Michael Brinkmann, to date CEO of SanLucar International, will become responsible for the operational management of the entire SanLucar group as of January 2018. Stephan Rötzer, founder and owner of the company, will devote most of his efforts to strengthen the SanLucar brand, to the continued development of its products and to maintaining the relationships with long-time partners, both suppliers and customers.
"Michael Brinkmann and I have had a very close and trusting working relationship for five years," said Stephan Rötzer. "The new distribution of tasks will allow each of us to take advantage of our strengths to the benefit of the company and its workers. Fruit is a natural product; growing and marketing it all year round with the highest possible quality is a very complex task. I'm excited about the idea of better sharing my knowledge and ideas about the best fruits and vegetables with our workers and our partners."
"Over the past year, our company has recorded strong growth," explains Michael Brinkmann. "We are expanding our operations in our main markets, Germany and Austria, as well as in the rest of Europe. Furthermore, we are opening up to new countries, such as China, Russia, Canada and the Gulf countries. As CEO of SanLucar, I will make a great effort to preserve what has led us to success, while also striving to adapt the business structures and processes to the new challenges that we are facing. Presenting the extraordinary quality of our products to customers around the world in the best possible way is a huge motivation for me."
Stephan Rötzer, born in Munich in 1967, founded SanLucar in Spain in 1993 and is the owner of the company. Son of a fruit and vegetable trader, Stephan Rötzer started in business at an early age. His innovative business concepts connect "master growers" with the best fields around the world with traders. With his deep involvement, Stephan Rötzer turned a start-up into a global business group in just a few years.
"I love fruit and the dynamics of the business. I love my work and I feel fortunate to be able to share my passion with all nature-loving people who work with fruit and vegetables, as well as being able to contribute to giving these products the value they deserve in our lives."
"I love fruit and the dynamics of the business. I love my work and I feel fortunate to be able to share my passion with all nature-loving people who work with fruit and vegetables, as well as being able to contribute to giving these products the value they deserve in our lives."
Michael Brinkmann, born in Bremen in 1977, has a Diploma in Business Studies and a Bachelor's Degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business (MBA). He started his professional career as a project manager in a leading consulting company in the United States. Later, he went on to hold the position of general manager of a Family Office in Munich, focused on medium-sized companies. He has devoted practically his entire professional career to the task of successfully internationalising other companies, as well as preparing them to face the growing challenges of the global market. As part of this activity, he has gathered valuable knowledge about other cultures and countries, both in Europe and, above all, in the United States or South Africa.
In 2013, Michael Brinkmann was appointed financial director of SanLucar, and since April 2015, he has been International CEO, managing SanLucar's crops across the world, as well as the firm's German headquarters.
"Building a company and turning it into a sector leader in existing and new markets is undoubtedly an extraordinary task that begins with small, but very determined steps."