Meet The G2 Experience Team
Sophie Lechner
Founder and CEO
Sophie had a French mother and a Pakistani father and grew up in several countries, so navigating cultures is second nature to her. When she realized that many people struggle with cultural differences she became passionate about the subject. Over her 25 years of professional experience she has led dozens of cross functional teams across many countries, with British Petroleum, Pfizer and Bayer. At Pfizer she created the role of Alliance Manager to facilitate relationships between Pfizer and its partners, where disagreements most often came down to cultural differences. She later managed professional education for several billion-dollar global brands, and led multinational conferences and workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to founding Global Commerce Education, Inc., Sophie was a consultant providing strategy and marketing guidance to clients in the pharma, small business and non-profit sectors.
Sophie holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a double Masters in English and French law from the Sorbonne (Paris) and King’s College (London).
Gene Detroyer
Executive Director
For the last 10 years Gene has taught International Business and Entrepreneurship at academic institutions around the world including the European School of Economics (New York campus) the Weller International Business School in Paris. France, the New York Institute of Business and Finance, and the International School of Guizhou University of Finance and Economics in Guiyang, China.
Prior to his teaching career, Gene successfully started and exited two companies, one in media and one in pharmaceuticals. This followed a 17-year corporate career, first as an executive with the consumer products division of Exxon Mobil, then as General Manager of the U.S. consumer products division of VanLeer Group, a Dutch company.
Gene is a member of the BrainTrust at RetailWire, the retailing industry's premier online discussion forum. The BrainTrust is a panel of industry experts who contribute to daily virtual round tables of industry opinion. Gene is a speaker in the U.S. and abroad at conferences and seminars, has appeared on CNBC and is frequently quoted in Forbes. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the Columbia Business School.
Marc Friedman
Director of
Professional Relations
Marc was previously a Partner at Dentons, a global law firm, where he was in the Venture, and Intellectual Property and Technology practices. He specialized in assisting foreign businesses in establishing operations in the U.S. as a part of a globalization trategy. This included business formation and organization, employee relations, intellectual property protection, commercial contracts and more. In addition, Marc was an acclaimed trial and appellate lawyer with more than 45 years of experience representing technology and other companies in intellectual property, technology and other business disputes. He is in the Who's Who of Technology, Media and Telecommunications lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and New York SuperLawyers.
Marc is a known pioneer in technology law. A well-known authority on the subject matter of technology including intellectual property, Marc has published more than 100 articles and is the author of A Vendor's Guide to Computer Contracting, a widely read treatise.
He frequently lectures throughout North America, South America, Europe and Australia, and at several US law schools. Marc is a former president of the International Technology Law Association.
Marc also maintains a vibrant Executive Coaching practice.
Bettina Bellande
Director
Bettina is the Founder, President and Managing Director of Pegasus International. In 1989, Bettina’s multicultural background, her love of languages and travel and her deep appreciation for cultural diversity, combined with her creativity, led her to launch Pegasus International, a boutique destination management company. She created this company with one goal in mind: to deliver uniquely tailored events and experiences to multi-national corporations. Operating for over 20 years, Pegasus has designed and executed events that have engaged, enlightened and energized thousands of participants. In short, Bettina knows how to make cultural learning both memorable and actionable.
Global leaders across multiple industries and countries have trusted Pegasus to deliver events that drive home the power of engagement. Bettina brings a unique combination of experience, passion and cultural expertise to the G2 Experience. She has planned unparalleled business cultural events that contribute in giving G2 Experience participants the intercultural competence they need.
Bettina studied at Lyçée Français de NY and Columbia Business School and enjoys lively conversations in French, English, Spanish and Italian. She is also a personal coach and the Founder of MuZe Wellness.
The G2 Experience Advisory Board
Philip
Berry
Chief Human Resources Officer
Clinton Foundation,
New York
Chris
Hayes
Managing Director
OneWorldGlobal
Formally EVP, Global Market Entry, Edelman, Washington D.C., USA
Maryalice
Mazzara
Director of Educational Programs
State University of New York
(SUNY) Office of Global Affairs,
New York
Joseph Onochie
Professor
City University of New York
(CUNY), New York
The G2 Experience Global Faculty
Our curated faculty around the world is comprised of senior professionals with exceptional credentials - including specific experience in both your home country and your target market. Our experts have decades of industry experience and have either been in your shoes or advised companies just like yours. Our faculty is what makes the G2 Experience a high quality learning experience, while giving you the practical know-how and tools that you need to succeed.
Tamer Atabarut
Director & Faculty Member
Bogazici University
Istanbul, Turkey
Amanda
Barraza de Wong
Attorney
Morgan & Morgan
Panama City, Panama
Norbert
Benaiche
Principal
Barclays CPA, LLC
New York, NY, USA
Jabril
Bensedrine
Founder & Managing Director
The Triana Group
New York, NY, USA
Philip
Berry
Chief Human Resources Officer
Clinton Foundation, New York
Emmanuel Besserve
Co-Founder &
VP Sales & Marketing
mercabuzz
Panama City, Panama
Jesus
Bonilla
President &
Managing Director
TMG Global Marketing
Panama City, Panama
Vanina
Joulin Batejat
Managing Director USAFrance
LLC Dba ReussirUSA.com
San Diego, CA, USA
Sophie
Boyer Chammard
Business Development,
Hogan Lovells
Paris, France
Winthrop Carty
Executive Director
Melton Foundation
Cambridge, MA, USA
Guillermo
Cisneros
Founder Unnivers
Senior Advisor,
Global Initiatives
Berklee College of Music
Professor ESADE
Boston, MA, USA
Michael
T. Cone
Managing Partner
NY and D.C.
Fisher Broyles
New York, NY, USA
Murat Daoudov
President Middle East
Development Network MDN²
Lecturer Marmara University
Istanbul, Turkey
Gene
Detroyer
Executive Director
Global Commerce Education
New York, NY
Burcu
Erturk Kilic
International Relations Supervisor, Lifelong Learning Center at Bogazici University,
Istanbul, Turkey
Benedicte
Fauvarque-Cosson
Professeur de droit Prive
Université Pantheon-Assas
Paris, France
David
Fieldman
Executive Trainer, Educator, Editor, Writer
Haidian District
Beijing, China
Jaime
Figueroa
Writer, Photographer, Author
Panama City, Panama
Dean
Foster
President & Founder, DFA
Intercultural Global Solutions
New York, NY, USA
Marc Friedman
Director Professional Relations
Global Commerce Education
New York, NY, USA
Franz
Garcia de Paredes
Founder & Senior Managing Director
Latin American Synergies
Panama City, Panama
John
Gordon
Board of Directors
Columbia Business School
President
USA Corporate Services
New York, NY, USA
Kai
Hammerich
Managing Director
Korn Ferry
Copenhagen, Denmark
Matt
Harbison
CEO Laureate Panama at
Laureate International Universities
Panama City, Panama
Chris
Hayes
Managing Director
OneWorldGlobal
Formally EVP, Global Market Entry, Edelman, Washington D.C., USA
Lynn
Hijar
Founder & CEO
International Business Networks, Inc
San Diego, CA, USA
Stefanie
Holland
Director of International Government & Regulatory Affairs,
Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)
Washington, D.C., USA
Shin
Kishioka
President
ITA Export and Import
Chicago, IL, USA
Susanne
Kubofcik
Senior Manager
Learning & Development
Itochu International
New York, NY, USA
Sophie
Lechner
Founder and CEO
Global Commerce Education
New York, NY, USA
Dewanand
Mahadew
Managing Director
Dutch Council for International Business
Professor UBIS UNIVERSITY (Geneva)
The Hague, Netherlands
Maryalice
Mazzara
Director of Educational Programs
State University of New York
(SUNY) Office of Global Affairs,
New York, USA
Al
McClain
CEO, Co-Founder
RetailWire
Palm Beach, FL, USA
Andy
Molinsky
Author & Management Professor at Brandeis University's International Business School
Boston, MA, USA
Rick
Moss
President, Founder
RetailWire
New York, NY, USA
Bahadour
Moussa
Associate Director
Partner Management (Europe)
Columbia University, School of Professional Studies
Paris, France
Doris
Nagel
Founding Partner
Globalocity
Chicago, IL, USA
Fred Obediente
Director
INDESA Capital
Panama City, Panama
Ian
Oliver
Founder
Africa Talent Management
Washington, D.C., USA
Joseph
Onochie
Professor
City University of New York (CUNY)
New York, NY, USA
Krishna
Rohit Misra
Executive Director
US-India Importers' Council (USIIC)
Mumbai, India
Frank
Sanchez
Under Secretary at US
Department of Commerce
International Trade (Retired 2013)
Fellow Brookings Institution
Washington, D.C., USA
Helena
Verellen
VP International Marketing & Communications
World Wrestling Entertainment
New York, NY, USA
Lin
Yang
President
Innovation Ideas Institute
Guest Lecturer for China Public Policy
at Harvard University
New York, NY,
Levent
Yarar
Director of Executive Education Center
Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul, Turkey
Daniel
Zaretsky
Founder & Host
Global Entrepreneurship Week Tajikistan
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
We are always welcoming new experts to join our team. If you're interested in becoming a member of our Faculty, please contact us using the information below.