Special Expertise

PROFILE

Andreas is a highly entrepreneurial multi-lingual senior business leader with a track record of building winning international teams and delivering profitable global growth. He is a blue-chip CPG expert proficient in all aspects of consumer marketing and global branding, comfortable in contributing and influencing on C-Suite and Board level.

Andreas has turned around iconic brands and businesses and repeatedly opened new markets successfully.

• Created and implemented winning strategies, drove revenue growth and expanded margins as General Manager/Regional Director with full P&L and Balance Sheet accountability in 30+ countries.

• Directly led organizations with up to 700 M USD consumer sales and up to 300 employees

• Global marketing leadership as Chief Brand & Innovation Officer and Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Director

• Creative & disruptive thinker, resilient & optimistic leader, energetic & energizing colleague, entrepreneurial & results oriented manager, transparent & inspiring communicator and a ‘walk-the-talk’ authentic person

• M&A experience in buying & sell-side

• Start-up leader, investor, advisor, and mentor

• Europe, US/Canada, LatAm, Asia, and ANZ know-how EXPERIENCE

Since 2019

Ocean Spray, Lakeville, MA, USA – a cooperative and the world’s largest Cranberry grower
VP International & Member of the Executive Board, reporting to the CEO; c. 700 M USD consumer sales; 60+ direct team; 20+ regional co-packers: all global non-US branded business and B2B in China and LatAm

• Full P&L and balance sheet ownership in six regions. Key countries: China, Korea, Taiwan, India, UAE, ANZ, UK, France, Canada, Mexico, Chile & Central America/Caribbean served through distributors

• Grew sales, margin, A&P, and profit in three consecutive years; turned-around Europe & Canada

• Localized productions in LatAm, China, ANZ, and IMEA and quadrupled innovation pipeline

• Improved business models and ways of working with HQ (autonomy 2.0)

2016 – 2019

KIND Snacks Inc: New York, USA & Dublin, Ireland – Leader in healthy & tasty snack bars – partnership with Mars since the end of 2017
Head of International & Member of the Executive Board, reporting to the CEO; c. 100 M USD consumer sales; a direct team of 15; all Non-US business: key countries Canada, UK, Mexico, UAE, Ireland, France

• Established international strategy, teams, and ways of working from scratch.

• Doubled number of active countries through expansion in Europe & LatAm (own teams & partners)

• Tripled sales in two years and turned a loss into a good profit. Transitioned business to Mars seamlessly

2014 – 2016

Innocent Drinks Ltd: London, UK – iconic European chilled juice & smoothies company – owned by TCCC (The Coca Cola Company) – THE European model for ‘purpose led’ businesses
Director Northern Europe, reporting to the CEO; c. 100 M USD consumer sales; a direct team of 15

• Established ‘’innocent’ in the Nordics and delivered the best business performance and team scores of all regions in 2015 (sales + 84% – ahead of plan, gross margin + 730 basis points – almost double vs. plan).

• Moved NL business to direct sales which grew sales and margins.

2009 – 2014

The Iglo Group: London, UK – the European leader in frozen food – Private Equity owned (Permira) – Operating under the Iglo, Birdseye, and Findus brands – now part of Nomad Foods
Director Emerging Markets, GM Benelux & Chief Brand & Innovation Officer, reporting to the CEO; > 2 bn+ USD consumer sales; direct team > 120; four own productions including the largest fish factory in the world

• Launched Iglo in Turkey and Russia.

• Represented Marketing in Findus Italy acquisition and led post-merger portfolio integration.

• Developed a new brand umbrella strategy, brand architecture, and corporate design and implemented it seamlessly across packaging (1600 SKUs in 10 countries) and all communication channels.

• Created a unified Internet presence across all countries with better use of digital assets and 50% savings.

• Turned around Iglo Benelux delivering the first growth in 10 years in 2013, and created the organization and P&L structure for continued market-beating performance.

2004 – 2009

Henkel AG: Düsseldorf, Germany, the largest German FMCG Company – family controlled – Consumer Adhesive Division – Key brands Loctite, Pritt, Metylan, Pattex, Thomsit, Ceresit
Director SBU Consumer Adhesives. GM Germany/ CH. Member of Division Executive Board. Board vice-chair at Japanese Henkel/Kokuyo JV. > 500 M USD consumer sales; direct team c. 300; seven productions

• Relaunched the full Marketing mix of the world leading consumer instant adhesive brand Loctite in 50 countries within 12 months delivering 10% sales growth in two consecutive years at expanded margins.

• Offset raw material inflation with aggressive price increase in Germany with 2%pts net margin expansion.

• Implemented potential and margin-oriented sales steering across 10 different sales organizations.

• Smoothly restructured sales teams (headcount minus 20%) together with worker’s council.

2000 – 2003

Wella AG: Darmstadt, Germany – Consumer Hair Care Division – Family owned/acquired by P&G
Regional Director Asia/Pacific (Japan, Korea, HK, ANZ, SEA) & Member of the Executive Board. c. 300 M USD consumer sales; team of 250; six productions including regional center in Bangkok

• Revised regional strategy and gained 5 share points on market leader L’Oréal in the most profitable hair color category. Delivered 2003 plan in a tough environment (SARS, Iraq war, P&G take-over).

• Transitioned business successfully to P&G.

1993 – 2000

Reckitt-Benckiser: Ladenburg, Germany; Bucharest, Romania; Amsterdam, NL – a leader in household and cleaning products – key brands Calgon, Calgonit/Finish, Cillit, Vanish
SVP, Director SBU Fabric Softener/ Surface Cleaner, GM Balkans (Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Hungary), Marketing Director Germany. c. 1,5 bn USD consumer sales in category role, c. 500 M USD in Germany and c. 100 M USD in Balkans. Team of 300 in Balkans.

• Turbocharged Benckiser Germany delivering double-digit sales & profit growth in three consecutive years through breakthrough TV campaigns (‘Neighbor’, ‘Bürgy’), product innovation and cost savings.

• Achieved first-time market leadership in the automatic dishwashing category with Calgonit in Germany.

• Put Reckitt-Benckiser on the map in Romania. As employee #1 I defined the business strategy, legal and financial set-up, P&L shape and organization and led the business through a severe economic crisis with triple-digit inflation safeguarding the future through strategic management of brand equities and pricing.

1988 – 1993

Procter & Gamble:

Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany – Brand Management

• Brand Management on Pampers, Lenor, Ariel and Dash. Led detergent approach in former East-Germany.

• Trained the first-ever field sales force in former East-Germany.

PERSONAL EDUCATION

Free University Berlin, Germany:
Business Administration
Degree: Diplomkaufmann (equivalent to Master). Grade: 1.0 (on 1 best to 6 worst scale), top 5% Primary & Secondary School (Gymnasium) in Berlin, Germany
Degree: Abitur (Baccalaureate). Grade: 1.8 (on 1 best to 6 worst scale), 2nd best of the year

INTERESTS

Mentoring: Helping young executives through LS Elevate to achieve their business and life goals
Start-up investor & coach: Healthy snacking (B2C and D2C), disruptive skin-care and urban farming Travel: 75+ countries; 40 American States
Sports: Competitive tennis, alpine skiing, general fitness

LANGUAGES

German: native
English: very good professional level
Spanish: fluent
French: conversational
Dutch: basic
Romanian: basic