Mission Statement
Represent. Support. Inform. Study.
FEC was created in 1952 to defend the interests of the European Cookware, Cutlery, Flatware and Hollowware manufacturers.
It promotes co-operation between members, gives help and supports on economic and technical improvements, works to the definition of technical standards and officially represents the common interests of its members to the international authorities and particularly to the European Commission in Brussels.
FEC’s major fields of work are
- Tracking the international regulations relevant to the product groups of FEC.
- Representing our industry in European committees, where legal aspects of the products and business processes are involved: food contact, chemical legislation, sustainability, reporting, due diligence, etc.
- Servicing as a platform to join the industries interests in common projects: research, surveys, events, etc.
Directors‘ Committee
The Directors‘ Committee, including the President and the Vice-President, consists of representatives of our member companies and associations. The Directors‘ Committee is in charge of all activities of FEC.
Olivier Brault
President FEC I Directeur Gestion de Crise Groupe, Groupe SEB
He transitioned to Groupe SEB, a renowned global leader in small domestic appliances and professional coffee.
At Groupe SEB he serves as Director of Lobbying for the Group and Director of Prospective at the President’s Office.
Tobias Gerfin
Vice-President FEC | CEO, Kuhn Rikon, Switzerland
After his studies and his doctorate at the ETH Zurich as a natural scientist, he worked at the EPF Lausanne on solar cells. His industrial career led him to Bruker in Fällanden in the field of NMR, Optrel, a leading company for welding helmets, in Toggenburg, and Glas Trösch in Bützberg, where he took over the management of the glass in interior work in 2007. In 2010 Tobias Gerfin was appointed CEO of Stoll Giroflex AG in Koblenz in the office furniture sector.
Gernot Strehl
Head of Product Compliance, ZWILLING J.A. Henckels AG
At Zwilling he is responsible for product compliance on a global level with a special focus on food contact and chemical legislation. Within the Senior Expert team in FEC metals & alloys as well as ceramics and enamel are his key interests.
Ludovic Guitton
CSFO, De Buyer Group, France
After completing his engineering studies at Ecole Polytechnique Paris (mechanics and economics) and Imperial College London (transport engineering), he got an MBA at College des Ingénieurs. He first worked for large companies as project manager, BU director and business control director. In 2015, he joined the investment team of Edify, a private equity holding, and was member of the board of directors of 3 companies (de Buyer, Sirem and Thermo Technologies).
Huguette Gérard
Financial Administrator | Déléguée Générale, Synetam, France
Huguette Gerard has extensive experience in financial management and executive leadership. She served as CFO and international tax advisor for two listed companies, Valeo and Strafor Facom. Following this, she became the General Manager of Staub, part of the Zwilling Group, where she managed operations and strategic initiatives. Huguette then led global operations as CEO of Le Creuset Group until the end of 2012. Since 2015, she has been the General Secretary of UNITAM/SYNETAM, overseeing organizational operations and strategy. Her career reflects a robust background in managing complex financial and operational challenges across various sectors.
Clemente Bugatti
Vice President, FIAC, Italy
Since beginning of 2022, Clemente has been a member of FEC´s Directors’ Committee in his role as Vice President of FEC´s Italian member association FIAC (represents Italian manufacturers of cutlery, cookware, metal tableware and related items). Clemente is part of the fourth generation of the Bugatti Family. Besides his fundamental technical background, he benefits from many years of experience gained in various company positions within Casa Bugatti (design and manufacturing of table- and kitchenware products, cutlery and household appliances). Today Clemente is CEO and R&D Director of Casa di Bugatti and Ilcar di Bugatti.
Eike Sträter
CEO, Flügel CSS and PCM Proficut Messertechnik, Germany
Eike is CEO of the companies Flügel CSS and PCM Proficut Messertechnik based in Solingen. With more than 100 years of market experience FEC´s member company Flügel CSS is one of the leading sharpening steel manufacturers not only in Germany but also worldwide. Customers are international top brands of cutlery and household items as well as well-known wholesalers for professional use. Since the beginning of 2023, Eike has been an active member of the FEC board of directors and particularly responsible for planning FEC’s main annual event: the FEC Business Days.
Pierre-Armand Lemoine
Executive Vice-President Cookware, Groupe SEB, France
Alessandra Coppo
Production Manager, Sambonet Paderno Industrie, Italy
Alessandra Coppo is the Production Manager and Analysis Laboratory Manager at Sambonet – Arcturus Group. In her role, she oversees the monitoring and management of production, with a particular focus on IT development, including customized MES and CMMS systems in collaboration with software partners. Alessandra coordinates relations among various company departments, including production management, department heads, and the commercial, marketing, and administrative areas. Additionally, she manages the internal analysis laboratory, AsecLab, which conducts analyses of materials and objects in contact with food, as well as environmental analyses. For many years, Alessandra has also been a valuable member of the Directors’ Committee of FEC.
Sandro Tarozzo
Integrated System Manager Guardini Italy
Since 1998 he holds the position of Quality Manager, Integrated System Manager and Regulatory Compliance Manager for Chemicals and Food Contact for the Bakeware business of Guardini.
LEGAL AND FINANCES
Our legal and finance activities are handled at our headquarter in France in close cooperation with SYNETAM.
Huguette Gérard
Financial Administrator | Déléguée Générale, Synetam, France
Huguette Gerard has extensive experience in financial management and executive leadership. She served as CFO and international tax advisor for two listed companies, Valeo and Strafor Facom. Following this, she became the General Manager of Staub, part of the Zwilling Group, where she managed operations and strategic initiatives. Huguette then led global operations as CEO of Le Creuset Group until the end of 2012. Since 2015, she has been the General Secretary of UNITAM/SYNETAM, overseeing organizational operations and strategy. Her career reflects a robust background in managing complex financial and operational challenges across various sectors.
MARKETING AND MEMBERS
Our marketing and member activities are handled by our office in Solingen.
Stefanie Menning
FEC Coordinator
Stefanie gained her first working experience in the banking sector, holding various positions at Germany’s second-largest bank for over 13 years. In 2002, she joined a renowned cookware and cutlery company based in Solingen, working as a management and marketing assistant covering product management, marketing, packaging design etc. For more than seven years she worked in Solingen as well as in Cyprus. She later completed a degree in new media, social media, and content management and gained journalistic experience as a freelancer for a German newspaper. Since July 2021, Stefanie has been supporting FEC as Coordinator for Marketing & Communications, leveraging her diverse experiences for the benefit of all FEC members.
REGULATIONS
FEC´s policy & Regulatory activities and the Sustainable-Development Working Group are supported by our office in Brussels.
Dario Dainelli
M. Sc. Chemistry, FEC Consultant
Alessa Lübke
Food Chemist and Regulatory Manager, FEC Consultant
Alessa Maria Lübke studied food chemistry at the university of Hamburg, Germany and and completed her first state examination in 2021. Her second examination as state-certified food chemist followed in 2022. Alessa is currently working as food chemist scientific regulatory officer at Polymer Comply Europe. Her professional field of activities includes among others several sustainability projects as well as regulatory consulting with focus on REACH and CLP. Since October 2023, she has been supporting the FEC office in Brussels as well as the Sustainability Development Team and the Food-Contact Expert team of FEC.
TESTIMONIALS
„I am proud that FEC reached over the last years high reputation and acceptance by the European Authorities and that the important international European Consumer Good Trade Shows welcome the Partnership of FEC as the representative of our industry.“
Dr. Wolfgang Auwärter