Who will benefit?
Businesses with robust products/services and with aspiration to enter the EU market or expand their existing business within the EU market
Businesses that recognize they need not do this alone and can use the help of a capable, committed and trustworthy local EU partner.
Mission
There are numerous companies from outside the European Union that would like to grow their business in the EU. Many of these companies offer outstanding products or services that would do extremely well in Europe.
However, they are not in Europe today, or their presence is still limited - often because they lack the right local skills and contacts to plan and execute their go-to-market strategy for Europe.
To overcome these hurdles they need a competent partner from inside the EU to complement and reinforce their internal insights, skills and execution capabilities.
Leap2market offers a broad range of business development services, tailored to the specific needs and priorities of our client companies, with the aim to speed up their expansion of business in the EU and lower the level of risk involved.
Company
Founded in January 2004 and headquartered in London, leap2market is an international management consulting and professional services firm that specializes in business development, strategic sales and marketing for the European market. Every member of leap2market's European team has accumulated rich professional experiences in specific industries in different European countries. All of us have worked for prestigious global companies in senior executive positions.
We are business-oriented professionals. We know how to succeed in a specific industry in European countries. That's why we can work closely with our clients both on the strategic and practical implementation levels. We not only advise companies on their Europe expansion but we are also ready to work as their long-term partner and as part of their execution team for Europe.
Execution Networks
leap2market has over 50 partners and associate partners covering all the major markets in Europe, with over 1000 years of experience of international sales & marketing, business development, training and executive level business management.
We are familiar with the national markets, we speak the local languages, and we have a very extensive network with the major actors in our target industry segments. This gives us a unique capability for informed and effective execution of go-to-market projects for our overseas clients in Europe.
Management Team
Norman Terret
Mr. Terret is a founding partner of leap2market. He is Chairman of the Telecom Associates group and is a Business Advisor to a number of major international companies. Norman has vast international experience including the Middle East and Africa where he specialises in infrastructure and investment opportunities.
He has many years of top-level line management experience and was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of the ITS/Scitor/Equant group of companies; the former subsidiaries of SITA, which is the world's largest telecommunications network provider. Before joining SITA, he held senior appointments with ITT and STC. His leadership within the SITA subsidiaries contributed to Equant (listed on the NYSE) enjoying a major IPO success in 1998, where it was capitalized at several billions of dollars.
He is recognized as a specialist not only in helping companies develop their business profitably, but also as a mentor to Management and Board Level individuals. By nature Norman is a Businessman who delivers results quickly and efficiently and who clearly understands the business issues within the sectors he operates. He has very strong business links internationally including China.
Norman is a graduate and postgraduate from Strathclyde University where he studied Business Management, Finance and Law. He has been a Magistrate in London, England, and is a member of the Athenaeum Club which reflects his interests in the arts, sciences and travel. Although his home is in the UK, he is very much an international professional. He was the first UK citizen to be awarded the Compagnon de l'Europe.
Magnus Lund
Mr. Lund is a founding partner of leap2market. He is a sales-oriented business professional with over 20 years executive management experience from the telecommunications, IT and clinical instrumentation industries. Magnus has comprehensive hands-on expertise of business strategy definition and implementation.
Between 1998 and 2002 Magnus was Managing Director in the UK and VP for Europe of Global One, a telecommunications company providing services to multinational corporate clients. In the UK Global One employed 500 people with a turnover of circa $300 million.
Between 1994 and 1998 he started up France Telecom Network services in Finland and was later Managing Director for Global One in the Nordic countries.
Between 1987 and 1994 Magnus started up and managed the Communications and High Tech business unit of Cap Gemini in Finland. Magnus developed the unit from zero to a highly successful and profitable consultancy and system integration business with a team of over 50 professionals.
Between 1977 and 1987 Magnus worked for the clinical instrumentation division of Kone Corporation, in project management, product management, sales management and technology management. Between 1980 and 1985 Magnus was responsible for key sales initiatives in the United States, where he won breakthrough business contracts with customers such as the world-famous Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Between 1985 and 1987 Magnus was technical director of the division, responsible for R&D and production. The main products of the division were clinical blood analyzers, patient monitoring systems and clinical information systems.
Magnus is since 2003 Senior Advisor to Accenture in the area of go-to-market strategies and execution for the High Technology and Communications line of business.
Magnus holds an MSc degree in Technical Physics from the Helsinki University of Technology.
Magnus speaks fluently the Nordic languages and English. He has a good command of French and German as well.
Emile Weekers
Mr. Weekers is a founding partner of leap2market. He is a seasoned executive in both the manufacturing and the professional services industries. He is an entrepreneur with a very extensive network in many EU countries.
Until 2002 Emile was President with Celerant Consulting in London, a global management consulting firm with more than 500 consultants active on 5 continents. He was the driving force behind the global growth of Celerant from a small UK-based business in 1996 to a truly global company by 2001.
From 1987 to 1994, Emile was General Manager of Sonoco Europe, at the time the world's largest industrial packaging company, where he managed several acquisitions and their integration.
From 1980 to 1987, Emile worked for Royal Dutch/Shell in research, and managed operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. He is also author of the book "Fundamentals at Work".
Mr. Weekers holds a degree in economics and mechanical engineering.
David Chang
Mr. Chang is Partner of leap2market, managing the growing Asia activities of the company. He is also the Managing Director of NicheCurrent. He is a marketing professional with solid experiences from IT and professional services industries. His experiences cover tangible and intangible products (hardware, software, services, system); channels and large accounts; domestic and overseas markets.
David has worked for Taiwanese, American, and European companies; start-up, SMB, and large enterprises. Thus, he has a good command of international team work and localization. He is also the external advisor, speaker and instructor for CPC (China Productivity Center) and TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council).
Until 2004 David was the Vice President of a hi-tech start-up, Q6 Networks, in charge of its global expansion. Prior to this, he was Channel Sales Manager of Cabletron Systems, at the time the world's third largest network solution provider. During that period, two of its six channel partners went public because of their outstanding performance on selling the brand.
Until 1998 David was Sales Manager of Oracle, the world's largest application software company. At the time, he was managing large accounts in the government and military territories.
David holds an MBA degree from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University (RSM Erasmus University) in the Netherlands, and a BBA in Information Management from National Taiwan University.
Klaas Weekers
Mr. Weekers is an Associate Partner of leap2market. He is an entrepreneur and sales professional with a solid expertise of business development in various market sectors across Europe.
On top of his experience in marketing and business, Klaas does certainly add technological value in the areas such as: electronics manufacturing, equipment engineering and manufacturing, applied magnetism, physics engineering, and plastics injection molding.
He was experienced in doing business with large companies, and achieved firm business with Bosch Group, Philips Healthcare, Buderus Heiztechnik, Thetford, Daf Paccar, Philips Lighting, Elth sensors, etc.
Since 2004 Klaas has been engaged in the business development projects for our clients from Eastern Europe and Asia.
Since 2000 Klaas is also running his own office real estate business, currently comprising over 20 buildings in the Netherlands.
Between 1997 and 2003 Klaas was Managing Director at Contec BV, specializing in electronics and wire harnesses for the automotive industry.
Between 1984 and 1996 Klaas was first Sales Manager and then Technical Director at Bakker Magnetics BV, specializing in magnetic materials and applied magnetic equipment.
Klaas holds BSc degrees in Engineering and in Business Administration.
Dietmar Grumbach
Mr. Grumbach is an Associate Partner of leap2market. He is a senior executive with significant experience in clinical instrumentation, diagnostic and biomedical industries. He is also considered as a specialist in the German market. Since 1999 he has been advising companies in their go-to-market to Germany and the interim general management of new subsidiaries. A special focus was set on healthcare logistic outsourcing, IT-supported disease management tools, distributor search and sales channel management.
Between 1986 and 1999 he was the General Manager of Konelab GmbH, developing the business and the brand of Kone laboratory analyzers and biomedical systems in Germany.Between 1983 and 1986 he was an Area Marketing Director of Hellige GmbH Germany, responsible for the marketing of Helligeˇ¦s biomedical systems in Germany.
Between 1981 and 1983 he was a Marketing Manager of Instrumentation Laboratory Germany, responsible for the lab analyzer business.Between 1977 and 1980 Dietmar was a Sales Manager for the Medical Product Division of Union Carbide Germany.
Between 1975 and 1977 Dietmar worked as a supervisor of sales of diagnostic products for Hoffmann la Roche AG in Germany.
Dietmar holds an MSc degree in Engineering.
Howard Beale
Mr. Beale is an Associate Partner of Leap2market. He is an entrepreneur with extensive experience of building successful marketing companies. Howard specialises in business development, commercial and operational management, and the delivery of high-impact and low-cost marketing services.
He has over ten years' experience of working with global brands and SMEs across a wide range of sectors. Howard is currently providing brand and business development services to our clients.
From 2000 to 2007, he was founder and managing director of marketing company The Fish Can Sing, which specialised in creative communications for clients such as Nike, Motorola, Johnnie Walker, BMW, ABSOLUT Vodka, and Ray-Ban. The company had offices in Amsterdam, London, and New York.
Between 1997 and 2000, Howard worked as a Director at Hill and Knowlton (a subsidiary of WPP Plc). From 1995 to 1997, he worked as a journalist on The Sunday Telegraph (Telegraph Group Ltd).
Howard graduated from London University (School of Oriental and African Studies) with a BA (Hons) in South Asian History.
Trent Larson
Mr. Larson is a Managing Consultant of Leap2market. He has over 20 years of international experience gained from working in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America and Latin America. With a global view, he has been both an entrepreneur and a leader within large corporations; a combination which has enabled him to be involved at the forefront of many of the projects that have helped shape the way the world benefits from convergent technologies.
Trent has held leadership roles at some of the worldˇ¦s most innovative organizations. He has worked extensively throughout Latin America with NDS Ltd. ˇV part of News Corp. and a global leader in digital broadcast technology. In 2000, Trent joined IBM in the UK and led their Digital Media efforts across Europe, Middle East and Africa during the early days of Napster and the emergence of mobile entertainment.
Trent established the Digital Media practice for KPMG in Los Angeles where he was a co-founder of the firmˇ¦s Digital Services Framework?. He later went on to lead the global Media and Telecoms Convergence practice at Protiviti in Los Angeles. Trentˇ¦s clients include many of the major film studios, music labels, telcos, mobile operators, ISPs and broadcasters globally.
Mr. Larson has been an advisor to the European Commission and his work has been featured in many major publications, universities and international conferences. As an author, Trent has written extensively on convergent media, risk management, security and global economic trends.
Trent is a highly motivated, professional leader and a skilled business strategist. His strong business development skills are backed with solid managerial competence.
Mr. Larson holds a BSc. degree in Computer Information Systems.