Pipeline Summary

All Finalists — Overview

Bruno Zamboni is a commercial leader with over 12 years of experience in B2B technical sales, business development, and team management across industrial and multinational environments. What sets him apart is the combination of premium technical solution selling, new market structuring, and direct experience establishing a regional office for a foreign company in Brazil.

His most formative years were spent at KEYENCE Brasil, the Japanese automation and measurement systems multinational, where he was promoted from Sales Engineer to Sales Lead to Sales Manager. Over three years in the Campinas region, he grew gross margin by more than 1,000% through disciplined territory development and consultative selling in a market where Keyence products carried a significant price premium. One illustrative case: a Valeo client with chronic sensor failures required replacement of 30,000+ units; Bruno diagnosed the root cause, designed a training programme for the engineering team, and converted the client at nearly 10x the competing unit price. As performance scaled, the Japanese headquarters entrusted him with establishing a new branch office in Campinas — the closest structural parallel to Lechler's mandate in this shortlist.

At Valco Melton (industrial adhesive dispensing), he managed B2B technical sales across ~300 active accounts including Hyundai, Continental, Bosch, and BorgWarner. His current role at GRI Institute has extended his commercial profile into C-level relationship development. He holds a Control and Automation Engineering degree and an MBA in Commercial Management from FGV. Available for extensive travel including Germany.

Fernando Mantovani Kondo is a senior commercial professional with over 15 years of experience spanning specialty chemicals, industrial solutions, and complex B2B sales across Brazil and Latin America. His profile combines deep technical sales expertise with a consistent track record of pioneering new markets — often as the first commercial representative of a foreign company in Brazil.

At Grossl / Starcke GmbH, a German industrial abrasives manufacturer, he was brought in to launch the Starcke brand in São Paulo's metalworking segment from zero local infrastructure — conducting the entire market entry process in English and subsequently building and leading the commercial team. This is the closest available parallel to Lechler's brief. His career also includes UBE (Japanese fine chemicals, LATAM), Kimberly-Clark (Sales Force Effectiveness Coordinator, Latin America, Salesforce implementation), and ALPLA Group (Austrian multinational, complex ROI-based new client acquisition requiring CAPEX and payback modelling).

At Kemparts (specialty chemicals distribution), a flagship engagement with Viapol demonstrates full commercial ownership: he identified a product gap, sourced an alternative from abroad, managed the import and customs chain, and converted the client to a recurring account. Holds a Master's in Chemistry (USP/IPEN) and a Bachelor's in Chemistry (Mackenzie). Trilingual in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Prior direct reporting to German and Austrian headquarters. Available immediately.

Bruno Mendonça brings approximately 14 years of commercial experience concentrated in the agribusiness sector, making him the candidate in this shortlist with the strongest agro commercial foundation. His profile is distinctive for combining deep market intelligence capabilities — developed at Kleffmann/Kynetec, the global agricultural market research firm — with hands-on BDM execution across biological inputs, biostimulants, and agribusiness partnerships.

At Agrauxine by Lesaffre, he developed and launched a biofungicide for soybean rust control, managing the full product application protocol, field trials, harvest monitoring, and distribution relationship across Brazil and four South American markets (Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina). His reporting line is to a manager based in Argentina; he communicates in English daily with a French-headquartered group. At BASF, he held both marketing analyst and technical sales roles in agrochemicals, building deep knowledge of distributor network management and market-entry strategies. Holds an MBA in Agribusiness from ESALQ/USP and a postgraduate specialization in Plant Protection from UFV.

A standout case: during his tenure at Kleffmann/Kynetec, he declined a commercially pressured timeline he knew he could not meet. The client re-engaged months later, awarding contracts worth R$ 400K then R$ 800K, explicitly citing the integrity he had demonstrated. His approach is data-first — before contacting any prospect, he prepares a comprehensive dossier on the target company, enabling meaningful insights from the first interaction.

Darlene Santos is the most senior executive in this shortlist, with over 25 years of professional experience. Her trajectory is unconventional but directly relevant: she built a strong career in HR across multinationals (Whirlpool, Owens Corning, Sanphar/Erber Group), then transitioned into a Managing Director role at Romer Labs do Brasil — an Austrian-owned company within the Erber Group, later acquired by DSM. In that capacity, she assumed full P&L ownership, commercial strategy, team building, import operations, and direct client engagement, as well as the company's legal representation in Brazil.

At Romer Labs, she led the ISO 9001 certification and the OEA (Authorized Economic Operator) accreditation — the latter reducing customs inspection frequency and accelerating import clearance, which directly improved client delivery reliability. Her current client base includes Nestlé, Danone, Cooperalfa, Corteva, Bayer, and major grain cooperatives. She manages a lean commercial team of four, personally attending critical contract closings. A standout case involved a competitive BID with Rumo: she led technical preparation, coached the Key Account Manager, and drove the development of a custom API integration that enabled Romer to win the contract by eliminating a key operational friction for the client.

She is an Italian citizen, with advanced English and Spanish. Has prior direct reporting to Austrian leadership. Expressed a preference for Campinas area; Piracicaba acknowledged as workable. Motivated by the opportunity to build something new, given ongoing uncertainty about her employer's strategic direction under DSM ownership.

Elton Batista Peris is the candidate in this shortlist with the strongest direct product-market fit for Lechler. In his current role at Spraying Systems Co. — the American multinational and world leader in industrial spray technology — he sells spray nozzles, tank washers, and engineered spray systems, including highly customised projects. He already has firsthand familiarity with several Lechler products and understands their quality standards and technical applications. His active client base includes Syngenta, CTC (Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira, Piracicaba), Dedini, and ArcelorMittal, across approximately 160 active accounts.

His commercial methodology is notably disciplined: every proposal includes a full ROI and payback analysis; every sale is followed by a structured outcome assessment. He leverages Business Intelligence platforms to identify market timing and collaborates with marketing to develop targeted materials. A standout case: a technical demonstration at CTC in Piracicaba — measuring 1g of product per seedling with under 10% variance — resulted in a contract closed with minimal price negotiation, as the client was fully committed before the demo concluded. His nine formative years at Festo Brasil — progressing from intern to inside sales to field technical advisor — provided a methodical, process-oriented foundation. Note: although self-assessed as intermediate on his CV, his English is assessed by Wide Brazil as advanced, with daily use in U.S.-based training programmes at Spraying Systems.

He is fully open to relocating to Piracicaba or the Greater Campinas area and is comfortable with an intensive travel schedule. His energy for client visits and hands-on field work — essential in the first phase of Lechler's market development — is a genuine differentiator at this stage of the process.