Klaas Postema, the former CEO of Sicomed Bucuresti drug company (currently Zentiva), founded consultant Genesis Capital at the beginning of this year together with Didier Lepoutre and Lucian Tudose.

Formerly, Klaas Postema was responsible for restructuring Sicomed (one of the largest drug manufacturers in Romania) during the industry's most difficult period (2002-2004), and was also responsible for integrating the company's operations with Zentiva in 2006, before leaving his CEO position to start his own business.

Postema has switched to M&A consultancy and primarily targets medium-sized companies.

"Romanian companies' shareholders do not know what to change. When a company becomes insolvent, this is a clear signal there's something wrong with its management. Romanian companies are still investing a lot in fixed assets, in large plots of land or in equipment. Companies take out long-term loans and are not concerned about establishing a constant cash flow, when this should be the main target of any business," explains Klaas Postema, a partner at Genesis Capital.

He believes there is still a great deal of interest in Romanian players in fields such as the pharmaceutical industry, FMCG and financial services.

At present, Genesis Capital has six customers. Postema believes consultancy should progress in two directions. "Firstly, a potential buyer must be found and, after the deal is completed, we must provide consultancy for the integration. Secondly, if a business decides to sell, the consultant's main role is to prepare for this possibility," he says. At present, Postema is also involved in the development of software company Qbis, which he wants to help expand on international markets.

Regarding his former involvement at Sicomed, he considers the sale was probably the most important project during his mandate. "My activity at Sicom