Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Work Work Work !

I started my work career in 1976 with the Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco, working on material requisitions planning for projects in the Gulf and in Indonesia.

After gaining my MBA in 1984 I moved to PriceWaterhouse in Norway as its expert in advising on tax issues and developing financial models stimulating returns for the petrochemical industry.

For more than thirteen years I then worked for specialist software companies that provided financial and marketing information systems for leading multinational companies. In these roles I successfully turned around failing operations and opened up new sales channels in a number of countries, principally in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and in Latin America.

Bored with the sector, in 1998 I switched industry by moving into the hospitality business. As a general manager for the world's leading provider of furnished offices, I was responsible for turning around operations in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Austria.

In 2000 I wanted to put all my learned skills together and jump into the internet boom by providing start-up services for companies expanding in southern Europe. Great fun while the boom lasted. I also co-launched two online businesses - one for for e-books, the other for event management. Both a bit too ahead of the curve and anyway not sufficiently funded.

In 2002 I launched a project to create a business center division for Italy’s second largest hotel chain. I oversaw the fit-out of the first property, and led the team to deliver profitable results within the timeframe set. I also helped several clients in the fashion, cosmetics and film distribution sectors define and develop their business models as well as assisting them acquire additional financing.

In April 2005 I was engaged by a US security technology company to do the same thing and to solve its problems with two European acquisitions. Unfortunately circumstances prevented full execution of these goals so I moved within the security/defense industry to assist an Italian supplier of life support systems define its market position and open up international market opportunities.

Starting November 1st 2007 my latest project is with a German/Hungarian life support services company. At first I will be based in Iraq, essentially to learn their business. Thereafter, who knows?

Since 2005 I am a freelance photographer and somtime freelance journalist for an Asian newspaper.

I also design and develop web sites for friends and the various activities in which I have participated.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Carl,
    it was nice hearing from you.
    I hope you are doing great in Middle East... never been there but I like so much that part of the world...
    Do you remember the business you helped me business planning? Yes, the mobile content business.
    I started my own company February 2005... 100% owned by me ... I "milked" my personal bank account so I did not look around for an investor (that is very often a pain in the ass).
    I concentrate my business in community mobile services that means I set up a chat through mobile devices; people know each other sending sms and also photos and videos. And it is going very well.
    At the same time I am still working as CEO in the bingo company (now 100% owned by a television group)that entered also the business of television games.
    So everything is going quite well. If you can, please send some photos of your new place of living.
    Hope to hear from you soon.
    Good luck
    Rudy

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  2. Hi Rudy!

    That's great - I really pleased for you! Who knows, maybe one day you make it out to the Gulf! I'll fly in from the hot zone and we can chill out :-)

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