About Us

After dedicating three decades to service in the French Air Force, Olivier embarked on a new chapter in September 2022.
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.

Since October 2013, Tobias Gerfin has been CEO of Kuhn Rikon AG, a Swiss family-owned company specialising in cookware and cooking utensils. The company’s products are marketed in 40 countries worldwide. Tobias served as President of FEC from 2019 to 2023 and has held the position of Vice-President since January 2024. After completing his studies and doctorate in natural sciences at ETH Zurich, Tobias worked at EPFL Lausanne on solar cells. His industrial career took him to Bruker in Fällanden, in the field of NMR; Optrel, a leading manufacturer of welding helmets, in Toggenburg; and Glas Trösch in Bützberg, where he took over the management of the interior glass division in 2007. In 2010, Tobias Gerfin was appointed CEO of Stoll Giroflex AG in Koblenz, a company in the office furniture sector.

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.

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.

For over 10 years, until 2017, Mara was the association manager within Applia Italia for the air conditioning and professional catering equipment sectors, called EFCEM Italia. She managed the secretariat and developed activities related to Food Contact Materials, FGAS, Energy Labeling, Ecodesign, and WEEE, as well as managing relationships with companies. She also represented the voice of Italian manufacturers in these sectors within the relevant European associations: Applia Europe and Efcem Europe.
For some years, she worked in certification bodies, developing certification for regulatory and legislative compliance, with particular reference to the provisions of FCM and FGas.
She was also the Certification Manager and the person in charge for attending to the Associations meetings and to the Technical Regulatory Committees for an Italian company, that manufactures equipment for the Horeca industry.

Since June 2024, she has been the Association Manager for the Food Technology Associations within the Anima Federation, including FIAC, which represents Italian manufacturers of cutlery, cookware, metal tableware and related items, Fec member.

André-Pierre is Director General of SYNETAM and has extensive experience in leading and coordinating professional associations, organisations and networks. He specialises in institutional communications and advocacy, and brings strong expertise in economic analysis and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Since 2026, he has served as a member of FEC’s Board and has been responsible for the federation’s finances.

Jan-Frederik Kremer is Director General of IVSH – the German Cutting and Housewares Industry Association. Previously, Kremer served as Managing Director of AiF FTK GmbH and founded the AiF InnovatorsNet.
Kremer studied Political Science, History, and International Development Studies in Bochum, Bonn, and Cape Town. Academic roles included Visiting Scholar by invitation at the European Union Centre of Excellence at the University of Miami and Head of a research group at the Center for Global Studies, University of Bonn.

Vitrinor is a member of FEC since 2023. I am a member of DC since April 2026 and as Spanish member of the FEC Steering Committee, I represent the Association’s interests and manage its relations in Brussels within my geographical area.I hold a degree in Industrial Engineering and completed postgraduate studies, including an MBA in Business Management. My background is up 25 years as manager director in different sectors as aeronautical, automotive and during last 10 years as CEO of Vitrinor, a cookware company located in the north of Spain.

After dedicating three decades to service in the French Air Force, Olivier embarked on a new chapter in September 2022.
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.

Pierre Laffont is Director, European Institutional Affairs at Groupe SEB. He has over seventeen years of experience in EU affairs and industrial policy. He was previously Director, European Affairs at France Industrie, where he headed the Brussels office, having previously served as Manager, European Affairs at ASD Europe, representing the European aerospace and defence industries. He began his career at the European Parliament, where he worked as a parliamentary assistant for over seven years. He is a graduate of Sciences Po Toulouse, France (Master’s degree – Institute of Political Studies, Toulouse, France) and holds a Master’s degree in European Studies (Royal Institute of European Studies, Spain).

Since October 2013, Tobias Gerfin has been CEO of Kuhn Rikon AG, a Swiss family-owned company specialising in cookware and cooking utensils. The company’s products are marketed in 40 countries worldwide. Tobias served as President of FEC from 2019 to 2023 and has held the position of Vice-President since January 2024. After completing his studies and doctorate in natural sciences at ETH Zurich, Tobias worked at EPFL Lausanne on solar cells. His industrial career took him to Bruker in Fällanden, in the field of NMR; Optrel, a leading manufacturer of welding helmets, in Toggenburg; and Glas Trösch in Bützberg, where he took over the management of the interior glass division in 2007. In 2010, Tobias Gerfin was appointed CEO of Stoll Giroflex AG in Koblenz, a company in the office furniture sector.

Vitrinor is a member of FEC since 2023. I am a member of DC since April 2026 and as Spanish member of the FEC Steering Committee, I represent the Association’s interests and manage its relations in Brussels within my geographical area.I hold a degree in Industrial Engineering and completed postgraduate studies, including an MBA in Business Management. My background is up 25 years as manager director in different sectors as aeronautical, automotive and during last 10 years as CEO of Vitrinor, a cookware company located in the north of Spain.

Jan-Frederik Kremer is Director General of IVSH – the German Cutting and Housewares Industry Association. Previously, Kremer served as Managing Director of AiF FTK GmbH and founded the AiF InnovatorsNet.
Kremer studied Political Science, History, and International Development Studies in Bochum, Bonn, and Cape Town. Academic roles included Visiting Scholar by invitation at the European Union Centre of Excellence at the University of Miami and Head of a research group at the Center for Global Studies, University of Bonn.

André-Pierre is Director General of SYNETAM and has extensive experience in leading and coordinating professional associations, organisations and networks. He specialises in institutional communications and advocacy, and brings strong expertise in economic analysis and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Since 2026, he has served as a member of FEC’s Board and has been responsible for the federation’s finances.

For over 10 years, until 2017, Mara was the association manager within Applia Italia for the air conditioning and professional catering equipment sectors, called EFCEM Italia. She managed the secretariat and developed activities related to Food Contact Materials, FGAS, Energy Labeling, Ecodesign, and WEEE, as well as managing relationships with companies. She also represented the voice of Italian manufacturers in these sectors within the relevant European associations: Applia Europe and Efcem Europe.
For some years, she worked in certification bodies, developing certification for regulatory and legislative compliance, with particular reference to the provisions of FCM and FGas.
She was also the Certification Manager and the person in charge for attending to the Associations meetings and to the Technical Regulatory Committees for an Italian company, that manufactures equipment for the Horeca industry.

Since June 2024, she has been the Association Manager for the Food Technology Associations within the Anima Federation, including FIAC, which represents Italian manufacturers of cutlery, cookware, metal tableware and related items, Fec member.

Pierre Laffont is Director, European Institutional Affairs at Groupe SEB. He has over seventeen years of experience in EU affairs and industrial policy. He was previously Director, European Affairs at France Industrie, where he headed the Brussels office, having previously served as Manager, European Affairs at ASD Europe, representing the European aerospace and defence industries. He began his career at the European Parliament, where he worked as a parliamentary assistant for over seven years. He is a graduate of Sciences Po Toulouse, France (Master’s degree – Institute of Political Studies, Toulouse, France) and holds a Master’s degree in European Studies (Royal Institute of European Studies, Spain).

André-Pierre is Director General of SYNETAM and has extensive experience in leading and coordinating professional associations, organisations and networks. He specialises in institutional communications and advocacy, and brings strong expertise in economic analysis and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Since 2026, he has served as a member of FEC’s Board and has been responsible for the federation’s finances.

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 FEC´s members.