Curriculum vitae of candidate f9047

 

First Name                   Luk

Domicile                       Antwerp, Belgium

Year of Birth                 1947

  

CAPABILITIES

 

Management & Business Consulting

·         Acting as the MD, Commercial, and Sales Director in numerous European markets (including Central & Eastern Europe) across a wide range of sectors.

·         Working in industries including polyethylene extrusion (films and foils) ... plastic packaging (polyethylene terephthalate or PET containers) ... transport & material handling equipment ... specialty engineered materials ... medical equipment and disposables ... and wood processing.

·         Innovating and driving new product development, customised products, and “total solutions” to ensure a genuine competitive edge.

·         Acting as a highly entrepreneurial manager to set new and higher goals and overcome obstacles.

·         Carrying out change and transition activities in sales & marketing, business re-engineering, and turnarounds.

·         Working most effectively as a sales and marketing director or general manager with a proven track record.

 

International Sales & Marketing

·         Demonstrating significant B2B marketing and sales development experience.

·         Working directly and through agents and distributors across Europe.

·         Defining product and market strategy by coordinating effectively with R&D and production.

·         Selecting distributors, negotiating and concluding agreements, and following up with support and coaching.

·         Managing and controlling all sales oriented activities via regional offices and distributor networks.

·         Developing target market segments by managing the sales team whilst maintaining relations with key accounts.

·         Completing detailed market surveys including competitor profiles.

 

Commercial

·         Analysing the company’s key performance measures and taking suitable actions to improve them.

·         Starting up and developing new initiatives.

·         Reviewing pricing, product/market matrices, and market approach and optimising product line growth & profitability.

·         Liaising with the company’s key suppliers and customers and feeding back ideas to move the business forward.

·         Defining primary and alternative scenarios which incorporate cost/benefit analyses and valuations of all the options.

·         Developing and maintaining commercially viable environments to satisfy company needs.

 

Leadership

·         Leading with inspiration and common sense to energise team members.

·         Assigning clear areas of responsibility to staff and creating the opportunity for feedback, advice, and support.

·         Understanding and listening to people to build and develop a supportive and successful team.

·         Meeting deadlines by planning and prioritising objectives and tasks.

·         Meeting and appraising all staff members to stimulate a bottom-up approach and to motivate and guide them.

 

Communication

·         Speaking and writing native Dutch, excellent English and French, and basic German.

·         Preparing and introducing all kinds of presentations and proposals to the board and to existing or potential customers, agents, or distributors.

·         Building good relationships with clients and colleagues in person and over the phone.

·         Establishing customer needs and wants and working out how to best deliver the result.

·         Using office software including MS Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, and Outlook as well as the Internet.

 

Personal

·         Willing to travel abroad to accept new challenges.

·         Combining original ideas and flair to achieve new, exciting, and much needed strategies and plans.

·         Easily relating to others with different backgrounds, beliefs and needs.

·         Setting high but achievable standards of performance both personally and for others.

·         Staying calm and cool in hectic situations and under pressure.

CAREER HISTORY

 

2003 – Present         Managemnt consultant      

A self-owned management consulting & services firm, established December 2003 and offering interim management, executive search and outplacement.

Major Achievements:

·         Acquired crucial "executive searcher" job skills within six months by partnering up with an established colleague and assisting with pending assignments.

·         Secured a positive company image and identified business opportunities after researching the industry, networking, closing partnerships, and promoting the company via different channels to providers and potential clients.

·         Since January 2005 : interim assignment, first as Project Leader to implement a delocalisation project for a Belgian company to Slovakia; later as acting General Manager of the local company to guide and realize the start-up.

2002 - 2003                Commercial Director, Hyplast, Hoogstraten

A polyethylene co-extruder producing PE foils/films for agri- and horticulture, industry, packaging and construction. Reporting to the CEO, later to the interim Managing Director, responsibilities included directing all commercial activities primarily in Benelux, France, Germany, the UK, and Ireland. Held full P&L accountability and managed eight direct reports whilst overseeing a re-organisation and a new business plan.

Major Achievements:

·         Helped reverse negative profitability in six months as co-Managing Director by implementing new procedures, setting up a new cost- and selling price system, and completely revising the market/product matrix and market approach.

·         Increased efficiency and professionalism in internal sales by re-organising the customer service department.

·         Reduced the number of customer complaints by helping to re-design and implement a new complaint handling system.

·         Improved working capital situation by selling non-strategic inventory and drastically reducing the average collection period.

 

1995 - 2002                Johnson Controls Plastics (from 1997 : Schmalbach-Lubeca PET Containers – takeover)

A polyethylene terephthalate (PET) converter providing preforms and bottles for carbonated soft drinks, mineral water, edible oil, food, detergents, and personal care products.

 

1998 - 2002                Sales Director Central & Eastern Europe, Schmalbach-Lubeca PET Containers, Brecht

Reporting to the Business Unit Director Central & Eastern Europe, responsibilities included developing and restructuring the region whilst overseeing the country sales managers and coaching the agent network.

Major Achievements:

·       Prepared to double the Eastern Europe business unit's EBIT in 2002 after restructuring the business in the region.

·       Improved market intelligence after completing a detailed market survey, defining strategic recommendations, and translating them into action plans.

·       Increased market share in Hungary from 5% to 18% ... in Poland from 10% to 25% ... and from 30% to 40% in Romania over 1998 - 2001 after developing sales departments in Poland and Hungary and an agent network for other key countries.

·       Facilitated a "Business Excellence" start up to improve customer satisfaction with a customer survey and actions which culminated in standardised procedures for all business units.

·       Solved negative customer reactions to complaint handling by implementing a centralised and computerised procedure for customer complaint handling.

·       Eliminated a potentially dangerous sales situation where sales consisted of small, high-risk accounts by signing supply agreements with Céréol, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Cola. 

1995 - 1997                Sales Manager, Johnson Controls Plastics, Brecht  

Reporting to the Managing Director-Brecht plant, responsibilities included overseeing all commercial affairs for the Benelux, North France, Germany, and Eastern Europe including the Baltic States, Russia, Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic.

Major Achievements:

·         Secured a new company sales record in 1997 by increasing sales volumes year after year and focusing on profitable market segments and key customers.

·         Consolidated the market position in Germany by promoting bottle development for the detergent and personal care markets.

·         Helped obtain ISO 2001 certification by designing and implementing commercial procedures.

 

1993 - 1995                Sales & Marketing Manager, Santens Engineering Services, Oudenaarde

An internal transport and material handling equipment producer. Reporting to the Managing Director, responsibilities included consolidating the company's market position, preparing sales budgets, and achieving targets. Directed, coached, and motivated staff members. Also designed and implemented commercial department procedures to facilitate ISO certification.

Major Achievements:

·         Avoided a serious investment in engineering and sales to assemble, distribute, and maintain manipulators originally licensed from Thyssen by preparing and negotiating an appropriate transfer agreement to Thyssen.

·         Helped facilitate the development of an automatic wine bottle palletiser by producing a prototype, preparing promotional material, and securing deals with sales and packaging agents.

·         Promoted and improved the company’s image by conceiving and producing new promotional materials.

·         Prepared to increase sales performance by training sales people and re-engineering all commercial processes.

 

1991 - 1993                International Sales and Marketing Manager, Grace-Emerson&Cuming Microwave Products, Westerlo

·         Preserved the company's market leading position in anechoic chambers by boosting promotional activities, developing and introducing new products and technologies, and focusing more closely on niche markets.

 

1987 - 1991                Sales Manager Europe, Grace-Emerson&Cuming Microwave Products, Westerlo

·         Expanded sales operations by initiating distributor activities in Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Greece, Israel, and Turkey.

·         Helped develop the company's first five-year strategic plan by preparing a proposal of which more than 80% was included in the definite draft.

 

1983 - 1987                Sales and Marketing Manager, Organon Teknika Belgium, Turnhout

1980 - 1983                Manager Special Sales, Organon Teknika Belgium, Turnhout

 

1977 - 1980                Commercial Director, Belgian Oak Works, Beerse

 

1971 - 1977                Assistant Professor, Chair of Business Management, State University Centre of Antwerp

 

 

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

 

Member, Society for Economy (Belgium), Alumni association ALECHIA (Belgium).

 

Licentiate in Applied Economic Sciences (equivalent to an MBA-type Master's degree), Business Economics, University of Antwerp, 1972;

Commercial Engineer (equivalent to an MBA-type Master's degree), University of Antwerp, 1971.

 

Courses attended :

other external courses attended include Management and Business Finance ... Effective Management ... Advanced Marketing ... Logistics ... Management Development.

 

 

PROFILE :

 

Highly successful and experienced, Belgian based, senior manager. MD, commercial and sales director in a number of European markets across a wide range of industry sectors. Significant B2B marketing and sales developer working directly and with agents and distributors across Europe. Good startup experience. Good strategist, warm and inspirational leader of teams.

Commercial Engineer. Licentiate in Applied Economic Sciences.

 

Ask him to : Revue strategy. Energise teams. Lead with inspiration and good sense. Apply a wide and deep senior relationship network. Innovate. “Make a real difference”.                                                                                                                                                                     

Expertise/Disciplines : Sales, B2B, Marketing, Agencies, Logistics, Change Management, MD, Training, Coaching, Start-Up, Strategy, Re-organisation, Re-engineering,Turnaround.                                                          

 

 

REALIZED PROJECTS :

 

1. External growth : delocalization :

A Belgian company decided in 2004 to go for external growth and for delocalization to Central/Eastern Europe, also pushed by existing customers and this based on cost considerations (lower costs).

This by preference in Eastern Slovakia (low wages and salaries, member of the EU, metalworking industry, high quality workers).

After having considered and evaluated a few alternative scenarios, the ultimate choice was the establishment of a wholly owned subsidiary in the Slovak Republic.

 

Project Leader to implement the delocalisation project and acting General Manager of the local company to guide and realize the start-up of the production activities (greenfield project).

 

Achievements :

-                      definition of type of project : take-over, joint-venture, brown – or Greenfield

-                      choice of location

-                      creation of local subsidiary

-                      temporary production facility

-                      definition and implementation of greenfield project

-                      production start-up

 

 

2. Turnaround :

A polyethylene co-extruder producing PE foils/films for agri- and horticulture, industry, packaging and construction. Held full P&L accountability and managed eight direct reports whilst overseeing a re-organisation and a new business plan.

 

Major Achievements :

-                      Helped reverse negative profitability in six months as co-Managing Director by implementing new procedures, setting up a new cost- and selling price system, and completely revising the market/product matrix and market approach.

-                      Improved working capital situation by selling non-strategic inventory and drastically reducing the average collection period.

  

3. Restructuring :

Sales Director Central & Eastern Europe, responsibilities included developing and restructuring the region.

 

Major Achievements :

-                      Prepared to double the Eastern Europe business unit's EBIT in 2002 after restructuring the business plan for the region.

-                      Increased market share in Hungary from 5% to 18% ... in Poland from 10% to 25% ... and from 30% to 40% in Romania over 1998 - 2001 after developing sales departments in Poland and Hungary and an agent network for other key countries.

-                      Eliminated a potentially dangerous sales situation where sales consisted of small, high-risk accounts by signing supply agreements with Céréol, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Cola.

 

 

4. Re-organization :

Sales & Marketing Manager for an internal transport and material handling equipment

producer. Responsibilities included consolidating the company's market position, preparing sales budgets, and achieving targets.

 

Major Achievement :

Avoided a serious investment in engineering and sales to assemble, distribute, and maintain manipulators originally licensed from Thyssen by preparing and negotiating an appropriate transfer agreement to Thyssen.

 

 

SECTOREXPERIENCE : Sheet metalworking, Plastics/Packaging : Polyethylene Extrusion (films) and PET Containers, Transport/ Material Handling Equipment, Speciality Chemicals, Medical Equipment, Wood Processing.

 

 

LANGUAGES : Dutch, English, French and sensible German.    

 

 

COMPUTER SKILLS :     Excel spreadsheet program

                                               MS Word word-processing application

                                               PowerPoint presentation program

                                               Publisher

                                               Outlook

                                               Internet