Oettinger Davidoff AG, the world-leading producer of premium cigars headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, has appointed Mag. Isabella Keusch (38) to take over the new and critical role of Global Director Training & Development within Oettinger Davidoff AG as of September 1st, 2016. In her new position, Isabella Keusch will further develop Oettinger Davidoff’s training program on a global scale which will, among other innovations, soon see the launch of the Davidoff Academy.
Isabella Keusch joined the company in January 2005 as a freelance Davidoff Representative for Austria, and became General Manager of Davidoff of Geneva Austria in 2012. She has built the Austrian organization from scratch and developed into a strong and very successful business unit. “Through her tireless commitment, Isabella Keusch has managed to raise brand awareness and sales of Oettinger Davidoff’s own brands in a significant way, as well as increase profits of Davidoff of Geneva Austria by strikingly high double-digits in the last two years. I wish her all the best and every success in her new role,” said Martin Kaufmann, Senior Vice President Europe.
Carlo Motti, Senior Vice President Global Omni-Channel Retail, to whom Isabella Keusch will report in the future, has high hopes for this new and strategically important role : “Her profound knowledge of the business, her passion for training and knowledge of consumers, as well as her strong communication and organizational skills make her the ideal candidate to build and implement Oettinger Davidoff’s training program which is a key factor in our company being the indispensable business partner. I am excited to welcome Isabella to my global team.”
„I am equally thrilled to announce that the Austria team will become part of the organization of Olaf Ruf, currently General Manager and Vice President of Davidoff of Geneva Germany. I am very confident that Olaf will build on Isabella’s successful achievements and bring our important Austria business to the next level,” added Martin Kaufmann.
After schooling and studies in Germany, Great Britain and the USA, Olaf Ruf (43) worked in various internationally active companies in the tobacco industry and was a member of the management of Imperial Tobacco and Reemtsma, among others. Before joining Davidoff of Geneva Germany in April 2016, the sales and marketing expert had been CEO of SNOKE.
The Austrian sales team will report directly to Mario Samec, currently Sales Director Germany, who will be appointed Director Sales Austria & Germany as of September 1, 2016. Mario Samec (46) has been working for the Oettinger Davidoff brands in Germany for many years. From 1996 until 2011 he was with Gebr. Heinemann Tabakwaren-Import- und Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH, the German distributor for Oettinger Davidoff in Germany for over 30 years until 2011. His last role was as head of Marketing & Distribution. In 2014, he joined Oettinger Davidoff as Country Manager for Germany, acting as a link to the current sales partner Arnold André. This collaboration has been terminated as of the end of 2016, and the new Davidoff of Geneva Germany organization will be operational from January 1, 2017.
About Oettinger Davidoff AG
Oettinger Davidoff AG, with sales of over CHF 600 million and 3,500 employees around the world, traces its roots back to 1875 and remains family-owned to this day with two distinctly different businesses: one that is focused on FMCG distribution in the Swiss market, and the another dedicated to the core business of producing, marketing and retailing premium-branded cigars, tobacco products and accessories. The premium- branded cigar business includes Davidoff, AVO, Camacho, Cusano, Griffin’s, Private Stock, Zino and Zino Platinum. The Oettinger Davidoff AG business is anchored in a strong “crop-to-shop” philosophy, having pursued vertical integration from the tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua to the worldwide network of over 70 Davidoff Flagship Stores that complement a network of strong Appointed Merchants around the world.
