Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany
Commercial leader with an entrepreneurial background and over 10 years of experience in the tobacco, vape and shisha industry. I specialize in launching and scaling innovative consumer products across retail, wholesale and HoReCa channels. My focus lies in go-to-market strategy, commercial expansion and building strong distribution networks in regulated markets. Currently I lead the German sales organization for OOKA and Crown Switch. Germany serves as the European test and base market for both products. Key achievements include: • Building a nationwide HoReCa network with 100+ partner locations • Scaling OOKA to more than 2000 devices installed in HoReCa venues • Establishing a retail presence with 30+ flagship partner stores • Managing relationships with 15 national wholesalers • Leading a national field sales team My career started as an entrepreneur with my own retail store in the shisha industry. This hands-on experience built the foundation for my deep understanding of retail dynamics, consumer behaviour and product positioning. Today my focus is on building scalable commercial structures and successfully bringing innovative consumer products to market.
Head of Sales – Germany (HoReCa & Retail) AIR – Advanced Inhalation Rituals Responsible for the commercial expansion of OOKA and Crown Switch in Germany across HoReCa, retail and wholesale channels. Key responsibilities and achievements: • Leading a national field sales team of 5 representatives • Managing relationships with 15 national wholesalers • Developing a network of 30 flagship retail partners for OOKA • Expanding the HoReCa presence to 100+ partner locations • Scaling the installation base to 2000+ OOKA devices in HoReCa venues • Responsible for national sales strategy and key account development Germany currently serves as the European test and base market for OOKA and Crown Switch.
Brand Activation Manager – OOKA Germany Responsible for the German market launch and early activation strategy for OOKA. Key contributions: • Development of the retail and HoReCa go-to-market strategy • Building awareness through flagship retail partner stores • Creating consumer testing and experience opportunities • Supporting the successful market introduction of a new shisha technology • Close collaboration with sales, marketing and product teams This role laid the foundation for the commercial rollout of OOKA in Germany.
Founder & Managing Director – SmokersParadise Founded and operated a successful retail store in the shisha industry. Key achievements: • Built and managed an offline retail store specializing in shisha products • Joined the Shisha-World partner network through strong market performance • Developed deep expertise in retail strategy, product assortment and customer behaviour • Store performance exceeded the company’s own retail benchmark stores This success led to the opportunity to join Finis Direct and expand the company’s retail network.
Head of Product Development – Emtrada GmbH Responsible for product development and sourcing strategy for the group’s retail stores, B2B distribution and the shisha-world.com platform. Key responsibilities and achievements: • Development and sourcing of new products with manufacturing partners in China • Product portfolio development based on retail and customer insights • Supplying products for retail stores, B2B customers and the D2C platform shisha-world.com • Supporting the company’s strong growth phase in the European shisha market • Acting as a key operational partner to the managing director During this time I was also granted Prokura, taking responsibility for operational and strategic decisions. I was closely involved in the strategic partnership and joint venture process with AIR Global, which later led to the integration of the company into AIR Distribution Germany.
Marketing Manager – Emtrada GmbH Responsible for marketing and commercial development across retail, B2B distribution and the online platform shisha-world.com. Key responsibilities: • Translating retail insights into product and assortment strategy • Supporting the growth of the shisha-world.com D2C platform • Development of marketing campaigns for retail and wholesale partners • Coordination between retail operations, product sourcing and marketing activities
Area Sales & Franchise Manager – Finis Direct Responsible for the development and operational performance of the company’s retail network. Key achievements: • Expansion of the retail network from 3 to 10 stores • Increased average product margins from 22% to 30%+ through improved product presentation and sales training • Reduced inventory value by 40% by optimizing product assortment and purchasing strategy • Implementation of data-driven replenishment based on sales performance • A well-performing store generated up to €600,000 annual revenue