OPI European Forum Attendees
To increase the networking potential of the European Forum, please find below brief profiles of your fellow attendees or download a copy here: EF 2023 profiles
Veijo Agerfalk
CEO, Wulff Group
Wulff was founded 1890 in Finland and only served the Finnish market until 1993, when Veijo founded the Wulff business in Scandinavia. He has remained CEO ever since and is a member of the Executive Board and a major sharehold in Wulff Group.
Dennis Albers
Head of Purchasing, Quantore
Dennis is Head of Purchasing at Quantore, the prominent office products wholesaler within the Benelux region, focused on purchasing and logistics for its 370 members. Dennis has worked at Quantore since 2019 and is responsible for purchasing, category management, inventory management, content and marketing. He previously worked as Purchasing and Category Director for ADVEO Europe from 2011. ADVEO Europe consisted of 3 businesses; Adimpo, Spicers Europe and Unipapel. Before joining ADVEO Europe, he worked on the reseller side for contract stationer Office Depot Europe, where he was responsible for the European purchasing of paper, EOS and business machines. Prior to joining Office Depot, he worked for Logitech EMEA as their purchasing manager.
Lorena Andrade
General Director, Bruneau
Lorena Andrade has held the role of General Director of Bruneau Spain since January 2023, having previously spent two years in the group as Marketing Director. Lorena has 21 years' experience in the Spanish office supplies marketing, having started her career at Office Depot, spending 18 years at the company in various roles, including Call Centre Manager, Operations Manager and finally five years as Viking Channel Head.
Martin Armytage
Head of Education Business Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation
Martin is responsible for the entire education offering but with a particular focus on sales and customer experience. His experience covers a broad selection of business functions and in leading several key business initiatives over the years, Martin has developed a reputation for effective delivery and positive engagement. Martin has worked in the education arm of YPO for over 35 years and strives to take the organisation forward, looking at the introduction and development of new market sectors and better ways of working.
Robert Baldrey
Independent Industry Expert
Robert has worked in the business supplies industry for 40 years, starting with wholesaler Spicers in the UK and France in senior Finance roles, before becoming CEO of Vasanta and then EVO from 2010-2016. More recently, Robert has specialised in value creation, turnaround and restructuring for private equity houses and worked on the transformation and eventual sale of both Staples and Office Depot for PE houses Cerberus and Aurelius respectively. He spent 2022 in the pharmaceutical industry on a project for Aurelius and is currently looking for his next challenge.
Janet Bell
Director, OPI
Janet Bell has been working in the office products sector for 22 years. She joined OPI in 2000, running its international events across Europe, Asia and the US. She became Director in 2006 following a management buyout and, along with the events, she now oversees OPI’s membership and marketing activities. In addition, she is a member of OPWIL (Office Products Women in Leadership) and is keen to support the role of women in the business supplies sector.
Siham Belmir
International Key Account Manager Office, Essity Professional Hygiene
Siham has held the position of International Key Account Manager for the European office channel for Essity Professional Hygiene division since March 2023 and is responsible for the development and growth of the European office channel with a fully integrated omnichannel model. Siham joined Essity in 2021 as eCommerce Sales and Merchandising Manager for France. Before joining Essity, she held various positions from marketing to sales with Amazon, Coty Inc and LVMH. Siham previously spent years in the Gulf working for leading groups in the beauty and cosmetics industry.
Carlos Benavides
Managing Director, Comercial del Sur
Rafael Benavides Gonzalez
Managing Director, Comercial del Sur
Bob Boekema
Co-Founder and Managing Director, TFE Agency
Bob is Co-Founder and Managing Director of TFE Agency, a marketplace agency that is active in seven European countries with 30 marketplaces. Bob is active as a consultant for PBS Network, a content syndication and ordering hub in the business supplies industry. Prior to his current roles, Bob has been a co-shareholder in an IT development company focusing on trade and wholesale companies, delivering PIM system, webshops and apps. Bob began his career started at Lyreco Group and Lyreco Benelux, where he spent 13 years in sales, marketing and innovation management.
Marcus Bohn
European Key Account Manager, tesa
Marcus has held the position of European Key Account Manager at leading adhesive product supplier tesa since joining the company in 2021. He previously worked at Colgate and also spent over nine years at Newell Brands.
Kenneth Borup
CEO, LOMAX
Kenneth Borup has been leading Lomax for the past five years, in the process making it the largest e-commerce office supplier in Denmark. Kenneth was the winner of the Business Leader of the Year award at the European Office Products Awards 2023.
Brian Bowerfind
President, Global Office Products & Contract Furniture and Net1 Divisions ECi Solutions
As the Global Office Products & Contract Furniture Division President, Brian passionately applies the knowledge he has acquired in his 25+ years of experience to drive positive change in products and functional teams. In this role, Brian ensures that the Division’s global operational activities support its customers and its strategic business goals. The NET1, Acsellerate, Britannia, DDMS, DDMSPLUS, Red Falcon, TeamDesign, Progress, Horizon and EasyOrder software products fall under his responsibility. Brian joined ECI as Distribution Division President in 2017. Prior to that, he spent nine years with NCR Corporation leading their North American Direct Hospitality business and 16 years with Softbrands in various roles including Vice President of Global Sales, Vice President of Global Services and Vice President of International.
Jeanette Bresitz
Managing Director, Office Friendly
Having joined the industry over 25 years ago, Jeanette started in Customer Services for Viking, progressing into product management. When she moved on, she remained in the industry and joined Spicers. Having held leadership positions in Category & Marketing functions at Spicers, Sales Ops & Communications in SPOT Group and in Merchandising, Marketing & Online for Staples UK, her roles have allowed her to influence change in both the Dealer and end-user markets. Jeanette became Managing Director at Office Friendly in 2021 to lead the group into its next phase of development.
Kees Broekman
Head International Key Accounts, MAUL
Kees has been with MAUL since 2012 and is responsible for (potential) partners in North-West Europe and organisations with a European headquarters. MAUL is a manufacturer, based in Germany, supplying more than 1500 products in workplace lighting, office supplies, visual communication and ergonomics/facility. With 70% in-house production, its own development, design department and test centre, MAUL guarantees quality and reliability, as well as structural improvement and development of both product and range. Sustainability is a key part of the MAUL business strategy, with a focus on sustainable choices with regard to the raw materials used, waste flows and energy consumption.
James Brown
Senior Partner, Managing Director UK, Simon-Kucher & Partners
James Brown is a pricing and commercial strategy specialist with Simon-Kucher & Partners, the leading growth consultancy. James began his career with Ricoh, managing global contract pricing, and after spending more than ten years in industry pricing, he moved into consulting with Simon-Kucher in 2009. He is now a Senior Partner and the Managing Director for the UK business, where he is a board level advisor to a wide range of corporate and private equity backed clients in developing their commercial strategy. In addition to supporting his client base, James is a regular media commentator, guest lecturer on MBA programmes and speaker at conferences and seminars.
John Bruellman
CEO, Showdown Displays
John Bruellman is the Chief Executive Officer for Showdown Displays, a global display/signage manufacturing company. He has been leading the company for the last 16 years. Prior to his role at Showdown, John held leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies including Honeywell, Ceridian and Nordic Track. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and he holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota.
Gordon Christiansen
Partner, Highlands
Gordon Christiansen is an Australian who was born in Denmark, lived in the UK for 32 years, and now splits his time between Europe and USA. After leaving the family business in Fremantle, Australia, Gordon embarked on a career in sales and marketing with Pitney Bowes and Canon before investing in and running an office products and graphic arts dealership in London called London Graphic Centre. He is passionate about getting corporate messaging 100% clear and how alignment between marketing strategy, execution and sales effort will enhance and accelerate market penetration. As a partner at Highlands, he is responsible for the effective organisation of the business, as well as their strategic marketing and marketing services business.
Michel De Bruin
CEO, Greenspeed
Mikhail Deryagin
Marketing Manager EUANZ, Reckitt
Mikhail is currently marketing lead of Reckitt B2B in the Europe and ANZ region, building the portfolio of Reckitt brands (Dettol Pro, Sagrotan Pro, Finish Pro, Brasso, Harpic Pro, Cillit Bang Pro) relevant for professional use across HORECA, offices, transport and other industries. He joined Reckitt (Russia and CIS) in 2017, growing the Finish and Airwick brands, before taking his current role in 2023. He has over ten yeas’ experience of marketing and strategy in top FMCG companies, having previously spent five years at L’Oreal Paris (Russia and CIS) developing the portfolio of skin/hair/men/body care segments in the highly competitive beauty market.
Juriaan Deumer
Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
Juriaan Deumer is a partner at Simon-Kucher's Amsterdam office. He specialises in (high-tech) manufacturing, industrial services and chemicals and supports business services organisations in many shapes and forms. In his consulting work, he blends experience and best practices from different commercial dynamics and markets, within and outside Europe. Through his extensive experience in improving organisations' top lines, Juriaan has developed in-depth expertise in commercial strategy development, revenue model innovation, and proposition optimization. He has advised numerous clients on their journey towards value-based pricing and conditional discounting and has supported sales teams in increasing their effectiveness and commercial performance through pragmatic solutions.
Heike Dieckmann
Editor, OPI
Heike Dieckmann is a long-serving member of OPI, having been with the company since 1999. During that time, she has developed an extensive knowledge of the business supplies sector and forged close industry relationships. She is also known for pushing all publishing and editorial standards to the highest level. As her native tongue is German, she remains a core point of contact for the German-speaking contingent of the industry.
Paddy Donnelly
Managing Director, ES Tech Group
Christoph Eberz
CEO, PBS Network
Chris Exner
Chief Commercial Officer, OPI
Chris Exner joined OPI in August 2018 as Chief Commercial Officer and has responsibility for delivering growth in several key areas of the OPI business. Aside from a three-year spell working in wealth management, Chris has spent almost his entire career in sales and market development within the OP sector, including 17 years at Esselte, now part of ACCO Brands, where his most recent position was VP Sales Asia. Prior to that he held a number of roles at Esselte, including VP Sales Europe, VP Western Europe & Managing Director UK, and VP European Accounts.
Isabelle Faivre
General Manager France, SC Johnson
Isabelle Faivre has worked as General Manager of SC Johnson Professional France since 2021. The foundation of SC Johnson’s purpose is to have a positive impact on people and communities around the world and SC Johnson Professional aims to be the most trusted to provide safe, healthy and sustainable environments away from home. Isabelle was previously the US Vice President of Marketing at SC Johnson Professional for 8 years at the Charlotte, NC headquarters. She also held various marketing positions in the North American B2B market.
Nicola Forani
Director Business Development, Showdown Displays
Nicola Forani has worked in the Viscom sector since 1998, and is currently Director of Business Development at Showdowndisplays Europe, a global market leader in office products, promotional signs, display systems, POS and print products. A specialist in sales and market development, Nicola has led international sales teams across Europe, top accounts and branches in several countries. Always incredibly positive, Nicola loves to connect and works hard to deliver new opportunities and constant support to business partners.
Irma Garbella
Managing Director, Mondoffice
After graduating in Mathematics in Milan, Irma began her career as a marketing analyst before joining Mondoffice in 1996. Having served in various roles of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing management, Irma was appointed Managing Director in 2013. Whilst keeping the focus on business development, market expansion and brand evolution, she has led the company through various organisational changes and maintained the trust of shareholders: firstly Staples, followed by Cerberus Capital Management and Raja Group from 2019. Irma has been a member of the Board of Directors of Netcomm - Consortium of Italian Digital Commerce, since 2021.
Gert Gerber
CEO, Office Supplies Denmark
Gert Gerber has worked in the office supplies business since 2003 as CEO in Office Supplies Denmark and partner for six years in the largest private owned business supplies company in Denmark. Office Supplies Denmark is the largest dealer group in Denmark after been created in 1999 from four independent dealer groups. Office Supplies Denmark covers more than 50 supplier agreements and a third-party central stock. Members are placing their orders through a B2B-webshop directly or through EDI and more than 150,000 articles can be ordered. Content data is available for all articles in a standard format.
Thomas Gillesberger
Managing Director, Format Werk
Thomas Gillesberger is Managing Director of Format Werk and Staufen Premium, producers of notebooks, pads, college pads and exercise books, known for brands Ursus, Dürer and Staufen. With a strong focus on sustainable products, they also offer a broad range of possibilities and capabilities for private label products.
Christopher Götz
Director Marketing & E-Commerce, Avery Zweckform
Christopher Götz has been the new Director Marketing & E-Commerce at Avery Zweckform since April 2023, having previously led the e-commerce and websites team since 2018 and serving as a business development manager from 2015 to 2018. At the office supplies manufacturer, he was also Customer Marketing Manager E-Commerce from 2012 to 2015 and Project Manager Associate Cooperations from 2009 to 2011.
Nigel Gunn
SVP Sales EMEA, ACCO Brands
Nigel Gunn has been in the office products industry for more than 30 years, starting out as a sales representative for Nobo Presentation Products in the UK. Nigel then moved to Esselte and held various roles, including VP for Global Accounts and Regional VP UK and France. In 2005, he took the role of Senior VP Sales Europe and International, responsible for Esselte’s 23 subsidiaries across Europe, as well as international sales in Asia Pacific, Africa, South America and the Middle East. After ACCO acquired Esselte in 2017, Nigel became SVP Sales EMEA for ACCO Brands.
David Harman
Group Merchandising Director, Lyreco
David joined Lyreco two and a half years ago, having previously worked for Tesco for 12 years leading buying teams across all international regions, and ten years leading sales teams at Nestle, Lindt and GSK. David began his journey at Lyreco as the Product & Services Director for the UK, before moving into a Group Product Director role. Based in Brussels, David now sits as the Group Merchandising Director for Lyreco - where in conjunction with his large international team, holds a primary focus on driving the purchasing, category, product, sustainability, digital and automation agenda spanning across all of Lyreco’s international markets.
Julie Hawley
Executive Director, Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation
Julie joined YPO in May 2021 as Finance Director from her previous role as Managing Director of Office Friendly, a leading buying group in office products. Julie leads the organisation’s Finance, Business Change and HR functions. She previously worked for Kingfield Heath Wholesale and has over 30 years’ experience in the office products industry. Julie joined the board of Boss federation in 2022, was awarded Professional of the Year in 2018 and European Professional of The Year in 2019.
Joost Heessels
Managing Director, Magenta Communicatie
Loes Heintges
Marketing Director, Showdown Displays Europe
Loes Abeille-Heintges is Marketing Director at Showdown Displays Europe and is responsible for European marketing strategy, including B2B e-commerce, company branding, product marketing and external communication. Showdown Displays Europe is a manufacturer and supplier of visual communication, event and display products. The company has operated since 1995, having previously been known previously under the name Jansen Display, and is a European subsidiary of private equity-owned Showdown Displays, located in Minnesota, US. Showdown is global market leader in the display market.
Mick Heys
Vice President, IDC
Mick Heys is Vice President of IDC Future of Workplace and Imaging in Europe. In his role he offers strategic direction and advice to both vendors and end-user clients. He is responsible for research into the Future of Work as it relates to physical aspects and spaces. He is particularly interested in the future of the office in the world of flexible and mobile working and in the optimization of the workplace. He also responsible for managing IDC’s Imaging, Printing and Document Solutions team covering all aspects of imaging including 3D printing, Office Printing, Production Printing and ECM. Mick has 30 years’ experience in the office automation and print industries in business development, product management and consultancy roles. His analysis and opinions are widely sought by industry leaders and investors. He is a frequent speaker, presenter and moderator at industry conferences and client events.
Kelly Hilleard
Finance Manager, OPI
After taking a career break to raise four children, Kelly returned to work in 2011. Following a successful stint managing a large portfolio of schools and colleges for a UK firm specialising in catering for the education sector, Kelly joined OPI as the company’s Finance Manager. Seven years on, that role has expanded to cover HR, health and safety and operations. In January 2022, she was appointed Vice-Chair of the BOSS Business Supplies Charity, raising funds by rolling out an innovative Patronage programme, managing events and driving new marketing initiatives.
Steve Hilleard
CEO, OPI
Steve Hilleard is CEO of leading trade media company OPI and is a 37-year veteran of the industry. Having established OPI as the industry’s most trusted media player, his focus is on the transformation of the company into the premier independent global provider of world-class integrated packages of print and digital media, marketing and sales resources, industry information, research and consulting as well as events in office products and workplace supplies.
Simone Hindmarch
Managing Director and Co-Founder, Commercial
As well as co-founder and managing director of Commercial, the £70million business services company, Simone has been intent to forge a path based on innovation aligned to social and environmental sustainability. It is her philosophy to deliver meaningful and lasting change – a spirit Simone calls ‘Commercial by Nature’ – that led to the honour of receiving the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development in 2018 and has inspired a commitment for Commercial to achieve carbon net zero by 2028, two years ahead of government targets. Simone lives life with conviction, launching a social enterprise to help young people develop workplace skills. Her leadership unites extraordinary teams in fields as diverse as managed IT, smart technology, digitisation, workwear and office supplies, empowering them all to make a significant and lasting difference to clients.
Christian Horn
Chief Product & Supply Chain Officer, RS Group
Christian is responsible for RS Group’s product and supplier management and supply chain capability, and for an innovative, sustainable and market-leading service for customers and suppliers. RS Group is a global omni-channel provider of product and service solutions of industrial equipment and operations and a FTSE100 constituent. With revenues of over £2.5 billion, RS Group operates in 32 countries and holds over 700,000 stocked products. Prior to joining RS Group in 2021, Christian was Group COO at SIG. Previously, Christian spent 17 years at Staples in a number of senior commercial and operational roles, culminating in leading it’s European B2B distribution business as SVP Staples Advantage Europe.
Kristine Humphreys
Commercial Director, UK, Avery
Kristine was appointed as Commercial Director for Avery UK in April 2022, and now leads the sales, marketing, digital and customer service teams within the business. Prior to this, she held the role of Marketing Manager when she joined Avery in 2020. Originally from the Philippines, Kristine has over 20 years of international experience in strategy, brand management and innovation. She has worked with recognised industry leaders in consumer goods (P&G), confectionery (Ferrero), beverage (Coca-Cola) and healthcare (Johnson & Johnson) sectors across developing and developed markets.
Neil Jardine
Managing Director, Mitsubishi Pencil
Neil is currently Managing Director for Mitsubishi Pencil Co UK, one of three subsidiaries in Europe. The company operates in two distinct channels; traditional writing, where the Uni-ball brand has a leading position and continues to take market share; and the POSCA brand which leads in the dynamic paint markers/art and craft sector, delivering creative excitement and consumer demand that translates into significant growth. Neil’s background is in the FMCG arena, where after spells at RHM (now Premier Foods), Nestle and Sara Lee, he was appointed Executive Director at Greene King. After a fruitful 17 years, Neil left to join Disaronno as MD, where he established the UK subsidiary. He then joined Roust (Russian Standard) as MD, but geo-political events in Ukraine saw the business eventually close
Ross Jones
Head of Sales - NEANZ, Reckitt
Ross Jones is Head of Sales for Northern Europe & ANZ at Reckitt Pro Solutions, which is focussed on taking highly effective, well-known brands, including Dettol, Finish, Airwick, Harpic, Vanish and Brasso, into the Professional space. Ross has worked in the professional space for 15 years with roles in businesses such as Diversey, Clorox and now Reckitt. Ross is always happy to discuss how Reckitt can make their expertise in Cleaning & Hygiene your expertise, and how to work towards a partnership that magnifies shared success.
Alain Josse
Managing Director Office Supplies Europe, RAJA Group
Alain joined RAJA Group in 2006 as Group Purchasing and Marketing Director and is currently Managing Director Office Supplies Europe, a position he has held since 2022. Prior to joining Raja Group, Alain held various roles at Office Depot including Product Marketing Manager and Purchasing and Marketing Director France. He was part of the launch of Viking Direct’s business activity in France and early in his career he spent five years at Xerox and two years at Henkel.
Jeffrey James Köhler
Head of Sales DACH, Business Unit Writing, Newell Brands
Jeffrey James is the current Head of Sales for the DACH-Region for the Writing Business Unit. He works with a strong team of local key account managers supported by a dedicated marketing team representing such brands as Dymo, Parker, Paper Mate, Waterman and Sharpie. Prior to this, Jeffrey held various positions at Newell Brands including: Sales Director for Commercial Products, Sales Manager for Office Products, and International Key Account Director.
Thomas Lang
Head of Category Management, Office World Group
Thomas Lang is Head of Category Management at Office World Group, a leading provider of office materials and office technology in Switzerland with more than 60’000 items for corporate and private customers. Office World Group serves the market directly with 19 points of sale and several online shops, and partners with around 2,000 local specialist retailers and retail chains. Thomas has over 20 years’ experience in retail and e-commerce and has spent over six years in the office supplies industry.
Christian Langvad
Vice President Operations, Schäfer Shop Group
With over 25 years’ experience in the office products industry, combined with eight years in business equipment, intralogistics and furniture, Christian is dedicated to the business supplies industry. Since 2020 he has served as Vice President Operations at Schäfer Shop Group. Christian oversees the areas of product management, procurement, masterdata and logistics. During his first two years at the company, he focused on driving their customer centric approach forward by insourcing the international >90.000sqm E2E logistics. He extended the offering by general renewal and +11.000 private labels and established agile work and digitalisation. Prior to his current role, he spent five years at Jungheinrich Profishop and almost two decades at OTTO Office, a division of the Printus Group.
Stuart Login
Managing Director, Trodat UK
Stuart has been Managing Director of Trodat UK since 2018 and is responsible for the UK and Ireland markets. Prior to Trodat, Stuart worked at Avery UK for over ten years in various UK and European sales roles, latterly as Sales Director. He sits on the board of the Boss Federation and chairs both the Manufacturers’ Forum and the Rubber Stamp Manufacturers’ Guild.
Aidan McDonough
CEO, Integra Business Solutions
Aidan McDonough is CEO of dealer group, Integra Business Solutions and has been in the business supplies industry for almost 30 years. Aidan is responsible for the overall financial performance and strategic direction of the business in conjunction with the board and executive team. Aidan is also chairman of Business Products Groups International (BPGI), and a member of the BOSS Federation Board.
Simon McLoughlin
Buying Director, EVO Group
Lee Mellor
VP Europe, SC Johnson Professional
Lee joined SC Johnson Professional in September 2020 and is currently head of their business for Europe. SC Johnson rests its purpose on the positive impact they make on people and communities around the world and aims to be the most trusted to provide safe, healthy and sustainable environments away from home. Lee’s sustainability-driven background started at Interface, a global flooring company specialising in carbon-neutral carpet tile and resilient flooring, which he joined in 2018 as Vice President and General Manager UK, Ireland, Nordic & MEA. Lee has extensive experience encompassing commercial operations and corporate planning across EMEA regions and excels at implementing change programmes, functioning effectively at both a strategic and tactical level.
Cezary Monko
President ACCO Brands EMEA, ACCO Brands
Cezary joined global office supplies manufacturer Esselte in 1992 as Country Manager Poland. He then held various positions in the company’s international positions. Cezary was in charge of Esselte’s European Sales from 2002 to 2005, was appointed President of European and International in 2005 and then President and CEO of Esselte in 2014. After ACCO acquired Esselte in 2017, Cezary became ACCO Brands EVP and President ACCO Brands EMEA.
Paul Nicholson
Sales Director, Commercial
Sales Director at business services company Commercial, Paul is passionate about our industry and all the opportunities it presents every day. He has a keen interest in profitable sales growth, client satisfaction and developing talent. All built on solid foundations with the aim of reducing clients’ and suppliers’ environmental impact, whilst ensuring that the decisions made each day are positively contributing to society.
Charles Nusse
Managing Director, Exacompta
Charles Nusse is Managing Director of Exacompta, a family-owned business which is known for filing, desktop and office stationery products. His current focus is on sustainability and new distribution possibilities.
Rasmus Olsen
Product Manager & Team Lead, LOMAX
Rasmus has worked at Danish company Lomax for nearly 15 years. He began as a student worker and now for the past 12 years he has worked as a Product Manager in charge of office supplies, packaging products and creative products - a portfolio of more than 10,000 products. In addition to his role as Product Manager, Rasmus is also Team Lead of Lomax's team of Online Product Specialists, which produces all the product content visible on the Lomax web shop in Denmark and Sweden.
Johann Pintarich
CEO, Office World Group
With over 20 years’ experience in the office supplies industry, Johann is currently CEO of Office World Group, part of MTH Retail Group Austria. He has been with MTH for more than ten years and is responsible for all B2B operations. He was Managing Director of OWIBA from February 2018 and has held his current role since 2021. Office World Group includes OWIBA and the distribution businesses Ecomedia, Oridis and Papedis.
Nicolas Potier
CEO, Bruneau
Having joined Bruneau France in 2010, Nicolas Poitier is currently CEO of the Bruneau Group. With operations in France, Benelux, Spain and Italy, Bruneau enjoys a turnover of about €520 million and has 900 employees serving about 100,000 products to more than 500,000 B2B customers across Europe. An engineer by background, Nicolas developed a strong interest in sales and marketing with roles in companies such as Air Liquide, General Electric and the Alcan Packaging Group (which became part of Amcor).
Hasan Saritepe
Head of Sales, Global Business Solutions, South & West Europe, Reckitt
Hasan Saritepe joined Reckitt in 2016 as Sales Planning and Revenue Maximization Manager in Turkiye, having previously worked for Mondelez International and SC Johnson in extensive sales management roles in different channels. As Sales Planning and Revenue Maximization Manager, he was lead for financial planning, trade investment optimisations and efficiency projects via 4P approach. He spent the last three years as Finish Trade Marketing Team Lead, gaining market share as well as combining sustainability and brand purpose projects into the business. Hasan now works as Head of Sales, B2B, South & West Europe, initiating customer and portfolio penetrations through Europe in lead countries.
Andrew Senior
Founder, Skuuudle
The Founder of Skuuudle, and a ten-year overnight success, Andrew Senior has three decades’ experience as a tech entrepreneur, always seeking to disrupt, finding success, and always learning from failure. He commenced his working career at IBM aged 21 and founded his first business at 23. It was hugely successful in the UK, US, and Eastern Europe, until he learnt that cashflow and collecting debts was more important than his P&L. He found success again with a retail chain selling IT to the home market in over 100 outlets. This time cash flow was positive but not so profitable, fortunately a big retailer acquired the operation, and he bought a very fast car! One investment and business led to another opportunity. It is “liquid gold” - data - that provides rapid intelligence on your competitor’s pricing and range. Andrew is proud to have founded Skuuudle, and even prouder that it is growing year on year with the very best leadership team that love making a difference. Skuuudle’s clients understand the value of intelligent, timely, organised data and that helps! Andrew embraces life, thoroughly enjoy meeting people, developing new ideas and making deals!
Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith has spent 40 years in the office products industry, with ten years at Avery as Sales Director UK and then 20 years as VP Sales Europe. Jonathan’s career in office products began in 1981, when he joined 3M Office Products in the UK. He worked at 3M for ten years where he held various sales and marketing roles. He now acts as a consultant to the OP industry, working for both Avery and Highlands Group across Europe.
George Steur
CEO, Staples Benelux - Germany
Staples Benelux - Germany CEO George has worked for the company since 2022 and has been active in the OP industry since 2007. Prior to joining Staples, he was with Bruna, the largest book and stationery retailer in the Netherlands with 370 owned and franchised stores. He was also Managing Director International for 20:20 Mobile (Brightstar), a tech wholesaler, and Group Commercial Director for mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse. Before the mobile phone boom, he worked in the IT industry for Acer and other IT manufacturers.
Stefania Tenderini
General Manager Italy and Spain, Avery
Stefania is General Manager for Avery in Italy and Spain and a member of the European leadership team. Thanks to the size of the business in southern Europe, Stefania acts as an entrepreneur for business development in the region. Stefania’s major experience lies in strategising and leading cross-functional teams to build resilient and self-learning organisations. She is an agile leader with a passion for self-development, independence, sustainable and digital transformation, people empowerment and inclusiveness in international contexts.
Perry Timms
Founder & Chief Energy Officer, People and Transformational HR
Perry Timms is the Founder and Chief Energy Officer of PTHR - a niche consultancy, with the mission to create better business for a better world. PTHR is in its eleventh year of operating, is a Certified B Corporation, a Gold-Standard 4-day Working Week organisation, an accredited Living Wage employer and a Climate-Positive enterprise. Perry is a proud Chartered member of the CIPD and a Fellow of the RSA. He is a five times member of HR Magazine’s HR Most Influential list, making the top 10 in 2018, 2019 & 2021 and ranked Number 1 Most Influential Thinker in HR for 2022. He is an international and 2x TEDx speaker and award-winning writer on the future of work, HR & learning. He is a recently certified Semco Style Institute Expert in Self-Managed systems of work. His 2017 book Transformational HR was named one of the Top 100 Business Strategy books of all time and published as a second edition in July 2021. His second book - The Energized Workplace - was published in August 2020 and was shortlisted for the UK Business Book of the Year 2021. Perry is Adjunct Professor at Hult International Business School and Ashridge Management School; a visiting fellow at Cranfield School of Management, and Sheffield Hallam University.
André Vasconcelos
CEO, Bi-silque
André Vasconcelos is CEO of global visual communications specialist Bi-silque. He started his career at Bi-silque at a young age, obtaining experience of every sector of the business, including production, sales and marketing. André has seen the company become a modern, world-leading business, based on modern management models. The entire business is underpinned with a strong emphasis on social and environmental responsibilities, together with innovative product development. André Vasconcelos CEO Bi-silque André Vasconcelos is CEO of global visual communications specialist Bi-silque. He started his career at Bi-silque at a young age, obtaining experience of every sector of the business, including production, sales and marketing. André has seen the company become a modern, world-leading business, based on modern management models. The entire business is underpinned with a strong emphasis on social and environmental responsibilities, together with innovative product development.
James Webb
Vice President Central Europe, Fellowes
James Webb is currently, Vice President Central Europe for Fellowes Brands. Having started his career in engineering, he joined Fellowes in 1997 and has worked in numerous sales, marketing and leadership positions. His current responsibilities include the company’s European business teams along with country sales, marketing and customer service teams.
Jonathan Weiss
Commercial Director B2B, EUAN, Reckitt
Jonathan Weiss joined Reckitt in 2013 following a successful and extensive career as Brand Manager across global F&B businesses, including KFC and Pizza Hut. As the senior brand manager across key Reckitt brands, including Finish, Harpic and Pine O Cleen, Jonathan then took on the role of Head of Ecommerce and Emerging Channels, where he led the e-commerce business unit for Australia across local activation and cross border e-commerce into China. In 2017, he was appointed the National Business Manager for Coles, before moving to Amsterdam as Reckitt’s Global Trade Marketing Director on Surface Care in 2019. Jonathan is now the Commercial Director of B2B at Reckitt for Europe, Australia and New Zealand, where he heads up the commercial team, leading the implementation and execution of global business solutions strategies. One such initiative he and his team oversee is Reckitt’s new offering in Europe and Australia New Zealand — Dettol Pro Solutions — a programme that offers businesses such as British Airways, Hilton, Mirvac and others improved hygiene resources to help protect their staff and customers from viruses and other illness causing pathogens during and post pandemic.
Jade Wilson
Managing Director Europe, Highlands
Jade Wilson embarked on his sales career with Granada Television when people still rented televisions and videos, and this led to working for Ford and TNT. Jade then spent nine years at Corporate Express starting as a Business Development Manager pounding the streets and generating new clients, which subsequently led to sales management and European account management. From here, Jade switched to OfficeTeam and then to Integra as Head of Business Development. In 2011, he joined Highlands as Sales Director and now leads the UK and European business for Highlands as Managing Director.
Pieter Wolters
Senior Director, Head of Merchandising & Procurement. Staples Benelux – Germany
Pieter has worked in the OP industry for over 15 years in various management roles, having previously worked at Office Depot followed by Adveo. He joined Staples in 2018 and has been with Staples Benelux for nearly two years, heading up merchandising (vendor/category management) and demand planning. Pieter drives change in the company, enabling the team to deliver new successes. From a business with nearly a single focus on large enterprise customers, it is now a multi-channel, multi-customer reseller which includes new online web propositions through staples.nl / officecentre.nl and staples.de and continues to develop and improve the wholesale business.
Jos Zimmerman
Director E-commerce Key Accounts Multi-Channel NA & EMEIA, Essity Professional Hygiene
Jos Zimmerman has been Director of E-commerce Key Accounts Multi-Channel and European Responsible for the Office Supply channel since 2016. He joined Essity in 2001 as Key Account Manager Cash-and-Carry & Office Supply Benelux. With the globally leading Tork brand, Essity is the world’s largest supplier of hygiene solutions in professional hygiene. The Professional Hygiene business area comprises of the following categories; tissue, services and solutions, wiping and cleaning and soaps and sanitizers, which are sold to companies, office buildings, universities, healthcare facilities, industries, restaurants, hotels, stadiums and other public venues – direct to the end-customer, e-commerce or via distributors. Essity is committed to improving the well-being of people and planet. www.essity.com
