Nope - seems to me that Gro-International may have wanted shares and perhaps Whelan is selling into that?
Mr. Forbes clearly knows what he is doing - BIEL would be foolish not to have given him a free hand in developing market share for the entire product line. If Forbes and his team have millions of shares? Better still!
Sooo, the facts are - it seems to me we have a product line which generates zero negative side-effects, has regulatory approval in many countries, proven efficacy (used ActiPatch on a badly sprained ankle and reviewed by my doc to his total amazement)and not a drug!
With Forbes, with his proven experience at P&G, plus a winning team at the helm of marketing, what is our downside?
Found this bio and pasted it in as is - quite a career.......
Berufserfahrung von Gregor Forbes
Manging Director/Joint owner
Gro-International SARL
February 2012 – Present (1 year 1 month) Switzerland
Gro-International is a full service distribution operation focused on building brands with mid sized companies in Africa , Middle East and Eastern Europe. Gro-International is headquartered in Geneva with a network of partners in core countries.
Owner
Acorns2Oaks International SARL
April 2010 – Present (2 years 11 months)
Acorns2Oaks is a independent consultancy that focuses on providing strategic and executional support for FMCG brand owners who seek to build their International foot print. Services include brand and market assesments, licenisng and acquisition targets as well as distributor / organisational capability. Acorns2 Oaks has a network of consultants in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Western Europe.
Interim CEO Chemi & Cotex Industries
ChemiCotex East Africa
May 2011 – July 2012 (1 year 3 months) Dar Es Salaam - Tanzania
General manger- Global Development Markets
Procter & Gamble
Public Company; 10,001+ employees; PG; Konsumgüter industry
June 2009 – October 2010 (1 year 5 months)
Manager of the Global Development markets organization with P&G. New structure established to grow small/new markets and manage small brands via distributors and in market agencies. Based in Geneva but with teams in key P&G global locations.
Responsible for setting overall organization strategies, brand plans, go to market execution and organization development. Externally involves managing the interfaces with distributors and consumer agencies to build market share.
Non Executive Board Member
Swiss Precision Diagnostics
April 2008 – September 2010 (2 years 6 months)
One of 6 Board members on Swiss Precision Diagnostics a joint venture between P&G and Inverness Medical of Boston. Clear Blue pregnancy and ovulation kits the key brands.
Board provided direction to management team on innovation, compliance, international expansion, acquisition targets and consumer marketing/customer management
Director Development & Export Markets - CEEMEA
Procter & Gamble
Public Company; 10,001+ employees; PG; Konsumgüter industry
September 2003 – May 2009 (5 years 9 months)
Building P&G brands in expansion markets predominately in Middle East and Africa as well as running speciality brands (Pringles, Vicks etc) in key Central European and Middle Eastern markets.
Managed a multi-functional team of 100 P&G managers and the direct interface with 70 distributors and 30 in market agencies.
Revamped business from a side line within P&G to a strategic to to market alternative which became base for a global business model.
Associate Director - Commercial Products CEEMEA
procter & gamble
Public Company; 10,001+ employees; PG; Konsumgüter industry
2000 – 2003 (3 years)
Developed from scratch a business across 20 countries in Middle East and Africa for P&G commercial cleaning products. B2B selling via distributors/specialist to HORECA, Government tenders, Institutional Cleaning/Hygiene companies.
Led a team of 20 Sales , Customer service and Brand managers
Sales Manager - Laundry/Personal Cleansing/Oral Care Greater China
Procter & Gamble
Public Company; 10,001+ employees; PG; Konsumgüter industry
November 1997 – January 2000 (2 years 3 months)
Responsible to ensure key Sales and Customer needs incorporated into the business plans for Laundry, Oral Care and Bar Soaps. Worked within the three business teams with a small group of project managers
Market Development Manager - Ukraine
Procter & Gamble
Public Company; 10,001+ employees; PG; Konsumgüter industry
March 1995 – November 1997 (2 years 9 months)
First P&G manager to live full time in Kiev. Responsible for establishing company in the Ukraine from office infrastructure, through recruitment of local sales, customer service, marketing, finance and HR and establishing a distribution infrastructure across Ukraine. Latter involved finding local Ukrainian entrepreneurs to establish regional distributor companies. Today these same companies for back-bone of P&G go to market in Ukraine.
Various sales and marketing positions in P&G UK
Procter & Gamble
Public Company; 10,001+ employees; PG; Konsumgüter industry
November 1984 – March 1995 (10 years 5 months)
3 years in Foodservice sales (fats&oils) before moving into Marketing for Industrial Foods UK and then in 1990 for Continental Europe.
From 1993 to 1995 led the Customer Marketing and Customer service operations for P&G Professional Europe as well as responsibility for JV in commercial laundry.
