Insights from Castaldi Partners
What major shifts in internationalization have you observed over your 27 years of practice? When I started out in the 90s, going global was almost exclusively about exporting. Distribution agreements ruled the day, and companies manufactured locally before selling abroad. Today, that model is obsolete. Clients don’t just want products delivered to them; they want […]
Insights from BVMW
Could you introduce the BVMW and its role in representing German SMEs? With 50 years of existence, the BVMW is the largest and most influential association representing SMEs in Germany. Through our alliance with 37 industry-specific organizations covering 94 sectors, we indirectly represent a total of 3.7 million companies. This economic fabric carries massive weight: […]
Insights from Business France
What have been the key milestones in Business France’s development since its creation? Business France was born from the merger of two existing agencies. We had to make that merger a reality on the ground, meaning, ensuring we had a single operator carrying both the appeal of France for foreign investors and the international expansion […]
Insights from Bank of Shanghai
You founded the Bank of Shanghai thirty years ago, could you briefly walk us through that history ? Bank of Shanghai was founded in 1995 as “Shanghai City United Bank”, born from the merger of 99 City Credit Cooperatives in Shanghai. It was renamed “Bank of Shanghai” (BOS) in 1998, then listed on the Shanghai […]
Insights from Banco Santander
Can you briefly introduce your organization and its international history? Banco Santander is one of the leading global financial institutions, with a strong presence across Europe and the Americas. Our international footprint has been built over several decades through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, always with a clear focus on markets where […]
Insights from AWEX
In a few words, could you introduce AWEX and its core activities? AWEX – the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency – is the public institution responsible for foreign trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction for the Walloon region in Belgium. Our dual mission is clearly outlined in our 2026-2029 strategic roadmap: to stimulate and […]
Insights from Warwick Fabrics
Can you briefly introduce your company and its international history? Warwick Fabrics is a globally recognized textile and furnishing fabric company with Australian origins. Over the past few decades, the company has expanded internationally across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, evolving from a regionally focused business into a globally integrated player. Its international journey […]
Insights from SIEGENIA
What is your perspective on the key stages of international development, and how do you view internationalization as a strategic tool? The starting point I always return to is that internationalization is an instrument, not a strategy in itself. A company must first clarify the direction of its overall strategy, and only then decide on […]
Insights from Ragni Group
If you had to summarize your international development in a few key phases, how would you tell that story? The Group’s international expansion was structured around three distinct phases. The first, initiated in 1995 under the leadership of Georges Laurent and accelerated from 2001-2002, relied on a distribution model using partners identified at international trade […]
Insights from Proengin
Could you briefly introduce Proengin and the major milestones of its international history? Proengin is a French company founded in 1972 that maintained a family-owned structure for a long time, up until 2004. At that point, founder Pierre Clausin passed the baton to Patrick Bleuze, backed by an investment fund. I arrived at that turning […]