Dr. Christian Kalweit

Fielmann stands for fashionable eyewear at fair prices. The stock-listed multi-billion Euro eyewear giant operates its own design studios, production facilities and >1200 stores across 15 European countries and the United States. With its omnichannel business model, the company serves more than 29 million customers. Its main products are eyewear, contact lenses and hearing aids. Fielmann owes its success to its more than 24.000 employees who embody the company’s customer-centric philosophy. https://www.fielmann.-group.com • Vice President, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, overseeing global M&A initiatives of the publicly listed German stock corporation; reporting directly to the Fielmann Management Board („Vorstand“) • Leading the dedicated M&A and Post-Merger-Integration team of 8 FTE that is currently in talks with interested parties in several countries and regions which the group is considering for M&A transactions • Identifying potential acquisition targets and leading research on prospective targets • Steering of all parties and service providers involved in transaction, including due diligence, tax, legal (SPA, SHA, STA, Articles of Association etc) • Completed acquisitions of OPTIKA CLARUS (Slovenia, 2019), CV+ (Central America, 2020), OPTICA UNIVERSITARIA (Spain, 2021), MEDICAL OPTICA (Spain 2022), BEFITTING (Canada, 2023), SVS VISION (United States, 2023), SHOPKO OPTICAL (United States, 2024) • Overseeing corporate valuation work (using various methodologies, like DCF models, trading multiples, transaction multiples) and financial modeling • Transaction structuring, including determining optimal capital structure • Ensuring adequate resourcing of teams to implement identified international M&A priorities • Defining international strategy (overall and specific), ensuring alignment with overarching market/ cluster-level strategies

Fielmann stands for fashionable eyewear at fair prices. The stock-listed multi-billion Euro eyewear giant operates its own design studios, production facilities and >1200 stores across 15 European countries and the United States. With its omnichannel business model, the company serves more than 29 million customers. Its main products are eyewear, contact lenses and hearing aids. Fielmann owes its success to its more than 24.000 employees who embody the company’s customer-centric philosophy. https://www.fielmann.-group.com

Founded in 1992, Óptica Universitaria thrived thanks to a clear focus on the client and an offer of best brands at the best prices. The family business soon became one of the TOP 3 chains in Spain and today operates >90 shops in Alicante, Barcelona, Castellón, Girona, Lérida, Madrid, Murcia, the Balearic Islands, Tarragona, Valencia and Zaragoza. Since December 2020, Óptica Universitaria has become part of the Fielmann Group in Hamburg, Germany. https://www.opticauniversitaria.es/ • Director, Head of Non-Fielmann Brands • Geschäftsführer (PoA) with full P&L responsibility of OPTICA UNIVERSITARIA in Barcelona, Spain

New Yorker is one of Europe's largest fashion businesses with more than 1,000 stores in over 40 countries. The mainstay of the range is young fashion, denim, sportswear and streetwear fashion for a young, fashion-forward target group. The collections reflect the individual seasons as well as the very latest global fashion trends. - Head of Corporate Development and New Business Department, overseeing the international strategy and expansion of the New Yorker Group. Reporting directly to the Vice Chairman of the Board. - Overseeing the international business with partners and retail operators, e.g. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia - Identifying, negotiating and closing of international deals with new partners and retail operators, delivering consistent and profitable growth - Overseeing all international territories developed with partners; generating commercial and financial insights and tracking key performance indicators across international revenue channels

• Head of International department, leading strategic planning, new business, account management, operations management, and brand management for international markets. Reporting directly to President/CEO • Overseeing global brand strategy focusing on creating consistency of brand perception across all communication channels and territories; increasing the number of international retail stores (including flagship stores), and branded shop-in-shops in geographic priorities • Developing 2015-2017 roadmap outlining company’s plan to delivery sustainable, profitable growth in international key markets. Leading launch of strategic key initiatives identified in the strategic planning process • Identifying, negotiating and closing brand licensing deals with international omni-channel retail operators • Overviewing international retail operations in all territories; generating commercial and financial insights; supervising strategy execution; tracking key performance indicators

International Strategy and New Business Partnerships • Built and led International Business Development department with 10 direct reports for strategy, business development, sales, account and operations management, and international marketing. Reported directly to CEO • Oversaw launches in Canada, Mexico, Caribbean islands, UK, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Japan • Defined strategic and geographic priorities, developed pricing strategy for North America, Western Europe, and APAC (distributor, wholesale, and SRP’s), created criteria for business partner selection, and built wholesale and store business model • Identified, negotiated and closed business deals with new business partners such as international retail operators, and Western European distributors • Developed travel retail and duty free channel with Nuance Group, major cruise ship lines, and inflight sales with major airlines; Developed and drove strategic B2B key accounts such as department stores and national jewelry chains Building of International Brand Equity • Oversaw marketing and PR strategies and tactics for 11 international markets and various distribution channels (department stores, specialty retail, travel retail and duty free, inflight sales, cruise ships) • Created and executed unique and unconventional branding and marketing campaigns focused on personalization, life meaning and intrinsic rewards for the customer, positive emotional connections between consumer and brand, and corporate social responsibility (eg. partnerships with charities) Monitoring of Sales Goals and Strategies • Strategic planning for all territories; generated commercial and financial insights; supervised strategy execution; tracked key performance indicators • Developed quarterly reporting for business partners; organized, prepared and held management meetings with business partners to review performance for territories and define action plans

International Business Development and Management Consulting for retail, fashion, and luxury brands • Led U.S. operations of New York based retail consulting company dedicated to business development, sales, and brand equity building for retail, fashion, lifestyle and luxury brands; responsible for business development and sales on the U.S. market • Identified, quantified and prioritized client segments; developed opportunity maps including market sizing and CAGR projections; managed a team to prepare pitch presentations, RFP’s, and SOW’s • Worked with retail and fashion client’s senior management on strategic business development, sales, and marketing projects

Project leader in in-house strategy consulting group, managing reorganization, strategic marketing, and business development projects. Led project teams, including project-planning & budgeting with MS Project, research and analysis, development of solutions, implementation, and reporting back to senior management • Reorganized and streamlined merchandising and in-store promotion for German tabloid ‘BILD’ by determining best-practices for merchandising and trade marketing material, and eliminating non-value added activities for sales reps • Increased POS visit per sales rep from 1.5 to 12 visits per day, stabilizing decreasing circulation • Conceptualized and executed a nationwide promotion campaign; developed and executed national promotion for German tabloid ‘BILD’ (four million copies sold daily); oversaw creative concept development, execution and logistics with promotion teams; successfully distributed eight million copies, which is the equivalent of one market share point

Expatriated to France for the launch preparation of a French tabloid newspaper as part of a USD 175 million greenfield investment in France. • Prepared and executed the $175M greenfield launch of French tabloid ‘L’OEIL DU JOUR’ • Five-year business plan, covering all areas of newspaper and digital publishing: circulation, advertising, operations, analogue and digital distribution • Prepared and coordinated the marketing launch campaign for tabloid launch with creative ad agency, including print, online, radio, and outdoor; generated in-depth consumer insights with market research

12-months General Management Junior Executive Program overseen by CEO Dr. Mathias Döpfner. • Created new innovative distribution channels ("media boxes") for young and urban media product, which was struggling to attract readers with classic distribution • Developed concept with school of industrial design, analyzed market to find most effective locations, negotiated partnership deals with public transportation authorities, retailers, universities, and corporations and executed installation with street furniture vendor • Increased newsstand sales and circulation significantly

Group CEO Assistant for Dr. Bernd Scheifele. Global market leader in aggregates and a prominent player in the fields of cement, concrete and downstream activities. • Managed and coordinated strategic cost reduction project ‘Win’ in cooperation with Boston Consulting Group

Ph.D. Program in Business Administration at the School of Business at Humboldt University in Berlin and in Economics at Toulouse I University in France. • Ph.D. thesis on Duties of Corporate Directors in Germany, France, and the U.S.; Ph.D. in Business Administration (‘summa cum laude’) and Ph.D. in Economics (‘summa cum laude’) • Lecturer of Graduate International Management and Marketing Classes • DFA/UFA Scholarship (Merit-based, Full Tuition Scholarship)

Thema der Dissertation: „Fehlerhaftes Vorstands- und Aufsichtsratshandeln und dessen Sanktionierung durch Aktionärsklagen in Deutschland und Frankreich“.

• Majors in (1) Audit, (2) Marketing and (3) International Corporations and Markets • DFA/UFA Scholarship (Merit-based, Full Tuition Scholarship)

• DFA/UFA Scholarship (Merit-based, Full Tuition Scholarship)