Senior Engagement Manager

Name: Riccardo Balestiero

Nationality: Italian, Swiss

Grade: Senior Engagement Manager

Office: London

Academic background: Degree in Business from the LUISS University of Rome; MBA from INSEAD, France and Singapore; Specialisation in Brand Management.

Immediately after graduation in 1998, I joined Procter & Gamble. During the four years spent between Geneva and the UK, I had the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the world of Consumer goods and Retailing, both as a member of the team responsible for managing the Pringles brand and as part of the Asda / Wal-Mart customer team. After spending a "sabbatical" at INSEAD, I joined Value Partners in the Milan office, in 2003. I recently moved to London following the Spectrum Value Partners merger.

Throughout my career in Spectrum Value Partners I have had the opportunity to measure myself on a wide range of issues from strategy development to business planning and financial modelling, from brand management to due diligence work, from organisation restructuring to change management. In Milan, my industry focus was mainly on the Consumer and Luxury Goods sectors. Among the several projects I worked on, I particularly enjoyed helping a well-known Consumer Good giant, develop a Brand Migration strategy to manage the transition from a well-known brand franchise to a new destination brand, contributing to the definition of the migration strategy, leading the development of the new brand's positioning, drawing up individual country transition plans and preparing the communication of the migration story to key stakeholders. In London my clients, so far, have ranged from Telco players, to traditional and digital publishers, from broadcasters to content owners. Recently my team supported a Hollywood Major in assessing "New Media" production and distribution opportunities.

Spectrum Value Partners offers me the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals, side-by-side with top management of major corporations, in multiple geographies, constantly exposed to the adrenaline of facing new industries and multiple functional challenges. Doing my best to solve complex issues is what keeps me motivated and Spectrum Value Partners provides me with the best possible environment to do what I love doing.