Our people

COMMITTED TO SOLVING
BUSINESS CHALLENGES.

We specialize in tailored assistance.
Our people are our greatest asset.
Our teams are built around a unique combination of
know-how and a firm determination to offer the best
advice at each strategic decision-making moment, fostering lasting collaborations.

MEET OUR TEAMS

PARTNERS & TALENT CONSULTANTS

Anette Ahlstedt

Senior Consultant

Anette Ahlstedt

Anette Ahlstedt

Senior Consultant
/
sweden

Anette has a long background as a Consultant within Executive Search from Odgers Berndtson and from Novare Executive Search. Prior to working with Executive Search, she worked at A.T. Kearney.

Reinhold Pfeifer

CEO & Partner

Reinhold Pfeifer

Reinhold Pfeifer

CEO & Partner
/
austria

Reinhold has extensive experience as C-level manager in big industrial companies, both as a manager and as an interim manager. His favorite topics are finance and restructuring.

Christina Gotthardt

Talent Manager

Christina Gotthardt

Christina Gotthardt

Talent Manager
/
denmark

Christina has 25 years’ international experience in the hospitality industry. As a Senior Recruitment Consultant, she has recruited at all levels, but mainly C-Level and senior executive profiles.

Thomas Tschol 

CEO & Partner

Thomas Tschol 

Thomas Tschol 

CEO & Partner
/
austria

Thomas is a one of the most renowned Austrian Executive Interim Managers with an exceptional expertise in restructuring. He founded Management Factory Corporate Advisory GmbH in 2001.

Tatiana Dollin

Talent Team Assistant

Tatiana Dollin

Tatiana Dollin

Talent Team Assistant
/
france

Graduated from a degree in Training Engineering, she began her career in headhunting in the construction sector.
She joined Morgan Philips Hudson where she progressed to a training manager position.

She joined Valtus in 2019.
Tatiana is in charge of the manager data quality.

Steve Rutherford

Partner

Steve Rutherford

Steve Rutherford

Partner
/
united-kingdom

Steve’s experience spans senior leadership roles in Accounting, Finance, IT, Management Consultancy, Strategy, Professional services and more.

Lena Haeger

Senior Consultant

Lena Haeger

Lena Haeger

Senior Consultant
/
sweden

Lena has more than 15 years of experience from Executive Search & Leadership Assessment. Her latest employment was with K2 Search Sweden AB as a Senior Consultant.

Gerhard Wüest

Partner

Gerhard Wüest

Gerhard Wüest

Partner
/
austria

Gerhard is a leading pioneer of Executive Interim Management in Austria. He founded Management Factory Corporate Advisory GmbH in 2001 and is chairman of several boards. 

Urszula Cales

Talent Consultant

Urszula Cales

Urszula Cales

Talent Consultant
/
france

With a Master’s degree in Social & Human Sciences from the University of Paris V, Urszula began her career in recruiting at a firm specialized in the pharmaceutical industry.
In 2010, she joined Hudson Global Resources, where she focused on headhunting for upper and middle management positions in the fields of retail, distribution and industry.

She joined Valtus in 2018.
Urszula is in charge of Sales Directors, Chief Procurement and Supply Chain Officers.

Roger Henrysson

Senior Consultant

Roger Henrysson

Roger Henrysson

Senior Consultant
/
sweden

Roger has extensive experience within Human Resources and Executive Search. Previous roles include Senior Consultant at Agentum, and Consultant at Novare.

Sophie Baccetti

Talent Consultant

Sophie Baccetti

Sophie Baccetti

Talent Consultant
/
france

A graduate of ESC Amiens, Sophie Baccetti began her career in communications and media before moving into head hunting in 2004. In 2006, she joined SIRCA Executive Search, where she specialized in direct approaches to middle and top managers on behalf of SMEs, mid-size companies and large groups, both French and foreign, in a variety of sectors. She joined Valtus in 2013.

Sophie is in charge of Project Directors.

Olivier Marret

Partner

Olivier Marret

Olivier Marret

Partner
/
united-kingdom

Olivier has over 20 years of experience in the consumer goods sector and has been involved in many transformation and integration projects.

Béatrice de Cordoüe

Talent Consultant

Béatrice de Cordoüe

Béatrice de Cordoüe

Talent Consultant
/
france

Holding a Law Degree from Université Paris II Assas, Béatrice started as an in-house lawyer within an insurance group. After a year as an MP Assistant, she joined a cabinet specialized in executive search. She has more than 25 years’ experience in middle and top management Executive Search across all business sectors. She joined Valtus in 2014.

Béatrice is in charge of HR Directors, Legal Directors, and Communications Directors.

Mobin Zaidi

Partner

Mobin Zaidi
Mobin Zaidi

Mobin Zaidi

Partner
/
united-kingdom

Mobin is a seasoned Interim Management specialist with almost 2 decades of experience. He has extensive experience of working with various organisations and of running his own boutique Search and Interim executives provider.

Murielle Maux

Talent Consultant

Murielle Maux

Murielle Maux

Talent Consultant
/
france

Murielle holds a Degree in International Business from Caen University. She began her career as a Marketing and Communications Director within international groups and start-ups in the Insurance, High-Technology and Luxury sectors. In 2005, she moved into Executive Search and specialized in direct approach and evaluation of top managers for French and International client companies in many sectors. She joined Valtus in 2016.

Murielle is in charge of Chief Operations Officers (COO) and Marketing Directors.

Martin Pfeffer 

Partner

Martin Pfeffer 

Martin Pfeffer 

Partner
/
austria

Martin joined Management Factory more than twenty years ago and grew with the company: finance, restructuring, corporate advisory and executive interim management are his main competencies.  

Shirley Michel

Talent Team Assistant

Shirley Michel

Shirley Michel

Talent Team Assistant
/
france

A graduate of IGS Business School Paris, Shirley Michel served as an Administrative Manager in the luxury hospitality industry before joining Valtus in 2014 as a HR Assistant.

Tom Forrest

Partner

Tom Forrest
Tom Forrest

Tom Forrest

Partner
/
united-kingdom

Tom is a seasoned talent professional with twenty-five years of experience gained in Interim Management, Executive Search, RPO, Consultancy and both Permanent and Contractor recruitment. Prior to becoming a Partner at Valtus he served as a Managing Director for an award-winning global talent boutique, leading their Interim and Change Consulting practice teams as well as a stint within Executive Search for Global Functions.

In a previous role, Tom served as the Head of the Financial & Professional Services practice at a UK Interim Management provider. Tom began his career as a Trainee with a boutique UK financial services recruiter which subsequently became the UK entity of a Fortune 500 talent business. During his tenure Tom was promoted multiple times, ultimately becoming a Managing Director and member of the UK ExCo.

Tom’s sector experience includes financial & professional services, technology, private equity, automotive, telecoms and not-for-profit. Typical Interim Management assignments for clients have been within technology, finance, risk, compliance, transformation, change, post-merger integration, board advisory and general management. Tom has an excellent network of skilled Interim Managers and is adept at guiding and supporting his clients through periods of transition; typically as a result of periods of exceptional growth, expense reduction, M&A activity, technology transformation or the sudden departure of key executives.

As a UK Partner for Valtus, Tom offers a service which is professional and personal. The Valtus methodology has revolutionised our industry. Our role isn’t just to source exceptional talent, but to support the client and Interim Manager through every stage of the mission. A successful placement can only be judged by a successful outcome.

Audrey Niang

Talent Consultant

Audrey Niang

Audrey Niang

Talent Consultant
/
france

After earning a Master’s degree in Labor Law at the University of Paris XI, Audrey began her career in 2006 at a recruiting firm specialized in finance.
In 2008, she shifted her focus to Executive Search and dedicated herself to finding and placing experts in senior management and strategic advisory services.

She joined the Valtus Managers Team in 2020 where she is now in charge of the CFO function.

Isabelle Saffar

Associate Partner

Isabelle Saffar
Isabelle Saffar

Isabelle Saffar

Associate Partner
/
france

Graduated from the Institut Supérieur de Gestion, Isabelle Saffar has over 25 years’ experience as an entrepreneur and manager.

She founded and sold several software companies: CEGAPE, the French leader in HR/social software for the public and semi-public sectors, and Smilein, a start-up dedicated to the hotel, restaurant and events sectors. Isabelle was also Executive Director at Sopra Steria and then Managing Director of Aragon-eRH, a SaaS software publisher and subsidiary of the Econocom group, where she led a reorganization and enabled the company to return to profitability before managing its sale to a group specialising in HR.

She sits on Boards of Directors, including the Institut du Mentorat Entrepreneurial – CCIP – where she coaches company directors.

She joined Valtus in 2023.

Ole Perregaard

Partner

Ole Perregaard

Ole Perregaard

Partner
/
denmark

Ole has extensive experience in general management and sales. Prior to joining Nordic Interim Denmark, he was General Manager for CAD Kompagniet. Earlier he held positions as Key Account Manager and Sales Manager at Adecco and Bluegarden.

Annika Porsch

Talent Consultant

Annika Porsch

Annika Porsch

Talent Consultant
/
austria

Annika has over 15 years of experience in HR Development & Recruitment. As Talent Consultant she manages our Talent Pool of Interim Managers.

Christian Kniescheck 

Partner

Christian Kniescheck 

Christian Kniescheck 

Partner
/
austria

Christian has been working in Executive Interim Management and consulting for decades. His favorite topics are restructuring, transformation and operational excellence. 

Clara Scherman

Partner

Clara Scherman

Clara Scherman

Partner
/
sweden

Clara has many years of experience in interim management and executive search. Previous roles include Senior Consultant at Alumni Interim and Executive Search Consultant at Head Agent. Previous international experience in leading positions in the media industry within TV4 and at Fox Networks.

Yves Mégret

Partner

Yves Mégret

Yves Mégret

Partner
/
france

A graduate of ICN business school in France, Yves has over 18 years of experience in Human Resources of which 10 as CHRO.

He has worked in the manufacturing, services and retail industries for major French and international groups (Heineken, Veolia, Faurecia, Fedex, Darty, Brandt and Bouygues). He joined Valtus in 2014.

Christian Egger 

Partner

Christian Egger 

Christian Egger 

Partner
/
austria

Christian is a certified turnaround expert (CTE) and a certified project manager (IPMA). He joined Management Factory in 2012 and personally works on our most difficult restructuring assignments. 

Florence Villemain

Partner, Talent Team

Florence Villemain

Florence Villemain

Partner, Talent Team
/
france

A graduate of ESC Lille, Florence began her career in B to B HR benefits, working in business development and marketing. She joined Valtus in 2003, creating the Talent Team in 2006.

Florence is in charge of CEOs and Managing Directors.

Sarah Houssenaly

Talent Consultant

Sarah Houssenaly

Sarah Houssenaly

Talent Consultant
/
france

With a degree in Digital HR Management, Sarah started her career as a consultant in an international recruitment firm. Then, she joined several IT companies where she trained and specialized in Cloud and Data.

She has more than 10 years of experience in direct search recruitment of executives and managers.

She joined the Valtus Talent team in 2023.

Sarah is in charge of the Information Systems Management (ISM) function.

Aymeric Bas

Partner

Aymeric Bas

Aymeric Bas

Partner
/
france

Aymeric has over 20 years of experience in managing large service companies facing complex situations worldwide.

A graduate of the EDHEC business school, Sciences Po Lille with an MBA from the ESSEC Mannheim business school, Aymeric has held several positions in General Management, International Sales, Operations and Project Management in Europe, Africa and Asia (Médecins du Monde, Michael Page, Western Union FSI, International SOS, Aggreko).

He joined Valtus in 2015.

Tamara Sicard

Talent Consultant

Tamara Sicard

Tamara Sicard

Talent Consultant
/
france

Of Russian origin, Tamara began her career at Deloitte in Russia.

In 2000, she shifted her focus to Executive Search and for more than twenty years she has worked for Anglo-Saxon firms. She has conducted assignments at the senior level using the direct approach for international companies in various sectors.

She joined the Talent team at Valtus in 2022.

Tamara is in charge of the financial function/Services and General Management positions.

Peter Dragsbæk Raun

Partner

Peter Dragsbæk Raun

Peter Dragsbæk Raun

Partner
/
denmark

Peter Dragsbæk Raun has a background as an Auditor, CFO, and Project Manager. He has worked for Maersk Oil in Qatar for Risk Management and Decision Quality. He has experience with cross-culture relations.

Poul Larsen

Partner

Poul Larsen

Poul Larsen

Partner
/
denmark

Poul has a solid technical as well as international background. He was responsible for the Carl Bro Group’s international activities and know how to handle cross-cultures. He joined Nexus in 2002.

Björn Henriksson

CEO & Partner

Björn Henriksson

Björn Henriksson

CEO & Partner
/
sweden

Björn has an international background from the manufacturing industry, MedTech and management consulting.

Cecilia Brinck Larsson

Partner

Cecilia Brinck Larsson

Cecilia Brinck Larsson

Partner
/
sweden

Cecilia has held leading roles such as Head of Sales at EF Education First and Sales Manager at Mercuri International.

Janeric Peterson

Partner

Janeric Peterson

Janeric Peterson

Partner
/
sweden

Janeric has an international background from consumer goods, retail and management consulting.

Ola Ahlsen

Partner

Ola Ahlsen

Ola Ahlsen

Partner
/
sweden

Ola has a background in leading roles within Interim Management and management consulting in roles such as Business Unit Manager and Client Service Director.

Henrik Höjsgaard

Partner & Managing Partner

Henrik Höjsgaard

Henrik Höjsgaard

Partner & Managing Partner
/
denmark sweden

Henrik has experience from leading roles in various industries. After line manager roles at Keolis, PostNord, Proffice and Aleris, among others, he has been a Partner at the Stockholm office since 2020.

Bertrand Grimm

Partner

Bertrand Grimm

Bertrand Grimm

Partner
/
france

A graduate of AgroParisTech (engineering school), and with a Ph.D. in Analytical Biotechnology from Ecole Centrale de Paris, Bertrand dedicated the first 15 years of his career to industrial management in the cosmetics and textile sectors (L’Oréal, LVMH, Chantelle Group). He then carried out numerous business transformation assignments for Alvarez & Marsal, in the automobile, nuclear, media and pharma industries.

His various functions led him to travel to Eastern Europe, North Africa and Asia. In addition, as Partner, he contributed to the growth of a French & Vietnamese company.

He joined Valtus in 2017.

Lionel Gouget

Partner

Lionel Gouget

Lionel Gouget

Partner
/
france

Lionel Gouget began his career at Capgemini before joining the Hersant Media Group where he held the position of CFO and member of the management board.
For 8 years, he structured the financial department, managed the various acquisitions before participating in the financial and operational restructuring of the Group.

After having occupied the position of CFO of the Belambra Group and then of the NextiraOne Group (taken over at the helm), in 2018 he became Chief Financial Officer within the 5àsec Group.

Accustomed to rapidly evolving complex environments (especially in LBO), with a strong operational and strategic involvement, he is an integral part of the conduct of these profound transformations.

He joined Valtus at the end of 2020.

Frédéric Ripart

Partner

Frédéric Ripart

Frédéric Ripart

Partner
/
france

A graduate of the EDHEC business school in France, Frédéric began his career at Michelin where he was Regional Director for a number of international subsidiaries. He then joined Sodexho heading up international development of Motivational Solutions, and ran the Africa region.

He joined Valtus in 2009.

Jérôme Vercaemer

Partner

Jérôme Vercaemer

Jérôme Vercaemer

Partner
/
france

With more than 25 years of experience managing French subsidiaries of major US consulting firms, Jérôme has successfully overseen several multicultural transformation projects in Europe and Africa, specializing in high-tech, telecommunications, media and public service industries, including French healthcare.

He joined Valtus in January 2019.

Bertrand Falcotet

Partner

Bertrand Falcotet

Bertrand Falcotet

Partner
/
france

A graduate of the ESCP business school in France, Bertrand began his career in Audit for Matra Hachette and Arthur Andersen.

He subsequently held several operational positions in business before entering the world of private equity. After an initial experience with an interim manager firm, he joined Valtus in 2008.

Philippe Soullier

CEO

Philippe Soullier

Philippe Soullier

CEO
/
france

Philippe is among the initial pioneers in executive interim management in France. A graduate of the ESCEM business school in France, he founded Valtus in 2001 after fifteen years in senior management roles in finance and operations with several large, anglo-saxon corporations.

“I based my ideas for Valtus on the observation that on the one hand, companies needed experienced leaders to anticipate a changing world, while on the other, there were a lot of high level skills underutilized in the same companies. My ambition was to make both situations better, and to create a virtuous cycle for our economy. This is what we do. And it happens above all by listening, respecting and helping our client achieve the success they need, and by providing our interim managers with the projects that perfectly fit their skill set…”

Claudie Hamerstehl

Partner

Claudie Hamerstehl

Claudie Hamerstehl

Partner
/
france

After completing engineering studies at ISAE-SUPAERO, Claudie started her career in the aerospace industry at Airbus D&S, before working for IT consulting companies such as Apside, and engineering consulting companies including Altran.

For 20 years, she focused on P&L management, key account management and international business development in the aviation, aerospace, defense, rail and energy industries, bringing clients her experience in implementing innovative operational solutions to boost performance. Later, as Managing Director, she reorganized and diversified an oil and gas company after its takeover by Akka Technologies. Claudie joined Valtus in 2018.

Thierry Grimaux

Partner

Thierry Grimaux

Thierry Grimaux

Partner
/
france

A graduate of the HEC business school in France, and Chartered Accountant, Thierry began his career at Arthur Andersen, where he specialized in mergers & acquisitions and corporate restructuring. After creating and selling his own company, he held various senior management positions including at Atos Origin.

He later developed an independent practice in restructuring and turnaround.

He joined Valtus in 2009.

Arnaud Cordelle

Partner

Arnaud Cordelle

Arnaud Cordelle

Partner
/
france

Arnaud has over 25 years of experience in the FMCG industry; his career led him to hold various positions in marketing & sales, in France as well as in Europe within leading international organizations (Nestlé, Kimberly-Clark, Coca-Cola, Sara Lee). He later became CEO of Intersnack France for 5 years leading its return to growth and the revitalization of its main brands (Vico, Curly, Monster Munch).

He joined Valtus in 2017.

Emmanuel Fretti

Associate Partner

Emmanuel Fretti

Emmanuel Fretti

Associate Partner
/
france

Emmanuel has more than 25 years of experience as a business leader, mainly in the health and software sectors, in growth, fundraising, internationalization, and turnaround contexts. In particular, he developed the company Elan Software, a publisher of solutions for the Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics and Biotechnology industries in Europe; he then settled in the United States for several years to create and develop the American subsidiary by setting up commercial organizations for direct and indirect sales.

Emmanuel then ensured business growth in Europe and the Middle East of SkyRecon, publisher of cybersecurity solutions for private banks, the arms industry, and other sensitive sectors. From 2009, he continued his career in the health field and took over the management of Isipharm, the technological subsidiary of the Astera group, the first cooperative of pharmacists in Europe, then of Smart Rx, the Cegedim group Pharmacy BU. Between 2013 and 2015, he held the position of Vice-President of Feima, a federation representing the major players in health solutions which participates and contributes to exchanges for the evolution of the care system.

Entrepreneur, administrator of the FrenchTech Rouen Normandy, Emmanuel took part in the development of several startups such as Dolipharm or WhyMe and co-founded and chaired Calicea, a tissue regeneration cosmetic laboratory dedicated to the anti-aging market.

He joined Valtus in 2022.

Pia Blom-Johansson

Partner, Senior Consultant

Pia Blom-Johansson

Pia Blom-Johansson

Partner, Senior Consultant
/
finland

Pia has extensive experience having worked as a Managing Director of Vermo trotting track and in high level roles in corporate development.

Niklas Björkman

Partner

Niklas Björkman

Niklas Björkman

Partner
/
finland

Niklas has extensive experience in various industries and international companies and has worked with Fazer and Tongyu Technology.

Kari Peuhkuri

CEO & Partner

Kari Peuhkuri

Kari Peuhkuri

CEO & Partner
/
finland

Kari has more than 20 years experience from HR consulting and recruiting from companies such as Mercuri Urval and JFP Executive Search Oy.

Olivier Laborie

Associate Partner

Olivier Laborie

Olivier Laborie

Associate Partner
/
france

Olivier has more than 25 years of management experience, including 15 years as CEO. He has over 20 years of international experience within large international groups, in the cybersecurity, telecommunications, Smart Grid and energy sectors.

He led transformation, business development and partnership programs before joining Valtus in 2023.

Isabelle Obrecht

Associate Partner

Isabelle Obrecht
Isabelle Obrecht

Isabelle Obrecht

Associate Partner
/
france

Isabelle Obrecht began her career in Human Resources by holding operational and strategic positions at Mondelez, l’Oréal, Accenture and Roche pharmaceutical laboratories.

At L’Oréal, she took the opportunity to enrich her HR career with experience in sales as Key Account Manager, developing the L’Oréal Paris brand with perfume chains.

For 6 years, she strengthened her expertise in change management as HR Director in charge of the retail activities of the Richemont Group’s watch and jewelry subsidiaries in France, by leading the luxury business transformation project.

Over the past 4 years, she has successfully carried out several transitional HRD assignments for SMEs under LBO (BPI, Parella, Talentia and then Nuxe) in various contexts: turnaround strategies, restructuring or strong growth.

Isabelle has been enthusiastically accompanying decision-makers of SMEs, ETIs and subsidiaries of international groups in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, luxury brands, retail and consulting sectors for over 20 years. She joins Valtus in 2022.

Emmanuel Gendre

Associate Partner

Emmanuel Gendre

Emmanuel Gendre

Associate Partner
/
france

Emmanuel is an Aeronautical Engineer graduated from ISAE-Sup’Aéro and holds an MBA from INSEAD.

He has 25 years of experience in large international firms as well as SMEs in the automotive industry, cosmetics, luxury, wholesale and retail sectors.

Emmanuel started his career at Renault in the Industrial Engineering and Corporate Audit departments. After his MBA, he occupies several Marketing and Brand GM positions for global beauty Brands with L’Oréal.

In 2008, he becomes General Manager of an SME in the retail sector, to conduct the business turnaround under LBO.

Pursuing an international career, he then joins the Estée Lauder group where he drives the development of the MAC Cosmetics brand in the EMEA region. In 2016, he is appointed VP of International Sales to lead the brand’s growth strategies and digital transformation on a global scale.

Emmanuel joined Valtus in 2022.

Yann-Etienne Le Gall

Associate Partner

Yann-Etienne Le Gall

Yann-Etienne Le Gall

Associate Partner
/
france

Graduated from Sciences Po Paris, Yann-Etienne Le Gall has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources.

He began his international career at Schlumberger, where he held various positions within the Human Resources department, before joining Forvia, formerly Faurecia, as Vice President in charge of HR development. He then became HR Director of Groupe Rocher, where he took part in transforming the group into the first mission-driven company before being appointed Deputy Managing Director.

He joined Valtus in 2023.

Jan Långbacka

Partner

Jan Långbacka
Jan Långbacka

Jan Långbacka

Partner
/
finland

Jan has a background within various industries. He has more than 20 years of leadership roles and business development within new services and streamlining of processes. As Interim Manager, he has held roles such as interim Director Business Support & Development at Schneider Electric, and interim COO at Pohjola Sairaala Oy. Before his executive interim career, he was, among others, Service Director OHS at Suomen Terveystalo Oy and Managing Director at Proffice Finland Oy.

PARTNERS

Our team of Partners is comprised of highly talented senior executives, fully dedicated to ensuring clients reach their goals. They work together each and every day to guide and support all types of organizations with the same level of commitment to quality and results.

These seasoned professionals have held prestigious positions and share a common set of core values as well as an entrepreneurial mindset. Their backgrounds and understanding of the challenges today’s business leaders must face, in various industries, make them essential allies for organizations seeking transformation.
Always attentive and looking out for the best interests of clients and executive interim managers, they build robust connections that further contribute to success.

TALENT CONSULTANTS

Our Talent Consultants are entirely dedicated to recruiting executive interim managers and committed to consistently listening and prioritizing the needs of our network of interim executives. They are their primary points of contact before and after each assignment.

Accurately analyzing the profiles of each senior executive, understanding their expectations, identifying their expertise, assessing their personality… These steps are essential to select the right person for each assignment within tight timelines.