Liquid New Hire - meet Marcin Zalasa
It brings me great pleasure to announce that Marcin Zalasa has joined our Liquid family as the Business Development Manager for Central & Eastern Europe (CEE).
I have known Marcin for several years and his extensive experience and alignment with our core values makes him a perfect fit for our team.
We are thrilled to welcome you to Liquid, Marcin! Can you please tell us about your journey in the liquid food industry?What motivated you to pursue a career in this field for over 25 years?
Marcin: The story goes back to when I was a teenager. My father cooperated with the sugar industry since late the 70s so very early on I had a chance to visit and understand the nature of processing factories.
Then in 1988 Mawos sp. z o.o. (Mawos: Overview | LinkedIn) was launched following historical changes in Poland. Few friends together with my father decided to do things they used to do to make extra money while begin academics at Politechnika Łódzka on their own. So I studied automation to be able to join the company as a PLC programmer, however, this did not happen as in 1994 I met a fantastic man named Arek Maciak (the man who sparred Cassius Clay (2) Ark Maciak | LinkedIn) and was given a chance to get sales training in the US at Moore Products Co. (today part of Siemens).
This trip and training changed my professional plans dramatically! I joined Arek’s business as a sales representative for a while and after that on May 1st 1996 I landed in Alfa Laval as a sales engineer for SattControl (still have an old OP45 😊 in my private collection of different gadgets gathered throughout the journey)!
Since that moment I am within the Food Industry mainly.
You've worked with well-known companies like Alfa Laval, Tetra Pak, SPX FLOW, ABB, and GEA Group. I can imagine that all these experiences have shaped your approach to and understanding when it comes to business development - can you share any of the valuable lessons you have learned along the way?
Marcin: The Customer is King! One needs search constantly for ways how to add value and help Customers to run their businesses. If you additionally keep your promise and always answer Customers’ and Partners’ calls then things will always work out as a “win-win”!
What got you to join Liquid?
Marcin: We run an engineering company Foodlines (Foodlines sp. z o.o.: Overview | LinkedIn). Together with my partner Wojtek Kordalski ( Wojciech Kordalski | LinkedIn) . Foodlines operates mainly within the brewing industry today, so we decided to build a second leg of our business. Partnering with Liquid is a perfect match for this plan. We will help in growing Liquid business in EU while helping our plan. Again, a win-win situation. Plus, the love for dogs shared with you (Daniel Ekstrom) obviously 😊 Both together with Wojtek we own “The Beagles” – not only for their beauty but also for their character as we share many of their traits😊!
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"The Customer is King! One needs search constantly for ways how to add value and help Customers to run their businesses. If you additionally keep your promise and always answer Customers’ and Partners’ calls then things will always work out as a “win-win”!" (Marcin Zalasa)
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In your role as Business Development Manager CEE at Liquid, can you mention any thoughts about your strategies or approaches you plan to implement to drive growth and expansion in Central & Eastern Europe for Liquid?
Marcin: The plan is simple: approach customers who are in the “aseptic” processing and understand their needs. The rest is to be aligned accordingly 😊.
Given your extensive experience, what do you see as the most significant challenges and opportunities in the food industry, especially in the CEE region, in the coming years?
Marcin: Most of the CEE area suffers from high energy costs and populistic politicians. This does not help food processors to develop their business smoothly. Constant changes in regulations make their life extremely challenging, for example, a new law in Poland regarding a new system of handling returnable packaging.
I know that you and your wife, Agnieszka, love to travel. Have you got any favorite destinations that you can share with us
Marcin: All the places we went to over the years offer something unique. Some are more and some are less spectacular but as our whole family lived in Iran for over 3 years, we love that place most.
Our house is full of carpets, paintings, door locks and other things we brought from Iran. We still maintain a few friendships there 😊
Can you share a specific project or accomplishment from your career that you are particularly proud of?
Marcin: Again, I go back to my post in Iran. Over the 3 years our team at Alfa Laval Iran Ltd. grew the business 500%. We formed a team of fantastic ladies and gents with some of whom I am still in contact. It is a pity what happened in the country after I left in mid 2005. I keep my fingers crossed for the people of Iran and the country itself hoping to go back there one day and repeat the story.
Can you tell us one thing outside of work that you are passionate about, besides traveling?
Marcin: Motorbikes, cars and music. In fact, they all coexist for me. I love to ride or drive and the listen to the very very special music. Especially the music made and performed by my younger son Kuba. It makes me proud and happy 😊.
Here's an example: JAN BĄK & ZALASA - WILD WORST (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube
Thank you Marcin for your time and for being a part of the Liquid Family!
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If you have any questions or are interested in joining Marcin and the Liquid team in our journey to making it easier for our customers - please check out our career page or feel free to reach out to me directly.
// Sincerely, Daniel Ekström Founder, Liquid Consulting