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ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Our Advisory Board consists of leading entrepreneurs from all over Europe, gathering expertise and experience from a range of sectors and national regulatory contexts.
Mag. Christian C. Pochtler, Managing Director, iSi GmbH (Austria)
The beginnings of the iSi Group date back to the original company, Carl Pochtler AG, which was established in 1811. The foundation of iSi Metallwarenfabrik (today's iSi GmbH) took place in 1961. Subsequently, based upon the traditional family business, by means of pursuing a consistent global niche policy, one of Austria's most innovative groups of companies was developed. Presently, the Group's companies operate in two locations in Vienna as well as manufacturing and distribution facilities in Hungary, Germany and USA.
With the company's core competence focusing on pressurized gas containers with a volume of up to 700 ml, iSi has become the number one world-wide and has thus secured the position of a market leader for the Group's entire range of business activities. iSi's "compressed energy" is exported into more than 65 countries all over the globe.
Dr. Gilles Martin, CEO, Eurofins Scientific Group (Belgium)
EUROFINS SCIENTIFIC Group is a worldwide leader in providing state-of-the-art bioanalytical services. It is an international company with over 40 research and service laboratories and 2000 employees. Its core competence lies in delivering high quality bioanalytical services for the food and feed industry, in environmental, clinical and medical applications as well as in human genetics and pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Martin graduated from Ecole Centrale de Paris (France). He subsequently obtained a Master of Science from Syracuse University (New York, USA) and a PhD in Statistics and Applied Mathematics from Ecole Centrale de Paris. Founding the original Eurofins Scientific Nantes food authenticity laboratory in 1988, Gilles Martin expanded this company of 12 employees into a global bioanalytical group of more than 50 laboratories.
Mr. Hans van der Kooij
Caesar Group (Netherlands)
Hans van der Kooij has a background in Information Technology and a degree in Business Management. Hans has over 25 years of entrepeneurial experience, which includes founding the Caesar Group in 1993. The basis of his success as an entrepeneur is combining a solid future-oriented strategy with the ambition to continuously improve the company. Hans was awarded ‘Manager of the Year 1999’.
Caesar Group manages and provides tailor-made IT-solutions to selected markets. Customers continuously invest in Caesar’s IT-solutions based on their business performance improvement.
Caesar Group was founded in 1993 and employs over 350 people. Caesar’s services include consulting, projects, contract staffing, implementation and maintenance. Caesar has extensive knowledge of technology (Microsoft, Oracle, Progress and Infrastructure) as well as markets in which the company operates.
In November 2003, Caesar Group was awarded ‘Best IT Company of the Year’ by the leading Dutch magazine Management Team.
Mr. Giovanni Andrea Farina, Chairman and CEO, Itway (Italy)
 Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of Itway Group S.p.A., President of the Board of Directors of Itway France SARL, Itway Iberica SL, President of the Board of Directors of Interaxon Hellas sa, President of the Board of Directors of Business-e S.r.l., President of Itway Cube S.r.l., President of the Board of Directors of Farway S.r.l., Director of Fondazione Gesis.
G. Andrea Farina is 44 years, was born in Bagnacavallo (Ravenna). He took a diploma in Computer Science and a degree in business economics with MBA at Anderson School – Institute of Economy and Finance of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). During his professional carreer, he filled the following managerial roles: Marketing Manager, Sales Manager, General Manager of different company working in the IT sector (SHR Gruppo Ferruzzi, Alpha Microsystems Corp., Top Software SA, ESA Software S.p.A.. For his known competence in the IT sector, he is advisor of some investment banks. He is member of European Council of Partner of the American company Sun Microsystems and he holds the same position in the European Council of Partner of the Israelian company Checkpoint. He took part in the Board of Directors of the “Commercio Elettronico Italia” governative association until December 2003 and he is member of the Commission of Juvenile Protection on Internet of CLUSIT (Italian Association for the Information Security). He is member of the Advisory Board of “Europe’s 500 Entrepreneurs for Growth” in Bruxelles since July 2004. Starting from November 2004, he is president of the Information and Telecommunication Group and sits at the board of directors of the Industrial Association (Confindustria) of the province of Ravenna.
Cornelius Geber, CG Beteiligungs- & Management GmbH (Germany)
 The corporate consultant
Businessman Cornelius Geber’s profile is a complex one: on the one hand it is defined by a special affinity for business in practice, on the other by his instinctive feel for commercially attractive prospects which he puts into practice through various projects. In many cases he and his CG Investment & Management Companies play a key role.
Today Cornelius Geber plays a central role in the redirection and acquisition of firms from various fields and there are many reasons for this. Firstly it can be attributed to his high level of competence in strategic business consultancy. Secondly, Cornelius Geber uses his extensive experience of line management in active business. And, last but not least, all the projects in which Geber becomes involved benefit from his excellent networking. The versatile businessman maintains his links with the roots of the business to this day: “I’d rather go into a firm I don’t know via the ramp in the courtyard than through the main entrance – by the time I arrive at the office I’ve already had several interesting conversations.“
Focus on logistics
Today, Cornelius Geber is considered to be an expert in the logistics market in particular and is an influential force in the sale and purchase of various companies. The work he has done in logistics firms is one of the main focuses of his career. One event that stands out in his C.V. is his time spent as a member of the Board of Directors of Kühne and Nagel International AG. During his time as a board member of this leading logistics firm, Cornelius Geber had overall responsibility for 6,500 employees of the approximately 15,000 employees worldwide.
Consulting and involvement
After he left the Kühne & Nagel Holding, where he was a Member of the Board of Directors for several successful years, Cornelius Geber built up a new and independent profile for himself as a businessman and consultant. Today, this portfolio includes not only classical strategic consulting and M+A projects but is also notable for its many top-class commitments carried out in close collaboration with selected private equity investment groups.
A good example is the successful acquisition of Celanese AG through BCP Holdings GmbH, later Celanese European Holding GmbH. One of Geber’s many activities is as Manager of Celanese European Holding GmbH, which is controlled by Blackstone Funds, New York. He is also a Member of the Supervisory Board of Celanese AG where he utilises his extensive business expertise both actively and critically, as he does in several other companies, many of which are listed on the stock exchange.
In 2000 he set up the CG Investment & Management GmbH in Hamburg and the CG Investment and Management AG in Jona, Switzerland to handle various projects. Cornelius Geber does not limit himself to the role of a consultant: he is also involved as co-investor in some of his projects.
Prospects in the realm of small and medium-sized enterprises
Another area of increasing interest for Cornelius Geber concerns small and medium-sized enterprises. “In small businesses it is essential not only to find the right concepts but also suitable partners to form the basis for a workable company in future and to avoid, for example, serious problems occurring further down the line,” explains Geber who also holds many high-level supervisory board appointments and, in this way, makes his knowledge available to the owners of firms of all sizes.
As a result, Cornelius Geber, who lives in Germany and Switzerland, keeps his own organisation slim – “which, however, requires that large, effective teams for particular tasks must be formed within a very short space of time,” emphasises Geber.
Mr. Domingo Arochena, President, Laboratorios Indas (Spain)
www.indas.com
Mr. Torsten Jansson, CEO, New Wave Group AB (Sweden)
www.nwg.se
If you are interested in becoming an Advisory Board member, please consult our Membership page or contact us at Brussels Office.
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