Expert Circle

Frank A. Bergner is a shareholder and Managing Director of RIBE – Richard Bergner Holding, a leading German automotive supplier and manufacturer of electrical fittings for the energy sector located in Schwabach. He previously was a consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton. Mr Bergner holds an MBA from Babson College, Boston.

Detlef Fels spent many years in leading positions for pharmaceutical companies in Germany and abroad (Europe and overseas). Among these were Rhône-Poulenc SA, A. Nattermann & Cie. GmbH and Maddaus AG. Mr Fels holds a Master Degree in Business Administration which he studied at the universities of Mannheim and Cologne.

Rolf J. Heiler is founder and CEO of Heiler Software AG, a publicly listed IT Service provider with focus on E-Procurement and Product Information Management based in Stuttgart. He holds a Master Degree in Business Administration from the University of Stuttgart.

Erik von der Kaay has more than 30 years of experience in executive and board positions in various industries in the US and Europe, such as RFMD and Ball Corp. He previously was Chairman of Symmetricom and CEO of Millitek and Datum. Mr van der Kaay holds a BS in Mathematics and Physics from Concordia University Montreal.

Dr. Charles Lee ist Head of the Department for Management and Technology at Beijing University‘s School of Software and Microelectronics. In addition to this, he serves as Senior Advisor to Origin Partners and Vincera Ventures and was founder and Managing Partner of private equity fund Abacus. Dr. Lee holds a PhD in Mathematics which he studied at the National University Taiwan and the University of Minnesota.

Roland Mauss is CFO of KMR Stainless AG and KMR Group, which under the brand of Oryx Stainless is one of the leading traders and processors of commodities for the global stainless steel industry. In addition, he is member of the Board of Examiners at the Chamber of Public Accountants in Berlin. Mr Mauss previously worked for Ernst & Young's Assurance practice. He holds a Master Degree in Business Administration from Hochschule St. Gallen.

Ajay Mehta is Chairman of Crossover Advisors (www.crossoveradvisors.com), a Pune based private equity group investing into small- and mid-cap Indian companies. He has more than 20 years of experience in leading manufacturing and financial services related companies, is board member of the local Chamber of Commerce, president of TIE (The IndUS Entrepreneurs) Pune chapter and was president of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) in Pune. Mr Metha is a member of the founder family of publicly listed Deepak Group, holds an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and attended various development programs among others at Harvard and the Indian Institute of Management.

Alexander C. Melchers is General Manager of C. Melchers GmbH & Co., a leading German trading company in Asia based in Singapore. He has longstanding business experience in China and South-East Asia and is General Manager and board member of the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Mr Melchers holds a Master Degree in Management Administration from Hochschule St. Gallen.

Matthias Popp is co-founder and former Managing Director of Cerobear GmbH, a leading ceramic rolling bearing company based in Aachen. He furthermore holds several board positions in German Mittelstand companies. Previously, Mr Popp was at the Fraunhofer-Institute in Aachen and holds an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from RWTH Aachen.

Helmut Schweitzer has longstanding experience in management and sales positions for SMEs in different industry sectors. As the former CEO he successfully lead the Management Buyout of Jung Pumpen, a leading company in the field of drainage systems. He previously held management positions at Raab Karcher and Duscholux. Mr Schweitzer has significant expertise in international sales and distribution. He completed a commercial traineeship and holds a degree in Business Administration.

Erwin J. Steinmann has more than 30 years of experience as manager and board member in different industries, mainly in Switzerland, including HIAG AG, Sauter, Bachmann AG, u-blox AG, Lonstroff AG and Photochemie Holding AG . He is a seasoned expert for operational improvements. Mr Steinmann studied Business Administration at HWV Lucerne and Management Techniques at the University of Amherst, Massachusetts.