The TBIC Advisory Council

Find out more about the distinguished FDI experts that serve on the TBIC Advisory Council.

Council President:

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Matthias Beier

Transatlantic Business & Investment Council (TBIC)


Matt is the President and CEO of the Transatlantic Business and Investment Council (TBIC), with offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Berlin, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark. He gained work experience worldwide at an international consultancy and is an expert in European American business relations.


tbic-fdi.com
beier[at]tbic-fdi.com




Council Members:

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Adam Murray

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)


Adam Murray is a target market specialist with TVA Economic Development in Global Business. His primary responsibility is to recruit advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense industries to the TVA region.


tvasites.gov
abmurray[at]tva.gov

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Alessia Paolicchi

Italy-America Chamber of Commerce

Alessia graduated from University of Pisa Law School, Italy, and later added a Master’s degree in Personnel Administration and Human Resources Management from the University of Bologna. Alessia was International Sales Manager and Production planning & scheduling for a large Italian shoe company for two years before becoming Director of Operations for CTT in 1997. CTT, a holding with 1200 employees, is responsible for public transportation services in the north-west area of Tuscany.


iacctexas.com
a.paolicchi[at]iacctexas.com

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Alexander Kos

The American Dream – US Visa Service

Alexander Kos is CEO of the Berlin based service agency for U.S. visas and U.S. entry. Alex has over 10 years of industry experience and advises companies interested in obtaining an appropriate visa for the United States, for instance when setting up a branch in the United States. Alex studied Law at the Humboldt University of Berlin with a focus on foreign law and loves to travel regularly to the United States since his exchange year in Philadelphia.


en.usvisaservice.de

kos[at]usvisaservice.de

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Andreas Eckstein

Invest in Niedersachsen


Dr. Andreas Eckstein is the Managing Director of Invest in Niedersachsen. He serves as a transatlantic liaison officer between the U.S. and Niedersachsen and assists companies on both sides of the Atlantic with their efforts of expanding their business by successfully exploring new target markets, doing so with over 15 years of experience. Previously, Dr. Eckstein served as an Innovation Manager at Hannover Re SE responsible for transferring innovative U.S. products and technologies to the European Market and investing in promising start-ups. Dr. Eckstein has studied in Columbia (South Carolina) and Goettingen (Germany) and holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration.


invest-in-niedersachsen.com/en

a.eckstein[at]nds.de

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Aryan Zandieh

NRW.INVEST (North America) LLC


Aryan Zandieh is the CEO of NRW.INVEST North America, LLC which is the US subsidiary of the state-owned economic development agency NRW.INVEST GmbH based in Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). He brings over 12 years of experience in transatlantic trade and FDI consulting. Prior to this role, Aryan was responsible for the sales department at Hannover Fairs USA, Inc. as Head of Sales and the representative of the federal state of Niedersachsen.
 
nrwinvest.com
aryan[at]nrwinvestllc.com


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Bernard van der Lande

Tula Executive Search

As a trusted partner for successful executive searches, Bernard van der Lande, Managing Partner of Tula Executive Search, identifies candidates of proven performance who have extensive experience and understand the critical issues of their industry. Tula Executive Search specializes in advanced manufacturing, energy and emerging technologies.


tulainternational.com

bernard[at]tulatalk.com

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Charlotte Nytoft

CNR-Consulting/ TBIC Specialist Nordics


Charlotte Nytoft is the founder and owner of CNR-Consulting, a boutique consulting firm working with European companies entering the U. S. market through direct export, by establishing their own production or through joint venture partners. Charlotte brings experience from 25+ years in international trade and business development and has served as President of the Danish American Chamber of Commerce as well as Deputy Head of Mission at the Trade Council of Denmark in Atlanta where she has worked with 150+ companies to secure successful entry into the U.S. market. Charlotte is TBIC’s Specialist for the Nordic countries of Europe and is head of the Nordic TBIC Representation in Copenhagen, Denmark.


eksport-usa.dk
nytoft[at]tbic-fdi.com

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Christopher D. Lloyd

McGuireWoods Consulting


Chris Lloyd leads the McGuireWoods Consulting infrastructure and economic development team where he specializes in site selection and economic development incentives negotiations. Since 1998, Chris has worked on dozens of high profile, corporate expansions and relocations across the United States. Chris has also worked closely with clients on numerous public-private partnership projects for transportation and other infrastructure. His site selection clients include companies such as Lidl, Maersk, Hilton, and Gulfstream.


mcguirewoods.com
clloyd[at]mwcllc.com

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Emily J. Smith

American Electric Power

Emily Smith is a global business attraction manager with American Electric Power, one of the largest energy companies in the U.S. With more than ten years of international business experience, Emily spent seven years in economic development at the state level for both Michigan and Ohio. She is responsible for identifying and assisting internationally-owned businesses seeking to expand or locate in AEP’s 11-state footprint.


aeped.com
ejsmith1[at]aep.com

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Florian Stamm

Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP

Florian Stamm is a Partner at the law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP, where he represents European investors, primarily from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. He focuses his practice on site selection and economic development.


sgrlaw.com

fstamm[at]sgrlaw.com

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Gene A. Stinson

Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC)

Since March 1998, Gene has served as the President of the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC). SEDC is a professional association for economic development practitioners and serves 17 states in the American South. In the role of President, Gene is responsible for overall operations of the association and for the implementation of the association’s annual program of work.


sedc.org
gene[at]sedc.org

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Henning von Gersdorff

Commerzbank

Henning von Gersdorff has been a Relationship Manager in the corporate banking business for more than 25 years and has in-depth knowledge of corporate banking between Germany and the U.S., having been Head of the International Desk of Commerzbank's New York branch from 2008 to 2014. Today he is Senior Relationship Manager at Commerzbank AG and covers medium-sized companies in the Kiel branch. 


commerzbank.de
henning.von-gersdorff[at]commerzbank.com

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Jeff Forsythe

Forsythe & Associates


Jeff Forsythe has more than twenty years of experience providing location consulting services. His experience predominantly includes location consulting throughout North America for manufacturing, distribution, and office projects. Jeff has managed projects that have resulted in more than USD 3.5 billion in capital investment, 16,000 full-time jobs, 18 million square feet, and USD 1.1 billion in realizable incentive support.


forsytheandassociates.com
jeff[at]forsytheandassociates.com

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James Blair

Navigator Consulting

Founder of Navigator Consulting, a site selection consulting firm located in Atlanta (USA) which has located 21 projects since 2015 representing over 4,100 jobs and USD 1.9 billion in capital investment. Blair has 32 years of site selection experience having worked as Director of the State of Georgia’s European Office (Brussels) and Director of the Site Selection Group at the German American Chamber of Commerce of the South (Atlanta). Navigator offers customized FDI strategic planning and intercultural communication workshops for Economic Development Organizations. In cooperation with TBIC, Navigator offers a unique “FDI-Qualified Community” certification that provides communities an opportunity to highlight their focus and interest in attracting European investment.


navigatorconsulting.us

blair[at]navigatorconsulting.us

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Katharina Lamers

HWF Hamburg

Katharina Strenge is a Project Director handling all U. S. related topics for the HWF Hamburg Business Development Corporation. She is an expert in market entry as well as location consulting to investors and companies. Her close relations to the U. S. and various players on both sides of the Atlantic make her an excellent point of contact in connecting Hamburg and the United States.


hamburg-economy.de

katharina.lamers[at]hwf-hamburg.de

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Matthias Oertzen

OERTZENGroup

A native of Germany, Matthias moved to Atlanta in 2005. Having served as a Consultant at the German American Chamber of Commerce among other roles and following a successful journey as a Principal Consultant in an international recruitment agency, Matt decided to take a leap of faith and created the OERTZENGroup. Matthias’ multicultural and bilingual background, paired with his long-standing experience enables him to “walk in his clients’ shoes” and recommend customizable recruitment solutions. Matthias strives to be a trusted advisor and uses his background to inquire about his clients’ needs, challenges, and cultural environment before recommending potential talent.


oertzengroup.com

moertzen[at]oertzengroup.com

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Paige Webster

Webster Global Site Selectors


Since 2011, Paige Webster is Founder and Owner of Webster Global Site Selectors, a site selection, economic development and Merger and Acquisitions firm based in Phoenix, Arizona. Paige has worked on many site selection projects throughout the world and has assisted companies with their financial needs over the years. Paige has also conducted numerous community, state and international economic development projects. He is versed in global initiatives and is a widely known public speaker on many topics including: workforce development, site selection, community analysis and financial needs. Webster Global works in Foreign Direct Investment, as well as reverse Foreign Direct Investment. Finally, on an adventurous note, Paige has picked up the sport of fly fishing and loves to be outdoors. Ask him about his fishing experiences!


globalsiteselectors.com

Paige.webster[at]gmail.com


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Roberta Marcenaro Lyon

IMARK 


Roberta is an expert on introducing European companies into the U.S. market. She is adept at managing large, multifaceted projects in complex international business environments and identifying solutions to increase company performance. As co-founder of IMARK, she has provided business management and marketing services to organizations in a wide range of fields: oil & gas, construction, transportation, architecture, healthcare, manufacturing, military, hospitality, and fashion. Published author of the seminal book Mobile City, she serves as the Local Representative in Washington, D.C. and Texas for the American Chamber of Commerce of Italy. She earned her Ph.D. in Urban Planning at the Politecnico of Milan, and her M.S. and B.S. in Marketing.


imarkholdings.com
rmlyon[at]imarkholdings.com

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Sabrina Greenman

Frenkel & Company

Sabrina Greenman is a Vice President and Manager of Frenkel & Company’s International Division. Sabrina has over 10 years of industry experience with expertise in handling a variety of international accounts from high-end retail to large industrial manufacturing companies, originating primarily from Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy.


frenkel.com
sgreenman[at]frenkel.com

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Sebastian Eich

NAVIGO Corp.

Sebastian Eich is Managing Director of NAVIGO Corp., an international market entry consultancy with offices in Atlanta, GA, Miami, FL and Cologne, Germany. NAVIGO provides site selection and representation services to German, Austrian and Swiss investors. Sebastian‘s experience and expertise include international site selection and economic development strategy.


navigo-group.com

s.eich[at]navigo-group.com

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Stefan Aengenheyster

Federal Foreign Office of Germany


Stefan has worked as Director for European Affairs since day one of TBIC. He led the European Office in Berlin for almost three years and played a key role in making TBIC what it is today. In his role as Advisory Council Member he provides assistance to TBIC and European companies. Throughout his career he has supported creating more than 1,000 jobs and over USD 1.6 billion in capital investment through foreign direct investment in the United States. He now serves the Federal Foreign Office of Germany on international cooperation.


auswaertiges-amt.de/en

s.aengenheyster[at]gmail.com

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Taurus Wright

Entergy Mississippi

With more than 15 years of economic development experience, Taurus Wright serves as Entergy Mississippi’s Senior Business Development Manager. He is responsible for generating new leads and managing large projects and business-related opportunities for Entergy Mississippi.


entergy.com
twrigh3[at]entergy.com

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Thomas Schwegmann

Pons Atlantic Partners

Thomas Schwegmann is President and CEO of the Berlin based transatlantic site selection consulting firm Pons Atlantic Partners. Thomas advises European investors interested in setting up manufacturing operations in the United States and inversely also facilitates European market entry for U.S. investors.


ponsorigin.com
ponsatlanticpartners.com
schwegmann[at]ponsatlanticpartners.com

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Ullrich Kämmerer

Rödl & Partner

Ullrich Kämmerer is a Partner at Rödl Langford de Kock LLP, where he focuses on market entry, site selection and taxation of European investors in the United States.


roedl.us

ullrich.kaemmerer[at]roedlusa.com

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Werner Beermann

Gray Construction

Werner was hired as Manager, European Business Development in 2011 to develop Gray’s European sales efforts. Having spearheaded the U. S. expansions of several Austrian and German automotive companies prior to joining Gray, Werner possesses a clear understanding of the unique needs of the European business community.


gray.com
wbeermann[at]gray.com

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Yvonne Bendinger-Rothschild

European-American Chamber of Commerce New York


Yvonne joined the European American Chamber of Commerce New York Chapter as its Executive Director at the beginning of October 2010. The organization’s goal is to stimulate transatlantic trade & business development, and to facilitate exchange and develop relationships between European and American businesses and professional organizations. As part of her role she focuses on providing EACC’s network access to new and innovative transatlantic business opportunities as well as relevant resources and support on topics affecting business activities between Europe and the United States.


eaccny.com

ybr[at]eaccny.com


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