. With more than 200 offices scattered across the globe, we bought and sold goods and services far and wide, financed sales operations and tested new business models.
Until 2001, I focused on machinery, electronic components and import/export between Italy and the Asian markets – primarily Japan, Korea and China. I also established a SCM (supply chain management) relationship with the Italian subsidiary of a large US group, a complex operation envisaging the purchase of all the components and the weekly despatch to the client of only those required for production, thus reducing in-house stock and optimizing the cashflow.
In 2001, I moved to the non-ferrous section with executive status (the youngest non-Japanese executive in Europe). I was primarily responsible for the back-to-back purchase of copper c/o LME (London Metal Exchange), which was then shipped to Greece where it was turned into pipes for Italian clients in the air-conditioning sector.
From 2003 to 2005 I worked in the Textile and General Product section where, among our many tasks and after setting up a European sales network, we managed the out-sourcing of finished textile products from India, Vietnam and Turkey destined for English, Spanish, French and Italian large-scale distribution.
At this point, I decided I would like to come home for a while and apply my expertise here in Italy… so in 2006 I was working for MECA, a Busto Arsizio company specialised in the manufacture of machinery for mattresses where I reorganized the foreign sales structure.
Between 2007 and 2010, again as an executive, I worked for Finlane (Novara), managing the foreign share of the industrial shredder section (branded Sant’Andrea Novara), machinery that reduces waste volumes, where I revamped its international sales network.
The yearning for new challenges has never left me and in 2010 I set up a company in Spain, planning and opening a concept store with my team. I ran it until 2013 and developed a clothing, leatherwear and accessory brand linked to the business.
After so many years of hands-on experience, I turned to training and from 2014 to 2016 worked with Sciaky Europe, a managerial consulting firm in Milan.
From 2016 to 2018, I was a full-time consultant for Steel Lavorazioni Meccaniche, a Veneto company that had acquired technical industrial-shredder know-how from Finlane. Initially responsible for product internationalization (the WRS brand), I subsequently formed its foreign sales network while at the same time training internal resources.
Today, my Cinc Pedres Export Management project will focus on the internationalization of small and medium-sized businesses, accompanying them in the exploration of a key sector with opportunities for development and growth.
I started out in the years preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall and from 1984 to 1989 lived in the former German Democratic Republic: in Leipzig, where I studied German at the university, and in East Berlin. We exported semi-processed hides and viscose staple fibre from Germany and imported Italian yarns.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, our business continued and spread to Austria, Switzerland and unified Germany, with an operational base in Vienna until 1994.
I then spent time working for Candy Elettrodomestici, from 1994 to 1998, as Area Manager for Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In the latter country, I worked, in 1996, to establish and subsequently manage a sales office in Warsaw, coordinating the Polish, German and Dutch sales divisions.
In 1998, I was offered a management post with Sumitomo Corporation Italia, at the time one of the 15 leading and largest companies in the world.
The period from 1998 to 2005 was extra special. With more than 200 offices scattered across the globe, we bought and sold goods and services far and wide, financed sales operations and tested new business models.
Until 2001, I focused on machinery, electronic components and import/export between Italy and the Asian markets – primarily Japan, Korea and China. I also established a SCM (supply chain management) relationship with the Italian subsidiary of a large US group, a complex operation envisaging the purchase of all the components and the weekly despatch to the client of only those required for production, thus reducing in-house stock and optimizing the cashflow.
In 2001, I moved to the non-ferrous section with executive status (the youngest non-Japanese executive in Europe). I was primarily responsible for the back-to-back purchase of copper c/o LME (London Metal Exchange), which was then shipped to Greece where it was turned into pipes for Italian clients in the air-conditioning sector.
From 2003 to 2005 I worked in the Textile and General Product section where, among our many tasks and after setting up a European sales network, we managed the out-sourcing of finished textile products from India, Vietnam and Turkey destined for English, Spanish, French and Italian large-scale distribution.
At this point, I decided I would like to come home for a while and apply my expertise here in Italy… so in 2006 I was working for MECA, a Busto Arsizio company specialised in the manufacture of machinery for mattresses where I reorganized the foreign sales structure.
Between 2007 and 2010, again as an executive, I worked for Finlane (Novara), managing the foreign share of the industrial shredder section (branded Sant’Andrea Novara), machinery that reduces waste volumes, where I revamped its international sales network.
The yearning for new challenges has never left me and in 2010 I set up a company in Spain, planning and opening a concept store with my team. I ran it until 2013 and developed a clothing, leatherwear and accessory brand linked to the business.
After so many years of hands-on experience, I turned to training and from 2014 to 2016 worked with Sciaky Europe, a managerial consulting firm in Milan.
From 2016 to 2018, I was a full-time consultant for Steel Lavorazioni Meccaniche, a Veneto company that had acquired technical industrial-shredder know-how from Finlane. Initially responsible for product internationalization (the WRS brand), I subsequently formed its foreign sales network while at the same time training internal resources.
Today, my Cinc Pedres Export Management project will focus on the internationalization of small and medium-sized businesses, accompanying them in the exploration of a key sector with opportunities for development and growth.
I started out in the years preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall and from 1984 to 1989 lived in the former German Democratic Republic: in Leipzig, where I studied German at the university, and in East Berlin. We exported semi-processed hides and viscose staple fibre from Germany and imported Italian yarns.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, our business continued and spread to Austria, Switzerland and unified Germany, with an operational base in Vienna until 1994.
I then spent time working for Candy Elettrodomestici, from 1994 to 1998, as Area Manager for Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In the latter country, I worked, in 1996, to establish and subsequently manage a sales office in Warsaw, coordinating the Polish, German and Dutch sales divisions.
In 1998, I was offered a management post with Sumitomo Corporation Italia, at the time one of the 15 leading and largest companies in the world.
The period from 1998 to 2005 was extra special. With more than 200 offices scattered across the globe, we bought and sold goods and services far and wide, financed sales operations and tested new business models.
Until 2001, I focused on machinery, electronic components and import/export between Italy and the Asian markets – primarily Japan, Korea and China. I also established a SCM (supply chain management) relationship with the Italian subsidiary of a large US group, a complex operation envisaging the purchase of all the components and the weekly despatch to the client of only those required for production, thus reducing in-house stock and optimizing the cashflow.
In 2001, I moved to the non-ferrous section with executive status (the youngest non-Japanese executive in Europe). I was primarily responsible for the back-to-back purchase of copper c/o LME (London Metal Exchange), which was then shipped to Greece where it was turned into pipes for Italian clients in the air-conditioning sector.
From 2003 to 2005 I worked in the Textile and General Product section where, among our many tasks and after setting up a European sales network, we managed the out-sourcing of finished textile products from India, Vietnam and Turkey destined for English, Spanish, French and Italian large-scale distribution.
At this point, I decided I would like to come home for a while and apply my expertise here in Italy… so in 2006 I was working for MECA, a Busto Arsizio company specialised in the manufacture of machinery for mattresses where I reorganized the foreign sales structure.
Between 2007 and 2010, again as an executive, I worked for Finlane (Novara), managing the foreign share of the industrial shredder section (branded Sant’Andrea Novara), machinery that reduces waste volumes, where I revamped its international sales network.
The yearning for new challenges has never left me and in 2010 I set up a company in Spain, planning and opening a concept store with my team. I ran it until 2013 and developed a clothing, leatherwear and accessory brand linked to the business.
After so many years of hands-on experience, I turned to training and from 2014 to 2016 worked with Sciaky Europe, a managerial consulting firm in Milan.
From 2016 to 2018, I was a full-time consultant for Steel Lavorazioni Meccaniche, a Veneto company that had acquired technical industrial-shredder know-how from Finlane. Initially responsible for product internationalization (the WRS brand), I subsequently formed its foreign sales network while at the same time training internal resources.
Today, my Cinc Pedres Export Management project will focus on the internationalization of small and medium-sized businesses, accompanying them in the exploration of a key sector with opportunities for development and growth.
