Meet the Edinators

Simo Manner

“During my time in the Kesko Corporation I have started Rautakesko’s International activities from scratch. I have been the key person in creating the modern K-Rauta and Rautia store formats in Finland. ”

Simo Manner

Experience:

Founder EDIN S.A.

Baltic Nordic Market Advisors

Executive VP – Rautakesko Ltd.

Board memberships:

Euro-Matériaux S.A, Finnish Hardware Association, Finnish Tube Merchants Union, Finnish Wholesalers Union, Puukeskus Oy, Teknos Oy, Paroc Group Oy

Heinz Wieczorek

“ The industry is in motion. Many profound changes are expected. Transformation, internationalisation or digitisation are on the agendas, but how should these drivers be implemented? ”

Heinz Wieczorek

Experience:

CEO EDIN S.A.

CEO, Business Development Manager, Director International Sales & Marketing, with B2B-, B2C- and OEM experience. Heinz previously worked at companies like Saint-Gobain, Xella, Lafarge and MC Bauchemie.

Philippe Hardt

Philippe is one of the Founders of Edin and leads the digital side of the business as the company’s CDO. Since starting in 2016, he worked on growing Edin to 31 members, representing a group turnover of 24Bn € in distribution.

He is also the Managing Director of Build 2020, an annual conference organised by Edin on the future of construction and building materials trade. go-build.eu

Philippe has a strong passion for construction technology. He is a first-hour member of DSCIBE (Digital Supply Chains in Built Environment), an international initiative that brings together major construction stakeholders to drive the adoption of standards for building information modelling.

In addition to his roles at EDIN, Philippe is a start-up entrepreneur and investor in Virtual Reality and immersive software at VR-Land, Luxembourg’s first full-service VR agency and VR World One, a Luxembourg-based VR Arcade.

John Reimen

John is an entrepreneur and investor that has a proven track record as a finance and tax expert.

He joined Edin in 2020. John previously held a government position at the Luxembourgish tax administration.

John also has an avid interest in new technologies, mainly in the realm of Virtual and Augmented Reality.

Neil Munz-Jones

“The internet has put the power in the hands of the end user so it’s now more essential than ever for brands and distributors to work together to meet theircustomers’needs. ”

Neil Munz-Jones

Founder & Director

Senior management Kingfisher; B&Q plc. Caradon Friedland

Author and lecturer on omnichannel

Tor Ivar Riise

“ Knowing the dynamics of the market, the players and business culture is key for successfully entering a new market.“

Tor Ivar Riise

Tor Ivar is an expert in the Norwegian market and the former CEO of Byggmaker, Norway’s leading builders merchant.

Experience:

Owner Pronto Consult

CEO, Byggmakker(NO)

Director Pergo Europe, FiboTrespo

Elisabeth Arm

“Creating new things, conversion, further development, querying, determining and interpreting market and customer requirements: all these things continue to be at the center of what I have done to this day, and they motivate me over and over again.”

Elisabeth Arm

Elisabeth is an expert in the Swiss market. She held executive roles in various Swiss and international companies.

Experience:

Entrepreneur and owner – Elisabeth Arm Consulting

Board member of the Zug chamber of commerce, Chairman Bildxzug

Marketing Director: HG Commerciale; P-4 AG, Alcatel, Ringier

Mats Bjuvhag

“As a consultant and board member I will work for companies in order to facilitate them to startup and develop their business in Sweden. ”

Mats Bjuvhag

Mats is an Edin Ambassador for the Swedish market. He held various executive positions with international responsibilities.

Experience:

CEO, Sales Manager, B2B Manager, Market Director, Purchasing Manager & Category Manager at companies Optimera (Saint-Gobain), Monier & Icopal.

Thierry Coeman

“ We need to change in order to remain the same “

Thierry Coeman

Thierry is an Edin Ambassador for the Belgian market. He is an internationally renowned DIY retail expert and an acclaimed author.

Experience:

Chairman Belgian DIY Association (BDA)

Board Member of the Belgian Institute of Marketing (STIMA)

Former Director of the Belgian Sales Management Association (SMA)

Awarded Retail Personality of the Year (2002)

General Manager Belgian Association Facility Management (IFMA)

Advisor for National & International DIY / PRO Associations

Author of numerous retail national & international press articles

Kristos Basimas

“I have worked in a wide range of industries for almost
30 years, where i had the chance to led many business
projects. I will bring my passion and professionalism to
help business leaders to take up the challenges and to
take advantage of the great opportunities available to
us”

Kristos Basimas

Experience:

CEO and Founder Krisaya Srl. Executive
Manager, Offer Manager, Omnicanal
Business Manager, Purchasing & Sourcing
Manager

Business Consultant for DIY operators in
France, Spain, Greece & Italy

Senior Management: Fnac (Kering),
Kingfisher Group, Self Italia, Mr Bricolage
Group