PHASE 1: PLASTICS
Sales & Marketing Management
The beginning of my career as a Marketing Assistant at Van Besouw, resulted in a proposal to divide the organization of Carpets and Plastics. Consequently, I was promoted as Area Sales Manager semi-finished thermoplastic products. Responsible for the Benelux and Germany, my turnover was around € 7 million.
GE Plastics, worldwide leader in engineering thermoplastics, invited me to become their Marketing Development Specialist in the Benelux, Scandinavia, Portugal, Afrika, Middle-East and India. I introduced sales supporting marketing programs to the decision makers of major brands and their injection-molders. In 8 months time, I was promoted to Head Quarters Marketing.
As a Marketing Programs Manager, I was responsible for the development and realization of marketing programs for applications with engineering thermoplastics in the European electrical and lighting industry, leading 10 European Marketing Development Specialists and steering several agents and importers. I started an intensive cooperation with top management in the European Industry and realized a strong turnover and margin growth in the core business of € 135 million. I created a market for a niche product (Low Smoke Noryl), enabling a revival and a new product life cycle for a mature product line. This resulted in a runner-up marketeer-of-the-year-award and a personal introduction to HQ board members. Awaiting a management position in HQ Massachusetts, I got a special assignment to build the market for a German Joint-Venture.
For GE Polymertrend, an inventor of an ink diffusion printing technology into plastics, I built the European commercial organization and contracted industrial customers, wholesalers and importers. The turnaround of the initial distribution strategy was realized within several months. With 15 staff members we realized an initial turnover of around € 2 million. Being remote from the head office, I decided to expand my knowledge to different industries.