Time for a toast at a. hartrodt Portugal: The team is looking forward to International Beer Day, this year on August 2. Managing Director Sandra Pereira understands the party mood: "Since 2018, we have loaded more than 22,000 containers of all Portuguese beer brands for the Chinese Port of Xiamen." She also has a personal reason to toast, because on August 1, 2023, she replaced Carlos Ferreira – "my role model for leadership" – at the head of a. hartrodt Portugal. The company was established ten years ago, and Carlos Ferreira is celebrating the company's anniversary as Regional Sales Manager for the Mediterranean and Southern Africa region.
Managing Director looks back on her impressive first year
Sandra Pereira's one-year track record is impressive: She has successfully restructured a. hartrodt Portugal in line with the headquarters’ strategy and working on processes to increase productivity and efficiency. New are an IATA license for air freight and, since January 2024, a sales office in Lisbon. Certification as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) is in progress and a cost control department is being set up.
Portuguese Mediterranean hub for the Americas
Within the management structure of the family-owned company, a. hartrodt Portugal belongs to the Mediterranean and South Africa region. From Sandra Pereira's point of view, the national company is "an enrichment" for the regional network. The growth plans include the development of a Portuguese Mediterranean hub for the Americas and specific investments in the sales structure. Sandra Pereira also wants to increase the air freight market share and expand the truck and local business. In her new role as Managing Director, she has Regional Director Maurizio Fasce in Genoa (Italy) at her side as a "mentor".
For further growth, a. hartrodt Portugal brings specialists on board. In Porto, a full-time employee for operational business has joined the team, and a Sales Manager has started in Lisbon. According to Sandra Pereira, the number of staff in the new office is set to "double" by the end of the year.