MANAGEMENT
THE TEAM BEHIND ROCKET INTERNET
Managing Directors
Alexander Kudlich
Managing Director
Berlin
Alexander Kudlich
Managing Director
Berlin
Alexander is Managing Director of the Rocket Internet GmbH. He previously worked at Axel Springer AG for 6+ years, first as Personal Assistant to the CEO and later as Regional Managing Director for Zanox. Alexander holds a Master Degree in Finance and Accounting from University of St.Gallen (HSG), a M.A. in Philosophy from UCL and an MBA from ESMT.
Arnt Jeschke
Founder & Managing Director
Berlin
Arnt Jeschke
Founder & Managing Director
Berlin
Arnt joined Rocket Internet in 2009 as Managing Director in Berlin and is responsible for Finance and Administration. Prior to joining Rocket, Arnt worked for Jamba!/iLove as Director of Finance, at Deutsche Bank in Controlling and at KPMG as audit manager. Arnt studied at the HEC in Paris, the Bocconi in Milan and holds a Master's degree in International Management from the University of Cologne.
Don Phan
Founder & Managing Director
Vietnam
Don Phan
Founder & Managing Director
Vietnam
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Vietnam, Don Phan worked as an investment consultant for Leopard Capital, a private equity firm investing in Southeast Asia. He previously held positions at Goldman Sachs and Roubini Global Economics. He holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University.
Dr. Eyad Alkassar
Founder & Managing Director
Middle East
Dr. Eyad Alkassar
Founder & Managing Director
Middle East
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director Middle East, Eyad worked as Senior Researcher in Computer Science. During his studies he was a fellow of the German National Academic Foundation. Eyad holds a Ph.D. Summa Cum Laude in Computer Science from Saarland University.
Dr. Johannes Bruder
Managing Director
Berlin
Dr. Johannes Bruder
Managing Director
Berlin
Before joining Rocket as Managing Director in Berlin, Johannes worked for Google in Germany and founded a venture in the social/mobile space. He holds a PhD in Economics, doing research into the impact of corporate diversification on innovation and risk taking. Johannes studied Economics in St. Andrews, London, Hamburg, and Berkeley, supported by the German National Academic Foundation.
Eduardo Goes
Founder & MD
LATAM
Eduardo Goes
Founder & MD
LATAM
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Brazil, Eduardo was partner at Stratus Investimentos, a leading private equity firm, as well as Managing Director at Novo Nordisk and Senior Manager at PWC Transaction Services. Eduardo holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Brazil.
Heavent Malhotra
Founder & Managing Director
India
Heavent Malhotra
Founder & Managing Director
India
Heavent Malhotra joined Rocket India as its MD in 2012. Before joining Rocket, he was an Associate Principal with McKinsey and Co., where he focused on Banking, Financial institutions & Telecom industries - particularly around digital financial services. Heavent was on the institute merit list at his business school, IIM Ahmedabad and received his engineering degree in Mechanical from IIT Delhi.
Hisham Zarka
Founder & Managing Director
Middle East
Hisham Zarka
Founder & Managing Director
Middle East
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director Middle East, Hisham worked for McKinsey and Google. Hisham holds degrees in Computer Science and Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
Ian Marsh
Founder & Managing Director
UK
Ian Marsh
Founder & Managing Director
UK
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in the UK, Ian worked for Bain Capital and Bain & Company in London as well as for McKinsey & Company in Madrid. Ian holds a Master's degree from the HEC Paris and has studied Modern History & Economics at Balliol College, Oxford University.
Issam Abedin
Founder & Managing Director
Middle East
Issam Abedin
Founder & Managing Director
Middle East
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director Middle East, Issam worked as an M&A Analyst at J.P. Morgan in London, where he focused mainly on Financial Institutions in the DACH region, and Credit Suisse in Frankfurt. Issam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany and also studied at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Jacob Waern
Founder & Managing Director
Scandinavia
Jacob Waern
Founder & Managing Director
Scandinavia
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Scandinavia, Jacob worked as a Managing Director at Groupon in Sweden. Prior to that he spent close to 7 years in Kinnevik’s media company MTG, several of these as CEO of subsidiaries. Jacob holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics and Finance from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.
Jan Wilmking
Founder & Managing Director
Berlin
Jan Wilmking
Founder & Managing Director
Berlin
Jan Wilmking is Managing Director of Rocket Internet GmbH in Berlin. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School and worked seven years as consultant with McKinsey & Company.
Jeremy Hodara
Founder & Managing Director
Africa and France
Jeremy Hodara
Founder & Managing Director
Africa and France
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director France, Jeremy Hodara worked at McKinsey in France, India and the US for 7 years where he was focusing on retail and e-commerce. Jeremy holds a master’s degree in business administration from HEC Business School, France.
Koen Thijssen
Founder & Managing Director
Benelux
Koen Thijssen
Founder & Managing Director
Benelux
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director Benelux, Koen worked as Investment Banker focused on Benelux M&A for Lehman Brothers and more recently Deutsche Bank. Koen holds a master’s degree in Finance and Accounting from the London School of Economics.
Maximilian Bittner
Founder & Managing Director
Munich
Maximilian Bittner
Founder & Managing Director
Munich
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Munich, Maximilian worked for McKinsey & Co. and Morgan Stanley in Germany as well as for 3i in London. Maximilian holds a MBA from Kellogg School of Management/Northwestern University and a Bachelor's degree from the University College London.
Michele Ferrario
Founder & Managing Director
Italy and SEA
Michele Ferrario
Founder & Managing Director
Italy and SEA
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Italy, Michele worked for McKinsey & Co. in the Milan and New York offices as well as for the Italian Private Equity House Synergo SGR. Michele holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bocconi University, Milan, and an MBA from Columbia Business School, New York.
Patrick Hurenkamp
Founder & Managing Director
Benelux
Patrick Hurenkamp
Founder & Managing Director
Benelux
Before joining Rocket Internet Benelux as Managing Director, Patrick worked for The Boston Consulting Group in the Netherlands and Australia. Patrick holds an MSc degree in Management of Innovation & Business Development from the Copenhagen Business School, and a degree in CEMS Master's in International Management from HEC Paris.
Rodrigo Sampaio
Founder & MD
LATAM
Rodrigo Sampaio
Founder & MD
LATAM
Prior to joining Rocket as founder and Co-CEO for Latin America, Rodrigo worked for McKinsey as an Engagement Manager and held positions in Finance and Strategy for DuPont and Novo Nordisk in Latin America, USA, Europe and Asia. He graduated from Harvard with a High Distinction MBA as a Baker Scholar.
Sacha Poignonnec
Founder & Managing Director
Africa and France
Sacha Poignonnec
Founder & Managing Director
Africa and France
Sacha is Managing Director of Rocket Internet France. Before joining Rocket Internet, Sacha Poignonnec worked for McKinsey in Paris and New York, focusing on Consumer Goods and Retail. He started his career with Arthur Andersen, and then participated in the creation of Accuracy, a corporate finance boutique based in Paris. Sacha holds a master’s degree in business administration from EDHEC Business School, France, where he majored in Finance.
Sergey Sushentsev
Founder & Managing Director
Russia
Sergey Sushentsev
Founder & Managing Director
Russia
Sergey Sushentsev is a Managing Director of Rocket Internet responsible for Russia/CIS region. Before joining Rocket in August 2011, Sergey spent 3 years at McKinsey & Co focusing on projects in telecom, banking and private equity. Prior to McKinsey & Co Sergey worked for 2 years in Finance at Procter & Gamble. Sergey holds MBA from Harvard Business School.
Shin Yoon
Founder & Managing Director
Korea
Shin Yoon
Founder & Managing Director
Korea
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Korea, Shin was founder at LuCreative ("The Best Place"). Shin holds a degree in Economy and Maths from the Emory University, USA.
Stefan Jung
Founder & Managing Director
Indonesia
Stefan Jung
Founder & Managing Director
Indonesia
Stefan joined Rocket in 2011. He previously worked as strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group in Copenhagen and Bain & Company in Copenhagen, where he focused on private equity investments. He holds an MBA from London Business School and obtained his undergraduate degree in a global program from the Copenhagen Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Tsinghua University.
Steffen Wulff Petersen
Founder & Managing Director
Philippines
Steffen Wulff Petersen
Founder & Managing Director
Philippines
Prior to joining Rocket Internet as a Managing Director first in the UK and subsequently in the Philippines, Steffen worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in London with particular focus on the Nordic Region. He previously worked in private equity and holds a master’s degree from Copenhagen Business School in Finance and Accounting.
Stein Jakob Oeie
Founder & Managing Director
Indonesia
Stein Jakob Oeie
Founder & Managing Director
Indonesia
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director Indonesia, Stein worked for J.P. Morgan as Associate. Stein holds a Master's degree from the HEC School of Management / HEC Paris.
Stephen Chung
Founder & Managing Director
Hong Kong
Stephen Chung
Founder & Managing Director
Hong Kong
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Hong Kong, Stephen worked for PPC, a financial sponsor based in Palo Alto, California. Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree in Finance from Yonsei University, Korea.
Tito Costa
Founder & Managing Director
Italy and SEA
Tito Costa
Founder & Managing Director
Italy and SEA
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director in Italy, Tito worked in management consulting at McKinsey & Company, in private equity with Synergo SGR and as a visiting researcher in computer engineering at Stanford University. Tito holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and a master’s degree in computer and electrical engineering from the University of Bologna, Italy.
International Experts
Andreas Winiarski
Global Head of PR
Andreas Winiarski
Global Head of PR
Andreas is a passionate media guy. Before joining Rocket Internet as Global Head of Public Relations, he worked for the Chief Editorial Staff of BILD, Europe's biggest newspaper, and for BILD.de. He was Press Spokesman at Axel Springer AG and has worked for the Global Public Relations of Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Andreas studied economics supported by Schering AG and communications, history and politics with a scholarship of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Christian Senitz
International CFO
Christian Senitz
International CFO
Before joining Rocket Internet as International CFO in Germany, Christian worked for FREO Group in Luxembourg and EY Germany and the US in Audit and Transaction advisory. Christian holds a degree in business law from FH Nordostniedersachsen in Lueneburg, Germany, and has qualified as certified tax advisor and certified public auditor in Germany.
Christian von Hardenberg
Global CTO
Christian von Hardenberg
Global CTO
Before joining Rocket Internet as Global CTO in Berlin, Christian was CEO at Metaversum. He also developed 3D game engines in C++, researched on computer vision, did business consulting at BCG and McKinsey, and crossed the Alps on foot. Christian holds a master degree in business administration and electrical engineering from Technical University of Berlin.
Dr. Franziska Leonhardt
General Counsel
Dr. Franziska Leonhardt
General Counsel
Before joining Rocket Internet as General Counsel, Franziska worked for the international law firm Clifford Chance in Frankfurt/Main where she specialized in M&A and private equity. Franziska is admitted as a German lawyer and holds a PhD in law.
Dr. Jan Jacobs
Director Human Resources International
Dr. Jan Jacobs
Director Human Resources International
Jan is Director HR International at Rocket Internet. Before joining, he worked as consultant at McKinsey & Company. He holds a Ph.D. for research on organizational change, and a Diplom in Computer Science.
Ferdinand von Kalm
Global COO
Ferdinand von Kalm
Global COO
Before joining Rocket Internet as Global Chief Operations Officer, Ferdinand worked for Nestlé within Finance & Operations across 5 continents. Ferdinand holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and ESADE, Spain.
Hristo Odiseev
Director
Tech Center Portugal
Hristo Odiseev
Director
Tech Center Portugal
Hristo is passionate about building online businesses and spent 10 years as a serial Internet entrepreneur. His projects include a myriad of Rocket Internet web and mobile companies, as well as a leading expat online community and eCommerce retailer. Before joining Rocket, Hristo worked for Google, 3M, Joker.com, KPMG Consulting and supported company efforts in the digital space. He holds an MBA degree from the University of Cambridge, UK with focus on entrepreneurship and a Master's degree from the Technical University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.
Jacob Bro
Director Global Product Management
Jacob Bro
Director Global Product Management
Since joining Rocket Internet in 2011, Jacob has played a key role in building up Rocket Internet Australia and is currently based in Singapore where he is leading regional product management and new product launches for our major e-commerce ventures in South East Asia. Jacob is a Copenhagen Business School major, and before Rocket his endeavors include management consulting and co-founding a Danish start-up in the digital content and publishing space.
Jens Kade
Head of Global Finance Task Force
Jens Kade
Head of Global Finance Task Force
Before he came to Rocket as Head of the Global Finance Task Force, Jens co-founded several companies, led the financial sector in the DADP news agency, built up the financial sector as well as the affiliate payment system at zanox.de AG, and led the financial division at netzeitung.de.
Luis Hanemann
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Luis Hanemann
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Before joining Rocket Internet as CMO in Residence on a global level, Luis worked for several ecommerce companies like smava and eDarling, and managed his own web projects. All in all he has 10+ years of work experience in the field of Online Marketing and e-commerce. Luis holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany.
Markus Gerlitzki
Director Global Customer Management
Markus Gerlitzki
Director Global Customer Management
Before joining Rocket Internet as Director Global Customer Management in the Berlin headquarters, Markus worked for SHS VIVEON AG. Markus holds a Diploma degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Applied Science Berlin, Germany.
Matthias Müller
Head of Special Projects
Matthias Müller
Head of Special Projects
Before joining Rocket Internet as Head of Global Idea Scouting, Matthias worked for Holtzbrinck Digital and Holtzbrinck Ventures as Investment Analyst. Matthias holds a Master's degree from the Hochschule Reutlingen.
Miguel Pinto
CTO
Tech Center Portugal
Miguel Pinto
CTO
Tech Center Portugal
Before joining Rocket Internet as Managing Director and CTO in the Tech Center in Portugal, Miguel worked as a consultant PHP programmer for 10 years. His clients were various companies in Portugal and Europe. Miguel is the founder and manager of the Portuguese PHP User Group, and has launched several internet projects.
Ronny Rentner
CTO
Ronny Rentner
CTO
For more than 15 years, Ronny has been working in the area of web development and e-commerce. As a software engineer and consultant Ronny was involved in large scale CMS projects for companies like Bayer Schering Pharma and Gruner + Jahr. During the last years he has gained lots of experience with fast moving, agile processes by leading e-commerce projects based on Magento and symfony as well as taking over the CTO role for different technology startups. Overall, this is a perfect fit for his role at Rocket Internet.
Simon Ritter
CMO in Residence
Simon Ritter
CMO in Residence
Before joining Rocket Internet as CMO in Residence on a global level, Simon already gained over 10 years of work experience in the online marketing and e-commerce industry. Besides his own projects he worked for an international online marketing agency and led a key account management team which dealt with a range of big international clients.
Uwe Gleitz
VP Investment Management
Uwe Gleitz
VP Investment Management
Uwe is VP Investment Management of the Rocket Internet GmbH. He was previously Managing Director and Cofounder of DropGifts GmbH. Before that, he worked for 6 years in the investment banking advisory division of J.P. Morgan in London. He interned at L'Oréal, Bain & Company, J.P. Morgan and Helaba. Uwe holds a Master of Science in Management, Diplome Grande-Ecole and Diplomkaufmann of the ESCP European Business School.