Juan-Alejandro Gits - Participant 2020-2021
“The project allowed me to significantly develop my management skills and improve my soft skills along the way.”
Role
Juan-Alejandro was assigned a project by Boortmalt to redevelop a newly acquired Argentinean craft business and bring it in line with the corporate philosophy.
Responsibilities
Juan-Alejandro’s main objective was to develop and design a new premium brand, with an underlying top-quality product and service. Other objectives included conducting an in-depth market analysis of the Argentinean craft market and the positioning of the company’s current brand. He also analyzed the internal processes to optimize their efficiency, reviewed the current supply chain and improved the commercial margins.
How he benefited
By choosing this project, Juan-Alejandro stepped out of his comfort zone as a lawyer, venturing into business strategy, supply chain optimization, sales, marketing and IT development, all of which were uncharted territory for him.
“Doing this in a different language, and in a market and industry in which I had no prior experience, made this even more challenging”, he says. In combination with the coronavirus pandemic, this also increased his resilience and capacity to adapt to difficult circumstances.
The company – Boortmalt
Boortmalt is the world’s leading malting company with a production capacity of 3 million tons. The group, a fully owned subsidiary of the agricultural and agribusiness cooperative Axereal, has a presence on 5 continents with 27 malting plants. Boortmalt’s expertise is widely acknowledged by brewers and distillers who rely on its top-quality barley malt for their production.
“Juan-Alejandro contributed to developing a new brand and sub-brands to serve craft breweries in Latin America, resulting in a transformation process of the craft business’ commercial and service activities in the region. He exceeded our expectations.”