Roland Berger Strategy Consultants has appointed 26 new international partners. The new partners are based in the worldwide offices of the international consultancy company, from Paris to Beijing, Dubai to Tokyo. In addition, five international partners have been promoted to the next partner level. With these appointments at the International Partner Meeting in Munich, the strategy consultancy will further strengthen its worldwide presence.

Fabrice Asvazadourian (45) joined Roland Berger as a Partner in the Paris Office. He has more than 15 years of experience as a strategy consultant in the financial services industry, advising his clients on topics covering strategy, commercial effectiveness and operational efficiency. Fabrice Asvazadourian has managed major transformation and restructuring programs at several financial institutions, and his client portfolio covers major banks in France and Benelux. He was also Chairman and CEO of an industrial medium-sized company. Fabrice Asvazadourian holds an engineering degree from the École des Mines de Paris.

Cécile André-Leruste (45) comes from the Société Générale banking group, where she held the position of Deputy Head of Strategy, Head of Development Debt Capital Markets, Head of Banking and Insurance Advisory and Deputy CEO of Equipment Finance. After completing her studies at École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris (HEC Paris) and Wharton/Lauder, she started her professional career at a leading management consulting firm in Paris. Cécile André-Leruste has more than 10 years of operational experience and seven years of consulting experience with a strong focus on banking and insurance. With this expertise, she will support the Financial Services Competence Center in the Paris office of Roland Berger.

Jacob Bruun-Jensen (44) rejoins Roland Berger as a Partner in the Consumer Goods & Retail Competence Center in London. He joined the company in 1997 and worked in the London and New York offices for 6 years. Jacob Bruun-Jensen has 10 years of experience in consulting, with expertise in consumer goods & retail and media & entertainment. He has also worked over 10 years in the industry for some of the world’s largest retailers and consumer goods companies, including Kraft Foods and PepsiCo. Jacob Bruun-Jensen also successfully co-founded a soft drinks company in the UK. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and two Master’s in Management degrees from Henley Business School and ESCP Europe Business School.

Maxim Bychkov (42) is a Partner in the Financial Services Competence Center in Roland Berger’s Moscow office. For over 15 years, he has advised insurance, investment and leasing companies as well as banks in Russia and CIS. He has held several executive positions at investment and corporate banks and moved into strategy consulting in 2004. Maxim Bychkov’s expertise covers strategy development and business planning, organizational solutions, restructuring and post-merger integration, sales, marketing and distribution.

Bruno Colmant (50), former Deputy CEO of Ageas, CEO of the Brussels Stock Exchange, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Finance in Belgium and Executive Board member at ING Belgium, has rejoined Roland Berger. As a member of the management team at the Brussels office, the well-known expert in corporate finance, financial markets, risk management, accountancy and tax law will be responsible for the Financial Services Competence Center. Bruno Colmant holds a Master of Science degree in Applied Economics from the Solvay Business School. He also has a Master’s in Fiscal Law as well as an MBA and a Ph.D. in Applied Economic Sciences.

Eric Confais (42) is a Partner in the Energy & Chemicals Competence Center in Roland Berger’s Paris office. He started his career at a consultancy specializing in corporate restructuring, then joined the energy practice of a management consultancy. Eric Confais joined Roland Berger in 2001 and has more than 12 years of experience in management consulting, focusing on projects in the energy, water and waste sectors. He is an expert in mergers and acquisitions, the results of market deregulation, developing new offerings, improving performance and cutting costs. He graduated from the École Centrale Engineering School in Paris.

Mark de Jonge (36) started working for Roland Berger in 2006 and is now Partner in the Financial Services Competence Center in Amsterdam. He has more than 10 years of experience in strategy consultancy and focuses his consulting activities on financial services, telecom and corporate performance. Mark de Jonge holds a Master’s degree in Applied Physics from Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) and holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (USA).

Kiarash Fatehi (43) is a Partner in the Financial Services Competence Center in Frankfurt. He started his career at Daimler and has worked at a global consulting firm for almost 10 years before joining Roland Berger. He is a top management and strategy consultant with a solid focus on the financial services sector and strong international experience, having worked in the US, UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, Asia and Africa. Kiarash Fatehi holds an MBA from INSEAD, a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Economics and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

Alexis Gardy (34) joined Roland Berger’s Paris office in 2001. As a Partner, he will further focus his consulting activities on tourism, hospitality, leisure and entertainment. Alexis Gardy graduated from ESCP Europe in Paris in 2001 and began his career in investment banking at Société Générale Hambros in London. He has more than 10 years’ experience in consulting and supports a number of global players in designing their corporate strategy and improving their performance and value.

Nikolay Grachev (36) is a Partner based in Roland Berger’s Moscow office. He started his professional career at a leading international consultancy in Berlin, before moving to the Moscow office of Roland Berger in 2005. He focuses his consulting activities on the electric, oil and gas sectors, serving both leading international players and major local players in Russia and Ukraine. Nikolay Grachev is an expert in strategy, post-merger integration and governance optimization. He studied Business Administration in St. Petersburg (Russia) and Berlin (Germany) and completed his Master’s of Political Theory at the London School of Economics (LSE).

Stephan Köhler (44) is a new Partner in the Operations Strategy Competence Center in the Munich office. After completing his degree in industrial engineering, he began his career in 1995 at a German consultancy where he became Managing Director and Partner of the firm’s Munich office. During this time, he expanded the firm’s business in telecoms and media as well as its industry expertise in supply management across all industries. As an expert on change management, he has supported comprehensive excellence and change initiatives at many large corporations.

Serge Lhoste (37) is a Partner based in Roland Berger’s Paris office, where he focuses his consulting activities on industrial products and materials. Prior to joining Roland Berger, he was a Principal at a leading American management consulting firm. In his more than 10 years in the consulting industry, he has become an expert in strategy, due diligence and cost optimization. Serge Lhoste advises clients in the chemicals, process and high tech industries. He holds a Master’s in Engineering from École Supérieure d’Électricité (Supélec) and an MBA from the École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) in Paris.

Dr. Andreas Moritz (47) joined Roland Berger in Düsseldorf (Germany) as a member of the Operations Strategy Competence Center in 2011 after having spent several years at Management Engineers, where he became a Partner in 2008. He studied mechanical engineering in Aachen (Germany) and began his professional career at a German consulting company. He was also head of central logistics for Federal-Mogul. As a Partner, Andreas Moritz will continue to support the Operations Strategy Competence Center with his expertise in automotive and operations-related topics.

Ali Rekik (37) joined Roland Berger in 2000 after working for several investment banking institutions. Based in Roland Berger’s Paris office, he advises clients for the Aerospace, Defense and Transportation Competence Center. In more than 11 years in consulting, he has become an expert in corporate management, supply chain, manufacturing, and transformation plans as well as collaborative model and joint improvement plans. He holds degrees from the École Polytechnique and École des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris.

George Ren (38) has been working with Roland Berger in Shanghai for five years. As a Partner in the Consumer Goods & Retail Competence Center, he leverages his expertise in brand management, channel management and growth strategy to help leading international and Chinese clients in consumer goods and retail industries. He had worked in consulting for more than 5 years prior to joining Roland Berger. George Ren holds an MBA from the Fudan University in Shanghai and from the MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge (USA).

Oliver Räuscher (48) is a Partner in the Corporate Finance Competence Center in Berlin, focusing his consulting activities on joint ventures and M&A in several industries. Prior to joining Roland Berger in 2007, he was Director of Corporate Finance at one of the leading auditing companies, focusing on M&A and IPO advisory, carve outs and valuations. In addition, he worked in the legal department of the German Trust Agency in Leipzig (Germany), where he supervised privatization negotiations. Oliver Räuscher studied law at the University of Berlin.

Jochen Schönfelder (35) is a Partner in the Corporate Performance Competence Center of Roland Berger in Düsseldorf (Germany). He started his career at Roland Berger in 2002 after finishing his Master’s of Economics at Maastricht University (the Netherlands). Jochen Schönfelder focuses his consulting activities on restructuring in the renewable energies, engineered products and automotive industries, supporting clients on international projects.

Kushal Shah (40) is a Partner based in Roland Berger’s Dubai office, working for the InfoCom Competence Center. He started his career at a professional services organization in London and later joined the world’s largest professional services firm in Kenya. He also worked at a leading global management consulting firm in London and Dubai for more than 10 years. Kushal Shah’s main areas of expertise include strategy development, M&A and financing process support, post-merger integrations as well as restructuring and reorganization in the telecommunications sector. He holds a Master in Economics from Cambridge University (England).

Jürgen Thiele (41) joins Roland Berger as a Partner in the Financial Services Competence Center in Frankfurt (Germany). Before joining Roland Berger, he worked at a leading management consulting firm, where he was responsible for the property and casualty insurance platform in the DACH region. Jürgen Thiele has helped insurers increase their competitiveness in property and casualty insurance, auto insurance and claims management. His consulting focus includes strategic issues as well as designing and implementing large scale operational excellence programs. Jürgen Thiele holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Cologne (Germany).

Michel Vlasselaer (48) joined Roland Berger in November 2011 and is based in the Brussels office. He has more than 20 years’ experience at several leading consulting companies. As of 2002, he had held several management positions at IBM Global Business Services. Michel Vlasselaer is a recognized expert in business transformation and change management with a passion for transformation projects like post-merger integrations. He holds a Master of Science in Management from Solvay Brussels School and completed the Program for Executive Development at the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland.

Rong Wang (39) is a Partner in Roland Berger’s Beijing office. Before joining the company in 2008, he was Strategic Planning Director for Siemens in China. He has broad experience in the real estate, energy, fast moving consumer goods and engineered products industries and is an expert in the functional areas of corporate strategy, sales & marketing, organization & governance, M&A and operations management. He holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Marcus Weber (42) is a Roland Berger Partner in the Engineered Products & High Tech Competence Center in Munich. After studying Business Administration and Industrial Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe (Germany), he started his professional career at Daimler before turning to consulting in 1997. Since then, he has gained more than 14 years’ experience at leading consulting firms and has become a recognized expert in the renewable energy and engineered products & high tech industries. Marcus Weber’s core competencies include programs for performance improvement, corporate and business strategies as well as organizational design and business transformation.

Marc Winterhoff (43) is a new Partner in Frankfurt (Germany) who will be contributing his expertise to the Automotive Competence Center. He studied electronic engineering and business in Darmstadt (Germany), and started his career in the software industry in America. He then worked for an international management consultancy for over 11 years, focusing on the automotive industry. In 2007, he became head of the company’s European automotive business and in 2010 was appointed Global Head of Automotive. At Roland Berger, he supports the Automotive Competence Center, focusing on the North American market and advising on sales and marketing issues.

Dmitri Zaitsev (39) is a Partner in the Financial Services Competence Center in Moscow and the Country Co-Head for Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). He was the head of the management consulting practice at a global management consulting firm in Moscow. Dmitri Zaitsev has more than 17 years of experience in consulting the financial services industry. He is an expert in financial services and has experience in retail, utilities and telecom industries, and his consulting focus includes corporate strategy, organization, corporate governance, sales & marketing as well as operational excellence.

Luca Zuccoli (41) comes from a leading American management consultancy where he developed the retail banking business at the international level. Luca Zuccoli has more than 13 years’ experience in consulting, with a special focus on retail and business banking, strategy, marketing, brand, distribution and risk management. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, a Master in Statistics from the Carnegie Mellon University (USA) and a Master in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Pavia (Italy). At Roland Berger, Luca Zuccoli will support the Financial Services Competence Center in Frankfurt.

Partners promoted to the next partner level

Alfredo Arpaia (41) has been working with Roland Berger for four years in the Milan office. He is a Partner in the InfoCom and Consumer Goods & Retail Competence Centers. He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Napoli (Italy) and MBAs from the University of Michigan (USA) and Rotterdam School of Management (the Netherlands). Alfredo Arpaia started his professional career at a leading consulting firm. He focuses his consulting activities on the telecommunications, media and services industries, providing expert guidance on customer relationship management and information technology strategy.

Alexander Belderok (42) has been working for Roland Berger since 2006. As a Partner in the Amsterdam office, he focuses his consulting activities on consumer goods and retail, operations strategy and specialty chemicals. Alexander Belderok studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Twente (the Netherlands) and completed his MBA at Twente School of Management (TSM). He started his professional career at Unilever as a marketing manager and then as a business technical manager. He has an additional seven years of experience at a leading international consultancy.

Klaus Kremers (42) is a Partner in the Corporate Performance Competence Center in London and a member of the Global Investor Support Group. He has almost 14 years’ experience in strategic, operational and financial restructuring in turnaround situations and transactions and advises international sponsors, financiers and European corporate clients across a range of industries. Prior to joining Roland Berger in 2000, he worked in Transaction and Corporate Recovery Services in Frankfurt for one of the leading international auditing firms. He holds a degree in international business administration and a master’s in business administration.

Watson Liu (44) is a Roland Berger Partner in the Energy & Chemicals Competence Center in Beijing. He started working for Roland Berger in 2007 and has broad experience in international consulting. In the past, he worked for major industrial companies such as Procter & Gamble, DHL and Siemens. Watson Liu focuses his consulting activities on the energy & utilities and oil & chemicals industries, advising clients on strategy, operations, post-merger integration and supply chain topics. He holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a Master’s in Supply Chain Management from the Cranfield School of Management (UK).

Satoshi Nagashima (43) is a Partner in the Automotive Competence Center in the Tokyo office. Satoshi Nagashima holds a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Engineering in Material Science from Waseda University (Japan). Prior to joining Roland Berger 15 years ago, he worked as an assistant in the Kagami Memorial Laboratory for Materials Science and at the Department of Science and Engineering at Waseda University. He is an expert in the automotive, logistics, oil and chemical industries and focuses his consulting activities on sales and marketing, research and development, corporate planning and operation.

Soure:  www.top-consultant.com

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants introduced its new career website yesterday. As part of its new employer branding campaign, Roland Berger is launching this website together with its global HR Facebook presence. These activities are designed to give potential candidates more information about what it’s like to work as a consultant. Besides information about career opportunities and how to join Roland Berger , the new website has blog entries and videos by consultants that provide insights into the multifaceted world of management consulting.

“Our new career website and Facebook presence are designed to reach talented individuals all over the world and get them excited about consulting,” says Per Breuer, Partner at Roland Berger. “In this age of social media and Internet, we want to speak to our target group where they hang out: on the web.”

Focus on personality

The online recruiting presence of Roland Berger is driven by the firm’s slogan: “It’s character that creates impact”. Per Breuer: “Our web and Facebook appearance is designed to truly convey our corporate philosophy and values. We are looking for a variety of people with different interests and skills – People with “get up and go” who want to make things happen. This is the only way to ensure that we provide our clients with long-term success.”

The corporate philosophy is communicated on the website by various consultants from the currently 45 Roland Berger offices in 33 countries. In videos, they talk about exciting experiences around the world. “This plays a huge role for high potential when selecting an employer,” explains Breuer. “This is why it’s important for us to present many stories of individual consultants on our career website.”

Internationality adds value

Greater emphasis on the rising internationality at Roland Berger is being presented on the career website and Facebook. The consulting firm is not only portraying individual consultants from around the world. Global development programs and current recruiting events are also being shown to provide complete information online. “We want to clearly show Roland Berger’s international growth strategy on our website and Facebook page,” claims Per Breuer. “Only in this way can we motivate the best talent around the globe to check out the world of consulting and attract new employees. And dialog via social media is critical.”

To achieve this, Roland Berger’s new Facebook career page is designed to encourage dialog with interested target groups. This living and up-to-date platform provides the right answers to the many questions about strategy consulting.

Source:  www.top-consultant.com

MUNICH — Alexander Dahlke is a new Partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants effective September 1, 2011. He is joining the global InfoCom management team.

Alexander Dahlke (41) comes to Roland Berger from a leading American strategy consultancy, where he had been working since 2000, ultimately as Partner in telecommunications/media/tech (TMT) and private equity. In these positions he developed corporate and functional strategies as well as operational excellence programs. The latter focused particularly on marketing, sales and post-merger management. In addition, he headed the company’s Marketing & Sales in TMT practice for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Dahlke studied engineering management at the Technische Universität Braunschweig, graduating in 1996 with distinction. He began his professional career at German telephone company Talkline GmbH, where as Head of Business Administration he was responsible for the Internet business segment. Later he held positions as Chief Marketing Officer and managing director for areas such as marketing, product management, customer relationship management and strategy/business development.

Roland Berger’s newest Partner has more than 13 years of professional experience in the telecommunications industry plus more than four years’ experience in private equity. With this expertise, Dahlke will be providing the InfoCom Competence Center with fresh energy as part of the global management team.

Source:  www.top-consultant.com

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants has appointed 18 new international partners. The new partners work at various offices, from Munich to Bahrain to Shanghai. In addition, five partners have been promoted to the next partner level. With these appointments at the International Partner Meeting in Stockholm, the strategy consultancy is expanding its partner base and strengthening its worldwide presence.

Dr. Wilfried Aulbur (45) holds the position of Managing Partner for Roland Berger in India (Mumbai). He brings with him a wealth of international experience within the automotive industry, for example at Daimler in Germany and at the Chrysler Corporation in the US. He also worked for Airbus. Wilfried Aulbur headed the business development and strategy function at the Mercedes Benz Research & Development Centre India. He was Executive Assistant of the Head of Mercedes Car Group and then Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.

Tim Bottke (35) joined Roland Berger as a member of the InfoCom Competence Center in 2006 after having spent several years with a specialized strategy boutique, working for telecom clients all over Europe and in the CEE region. At Roland Berger, he exclusively serves mobile and fixed telecom operators on strategic and operational issues along the entire industry value chain. He holds a business degree from the University of Bayreuth (Germany).

Alessandra Cama (43) is a Partner in the Consumer Goods & Retail Competence Center in Munich. She joined Roland Berger 10 years ago, coming from marketing management at top international consumer goods companies such as Unilever Italy and Barilla Germany. Alessandra Cama has supported leading international consumer goods and retail companies on corporate and commercial strategy, retail and innovation management as well as mergers & acquisitions. She studied business administration in Rome.

Friedrich Demmer (44) has been in consulting for 17 years. Based in Munich, he supports private equity and corporate clients with commercial due diligences and strategic growth projects. As Managing Director of a specialist global consulting company, he started and co-headed its private equity business in Germany. He has advised corporate clients with a focus on business strategy, growth/expansion opportunities and industry dynamics. He studied economics at Cambridge University and theoretical physics and IT at the University of Hanover (Germany).

Michael Dohrmann (42) joined Roland Berger as a Partner in the Pharma & Healthcare Competence Center. Over a period of 10 years, he held various management positions in the med-tech and pharmaceuticals industry, and spent 5 years in management consulting. His core competencies include marketing and sales strategy, business model development and supply chain management for clients in the pharmaceuticals and med-tech sector. Michael Dohrmann studied economics at the Universities of Passau (Germany) and Port Elizabeth (South Africa).

Benjamin Entraygues (35) started his career at Roland Berger in 2000 after finishing his economics studies in Paris. As a Partner in the Investor Support Group in Roland Berger’s Paris office, Benjamin Entraygues supports investors throughout the entire investment cycle. Transactions, strategic & vendor due diligence and private equity-backed assets optimization are his main areas of expertise.

Christof Huth (45) is based in the Roland Berger Munich office in the Corporate Finance Competence Center. He supports private equity and corporate clients in commercial due diligence and growth projects. Christof Huth has been in consulting for 18 years. As a partner in a specialist global consulting company, he led its private equity business in the German-speaking region. After completing his studies in economics and econometrics at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), he also worked as an auditor and controller.

Philipp Grosse Kleimann (40) has been working with Roland Berger since 2010 as a senior advisor and is now a Partner in the Automotive Competence Center. Before becoming a consultant, he spent 15 years in the automotive industry gaining broad firsthand expertise in marketing & sales, retail network development, customer service, finance and business development. Philipp Grosse Kleimann started his career at Daimler and he recently served on the Board of Management at Aston Martin Lagonda in the UK. He studied business administration in Germany and Spain.

Dr. Maciej Korzeniowski (39) has been working for Roland Berger in Warsaw for 5 years, where he leads the Energy Competence Center. He is also an expert in the InfoCom practice, as he has extensive experience in the telecommunications and IT sectors. Before joining Roland Berger, Maciej Korzeniowski worked for IBM in Warsaw and London, focusing on developing solutions for telecom operators. He studied economics in Krakow and Oxford.

Chandan Joshi (38) is a Partner in the Singapore office, where he focuses on consumer goods, retail and telecommunications. Prior to joining Roland Berger, he worked for 7 years at a worldwide consulting company and for 7 years at Procter & Gamble. Chandan Joshi has advised very successful companies on market entry and growth strategy across Asia, Europe and the Americas. He holds an MBA from the University of Delhi and also studied engineering at the National Institute of Technology in India.

Dr. Jaap Kalkman (46) comes from a leading investment bank, where he had been responsible for private equity infrastructure investments since 2007, first in Asia and later in the Middle East and India. Prior to that, Jaap Kalkman worked for an international consulting company in Amsterdam, in Manila and then in Bahrain. In Roland Berger’s Middle East office, Jaap Kalkman focuses on the public sector, private equity, oil, gas and utilities. He has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Oliver Knapp (38) has been working for Roland Berger for 11 years. He joined the company after studying business management and engineering in Germany and earning an MBA in the US. He focuses his consulting activities on the engineered products, high tech, automotive and consumer goods industries. Oliver Knapp is an expert in product value and cost management, strategic sourcing, engineering, supply chain management and logistics.

Dr. Hans Joachim Kopp (44), an energy expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry, has rejoined Roland Berger from E.ON, where he headed corporate development and group technology from 2008 to 2010. After joining our firm in 1995, Hans Joachim Kopp developed Roland Berger’s oil and gas practice and advised global leaders in the oil, gas and power industry on strategy, mergers and acquisitions and organizational structure. In 2005-2006, he was a member of Roland Berger UK’s management committee.

Dr. Tobias Plate (39) has more than ten years’ experience in strategy, restructuring & turnaround as well as human resources consulting. He joined Roland Berger in 2002, and is active in the Restructuring & Corporate Finance Competence Center. Tobias Plate has been based in Bahrain since 2006. He advises clients across the Middle East in the real estate, financial services, private equity and transportation sectors, as well as large conglomerates in various industries.

Tobias Schönberg (36) is a Partner based in Roland Berger’s Berlin office. After completing his law studies in Regensburg (Germany), he started his professional career at Roland Berger 10 years ago, advising companies from the post, rail and rail supply sectors. Tobias Schönberg’s consulting activities are focused mainly on strategy, marketing and transformation issues.

Christian von Tschirschky (40) is a Partner in Roland Berger’s Dubai office, where he is in charge of the utilities business in the Middle East. He comes from a leading American management consultancy, where he advised companies in the utilities and chemicals sector in Europe, the US and the Middle East. Christian von Tschirschky studied business administration at the University of Passau (Germany) and the Helsinki School of Economics.

Anthonie Versluis (54) has almost 30 years of professional experience, mostly in strategy consulting. He heads Roland Berger’s Malaysia office based out of Kuala Lumpur, and focuses primarily on supporting clients throughout Asia in the energy, transportation and government sectors. Prior to joining Roland Berger, Anthonie Versluis was an Associate Director at an international consulting company in Malaysia. He has also held management positions in the manufacturing and construction industries.

Tina Wang (38) is a transportation and logistics expert based in Roland Berger’s Beijing office. She has over 11 years of consulting experience at several well-known companies, focusing on projects in China’s postal, transportation, logistics shipping and airline sectors. Tina Wang is an expert in strategy development, organizational transformation and operational improvement.

Partners promoted to the next partner level

Emmanuel Bonnaud (42) has more than eleven years of consulting experience in business transformation, restructuring, turnaround and operational performance. He joined Roland Berger’s Paris office in 2008, where he has developed a strong client base in industry and mining. After finishing his politics and economics studies and earning master’s degrees in law and business administration, he worked for two international consulting and auditing companies.

Jason Ding (44) has over 18 years of professional consulting and management experience and is currently Partner and Vice President of Roland Berger in Greater China. He co-leads the Consumer Goods & Retail and InfoCom Competence Centers and is also responsible for government projects. Jason Ding gained a wealth of experience at leading international consulting firms, advising state-owned enterprises, private companies, multinationals and governments in both China and North America. He was also CEO of an Internet pharmaceutical start-up.

António Farinha (38) is the Managing Partner in the Roland Berger São Paulo office, where he is also in charge of the Brazilian Energy Competence Center. Having started at Roland Berger in 1995, António Farinha has worked for the company in Lisbon, Milan and São Paulo, advising companies from the energy, utilities, financial services, retail and consumer goods sectors.

Ina Wietheger (44) started working at Roland Berger in 2000 in the Civil Economics Competence Center, focusing her consulting activities on the public sector, NGOs and utilities. She is an expert on strategy development, strategic communication, transforming public entities and talent management. Prior to joining Roland Berger, she worked as a project manager for international cooperation in Latin America. Ina Wietheger studied economics and international studies at the Universities of Tübingen (Germany), Guadalajara (Mexico) and Miami (USA).

Yan Kang (39) has been working in the Roland Berger Beijing office for 5 years, heading the Financial Services and Consumer Goods & Retail Competence Centers. Before joining Roland Berger, Yan Kang worked with international consultancies in China and the US for 12 years, supporting clients in the manufacturing, transportation, real estate and pharmaceuticals industries. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Source:  www.top-consultant.com

The two companies confirmed last Wednesday that they were in advanced merger talks. Deloitte had wanted to take over the German firm and merge it with its strategy arm, creating a strategy firm that would challenge McKinsey & Co.’s dominance in the strategy market.

Roland Berger partners voted with a majority of “close to 100 per cent” to remain independent.

Partners in the firm – including Roland Berger, its founder – had agreed to put in more money to support the firm’s plans to remain independent, according to Financial Times quoting unnamed people close to the deal, who suggested that Mr Berger had agreed to invest about €50m ($68.5m).

Source:  Top-Consultant News

Germany’s Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Deloitte’s strategic consulting practice said they are in advanced merger talks. Deloitte’s takeover is aimed at creating a global strategy market leader with an annual revenue of about $2.8 billion.

Shareholder meetings of both companies are to decide on the deal in mid-December, which will challenge McKinsey Co.’s dominance in the strategy market.

The new firm would be called Roland Berger Deloitte Strategy Consultants, according to media reports, and would be led by Martin Wittig, Roland Berger’s chief executive, as CEO and Jeff Watts, Deloitte’s global strategy and operations leader, as deputy chief executive.

The deal follows the consolidation trend in the industry. Earlier this year Aon acquired Hewitt Associates for $4.9bn to strengthen its human resources consulting arm, and merger talks between Booz & Co and AT Kearney failed to reach an agreement in the summer.

Deloitte bought the bulk of the North American public services consulting arm of BearingPoint for $350m last year.

Founded in 1967, Munich-based Roland Berger employs about 2,000 people in more than two dozen countries and generated revenues of €616 million in 2009, the company said.

Deloitte, based in New York, employs approximately 170,000 people worldwide and delivers services in audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory in 140 countries, with global revenue for 2010 totalling $26.6 billion, the company said. Revenue from its various consulting divisions was $7.5bn.

Source: Top-Consultant