| With the graduated economist Felix Peckert, born in 1967, one of the most famous franchise experts stands for the published theses, insights and trends of the German and international franchise industry. Along with his franchise consultancy located in Bonn, he managed and reformed the German Franchise Association e.V. between 1998 and 1999. In 1998, he initiated - based on his experience as association manager - a discussion concerning franchisee satisfaction. Midyear 1999, he founded the interest representative emfa® (European Master Franchise Association) on a European level in order to start the forum franchise and systems with journalist and PR-consultant Antje Kiewitt in the beginning of 2000. End of 2002, Peckert along with Prof. Dr. Heinz Klandt and attorney Joachim Klapperich founded the cost price operating educational forum franchise at the ebscubator of the European Business School, Oestrich-Winkel (ebs). As an editor, author, journalist, lecturer at the ebs and contributor, he accompanies the German franchise and start-up industry for more than 15 years. In his publications, he reveals both the positive and critical aspects of the young economic branch. |
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 | Antje Kiewitt, born in 1967, is a philologist and both author of many publications of the franchise industry and a well-known PR consultant and connoisseur of the start-up branch. She is the plenipotentiary of the Peckert Group and original member of the associated Institute for Brand Franchise GmbH & Co. KG as well as the forum franchise and systems - the leading branch service for the economic and specialized press. Her key task within the Peckert Group is public relations for which she is in charge of for many well-known franchise systems. |
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 | Christina Westerhorstmann, born in 1978, has studied sociology, political science and media studies at the universities of Marburg, Germany and Utrecht, Netherlands. Entering the Peckert Group in 2005, she is a member of the business management since 2007 and original member of the associated Institute for Brand Franchise GmbH & Co. KG. Her key tasks within the Peckert Group are system installation and development of national and international entreprises, agreement concepts and manuals as well as press relations. |
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 | Mathias Dehe, born in 1962, started with managing military projects as a non-career soldier and after his business studies continued with managing civil projects in the field of organizational development. 1993, Dehe started to coach franchise systems and was significantly involved in the development of the franchise system "Kieser Training" in Germany. After further projects in the leisure sector (e.g. "Robinson Wellfit in Town" and "Group of Companies Hockenheimring Baden-Wuerttemberg"), he developed the franchise headquarters for the franchise system "CaloryCoach". Today, Dehe as a member of the Peckert Group concentrates on realization consulting for well-known franchise systems. |
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 | Joerg Epkenhaus, since 1999 managing shareholder of the advertising agency FLY Communication in Cologne, is specialized in finding solutions for sophisticated communication demands: Starting with the strategy and ending with its successful realization. In doing so, Joerg Epkenhaus is especially concerned with the positioning, management and setup of brands in local market places. Customers are well-known brands like BMW, L'Oréal, Redken and Yamaha as well as german franchise systems like AYK and Scheiben-Doktor.
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| Joachim Klapperich, born in 1966, studied law at the University of Bayreuth including an additional education of economic science. In 1992, when he was a trainee lawyer he worked as a freelancer for the lawyers Brammen & Associates, Bochum. After the second state examination in 1995, he got the practicing certificate and worked till 1998 at the above mentioned partnership. For more than 10 years now, Joachim Klapperich works in the range of right of sale and is specialized on franchise law. Today, he works for the law firm Tigges Attorneys, Duesseldorf. |
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 | Dr. Patrick Giesler, born in 1967, is one of the leading franchise attorneys in Germany. Since 1997, he concentrates on this field and exclusively consults franchisors with agreements, manuals and system installation. Dr. Giesler is the author and editor of bench marks in franchise law and right of sale (e.g. Giesler/Nauschuett, Franchiserecht, 2. Aufl. 2007; Giesler, Praxishandbuch Vertriebsrecht, 2005; Giesler, Franchisevertraege, 2002) and president of the "International Franchise Lawyers Association". He is one of the few German lawyers who are mentioned in the "Who's Who of International Franchise Lawyers". |
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 | Frank Machwitz, born in 1968, is specialized in quality management in franchise systems. Since his business studies, he is concerned with the evaluation and analysis of customer perception of product and service quality: firstly three years at an institute for market research, followed by seven years at the first German franchise system listed on the stock exchange called „PC-SPEZIALIST" and since 2002 as senior consultant and managing shareholder of the assetpool GmbH. Mr Machwitz has decisively influenced the conception and development of leading controlling and management systems used by franchise systems called „hyScore FX". |
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 | Stephan H. Aschenbrenner, born in 1964, has studied economics at the private university of Witten Herdecke. During two stays abroad, he studied marketing at the Pennsylvania State University and organisational theory at the university of Stockholm. Since 1988 he is concerned with franchising due to projects for the franchise headquartes of OBI. After his exams, he worked in the department of international expansion of OBI in Italy. Back in Germany, he was responsible for the departments of organisational development, quality management and corporate communication at OBI for several years. From 1999, he organized a franchise system for an international telecommunication group in Germany. In 2002, he founded the consulting and franchise business initiat that accompanies franchisees in selecting and financing their adequate franchise system. Today, initiat has consulting offices in all big cities of Germany and has coached several hundred franchise start-ups so far. |
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