Interim GM · Route-to-Market · Europe
We bring brands into Europe — and keep them growing
ValGro delivers operational leadership and route-to-market transformation for brands entering, scaling, or struggling in Europe.
I respond personally within 24 hours
FRANCE · EASTERN EUROPE · TURKEY · RUSSIA / CEEMEA
20+ YEARS · MULTI-COUNTRY P&L
VALGRO helps consumer brands enter, scale, and fix their positions in European markets — through route-to-market transformation, commercial leadership, and hands-on execution.
INTERIM GM EUROPE · ROUTE-TO-MARKET & COMMERCIAL TRANSFORMATION · CONSUMER GOODS, TOYS & RETAIL EXPANSION · EX-LEGO / SCHLEICH
Not strategy for its own sake — clarity: after the conversation, it’s clear what to do next.
Vadim Gorovoy
Founder of VALGRO · Head of Europe at Levenhuk · ex-LEGO / Schleich
20+ years of European commercial leadership: 12 years at LEGO, 3 years at Schleich, Head of Europe at Levenhuk since 2024. Built direct operations in Turkey from scratch, launched branded retail across EMEA, and reversed declining performance in Eastern Europe and in his current role.
Has lived and worked across European markets for the last 20 years — France, Spain, Turkey, Eastern Europe, CEEMEA, Russia.
Doesn’t operate as classic outside consulting. For the duration of the project — part of the team: with access, accountability, and a stake in the result, not recommendations from the sidelines.
Why ValGro
Five things that set this approach apart
01
Route-to-market as the growth engine
Growth or entry into a new market comes from getting route-to-market right, and building the right team around it.
02
Brands, not commodity businesses
The focus is squarely on brand-driven businesses — where value is built through positioning, not just price.
03
A practitioner, not just a strategist
Strategies have been executed repeatedly in real life — not just written on paper.
04
Technology and AI in management
Modern tools and AI are built into how commercial work is structured and tracked.
05
Cross-cultural expertise
Lived across multiple countries, worked hands-on across nearly every market in Europe — West, East, Turkey, Russia.
Expertise
What VALGRO actually works on
→
Route-to-market (RTM) — building and transforming it
→
Distribution: managing it, and the distributor → direct transition
→
Hiring and defining roles within the team
→
Pricing and rate-of-investment logic for clients
→
Strategic client relationships and segmentation
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Key account management
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Every sales channel: distributors, dealers, key accounts, offline retail, B2C, branded stores, e-commerce, marketplaces
Why Not a Big Consulting Firm
You’re not paying for a firm’s brand — you’re paying for one specific person
At large consulting firms, strategy is usually built by a team of junior consultants, with a partner showing up for the key meetings. ValGro works the other way: from the first call to the last day of implementation, it\’s the same person — with 20+ years of hands-on operating experience.
Big Firm
✕
Strategy built by a junior team, partner only shows up for meetings
✕
Recommendations in a deck — you implement on your own
✕
Weeks to align on team composition, NDAs, onboarding
✕
General industry experience, assembled from other people\’s cases
ValGro
✓
You work directly with me, from the first call to the end of the project
✓
I stay through implementation, until the strategy becomes a result
✓
Can start within a week
✓
Built it, didn\’t just advise on it: LEGO, Schleich, Levenhuk — firsthand
— Vadim Gorovoy, founder of VALGRO
”I don’t aim to run short projects, regardless of a company’s size. My value isn’t only in developing strategy — plenty of consultants can do that. My strength is staying through implementation, so the strategy actually turns into a result.”
Experience
20+ years of European commercial leadership
12 years at LEGO, 3 years at Schleich, Head of Europe at Levenhuk since 2024.
Levenhuk
Head of Europe
Jan 2024 – present
Full P&L, managing 6 European subsidiaries (Prague HQ). Double-digit growth in margin and turnover in the first 6 months — reversing a multi-year decline.
Schleich
Director Business Development
Nov 2023 – Nov 2024
Integrated business planning across priority countries in Europe and Asia.
Schleich
Sales Director Eastern Europe
Jan 2021 – Oct 2023
Transition from distributor to direct-to-retail in Czech Republic and Poland. ~60% of recommendations implemented; regional turnover doubled, contributing ~20% business growth.
LEGO
Head Licensed Stores, France & Spain
May 2018 – Dec 2019
10 stores opened in 1 year across France and Iberia, full P&L ownership.
LEGO
Head of Operations, FRIB
Feb 2017 – Apr 2018
Team of 20+: S&OP, Demand Planning, BI, Customer Service.
LEGO
Country Manager, Turkey
Feb 2014 – Jan 2017
4x turnover growth, market share up from 1.5% to 8% over 3 years. Distributor → direct transition.
LEGO
Europe HQ (Munich) · CEEMEA (Prague) · Russia
2008 – 2017
Pan-European pricing transformation with BCG. 50+ LEGO Certified Stores across EMEA. Russia: Key Accounts +50% YoY, DTC launch (40 concept stores, 2009–2012).
20+
years leading European commercial teams
12
years across LEGO and Schleich
6
European subsidiaries managed at once
Education: INSEAD, Leading in a Transforming World (2020–2022) · UAMS Antwerp, executive MBA, Magna cum laude (2007–2009) · Moscow Technical University, Bachelor (1995–1999)
Languages: English — fluent · Russian — native · French — intermediate
Who We Help
Three ways into Europe — find yours
In detail below: what you’re facing right now, exactly what you get, and the format we work in.
A
Track A · Compact Pilot Product · €500K–1.5M revenue
You’re a founder or CEO taking your brand into Europe for the first time
Usually a US or Asian brand at the stage of its first systematic entry into the European market.
This is you if:
✓
Your brand or company is Russian-speaking, and Europe is new, unfamiliar territory
✓
You recently closed a funding round aimed at European expansion
✓
You’re preparing to announce a launch in the EU or a specific country
✓
You already work through one distributor and are hitting its limits
✓
You’re hiring your first person or leader in Europe and don’t know where to start on structure
The problem you’re feeling: one wrong call on country, channel, or partner can cost a year and a meaningful chunk of budget — and you don’t have anyone on the team who’s already walked this exact path.
What you get:
1. A deep-dive into the business plus interviews with key people on the team
2. Country and channel prioritization matched to your product and budget
3. A clear call — distributor or direct model, and why
4. A strategy session with concrete next steps
5. Direct access to someone who built LEGO Turkey from scratch (4x growth, market share 1.5%→8%)
B
Track B · Growth Stage · up to €10M revenue
You’re a Commercial Director or Head of Europe at a company outgrowing its startup stage
Often toys, optics, medical optics, or consumer goods — no longer a startup, but not yet a large corporation.
THIS IS YOU IF:
✓ Everything runs through one person — usually you.
✓ Structure is missing: roles and accountability are blurry.
✓ Processes don’t scale along with the business.
✓ Marketing, sales, and operations are in conflict with each other.
The problem you’re feeling: the company has outgrown startup chaos but hasn’t yet built corporate-level structure — every new client or market adds operational friction instead of growth.
WHAT YOU GET:
A clear articulation of the value proposition; a marketing strategy matched to the current stage of the business; systematized client work — moving from chaos to process; a team and operating model that actually scales; hands-on involvement in execution — not just recommendations in a deck.
C
Track C · Flagship Segment · $50M–500M+ revenue
You’re an Operating Partner at a PE fund or a leader at a large brand
A family-owned business transitioning into a corporate structure, a PE-backed company, or a European subsidiary without a strong leader.
THIS IS YOU IF:
✓ A family or private business has outgrown organic growth and is moving into a corporate structure.
✓ A PE portfolio company is falling short of plan, especially in Europe.
✓ A European subsidiary is left without a strong regional leader.
✓ You need more than a plan — you need someone who stays for implementation.
The problem you’re feeling: almost any consultant can write you a strategy — what’s missing is someone who stays and carries the company through implementation to a result.
WHAT YOU GET:
An interim GM or Head of Europe with full P&L accountability;
a full strategy plus hands-on support through implementation;
team restructuring and a new operating rhythm;
a 6–9 month horizon (sometimes up to 12);
and a smooth handover to a permanent leader once one is found.
Methodology
Three steps from diagnostic to result
This is how every engagement is built, regardless of track.
1
Diagnose
Value proposition, brand strength, financials, sales, customer feedback. Plus interviews with owners and key people — numbers and real conversations together give the full picture.
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2
Align on Direction
We jointly define the vision: where the company is headed, and what strategic decisions are needed right now.
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3
Plan & Implement
A concrete action plan — team, sales, customer work — with support all the way through, until the strategy becomes a measurable result.
Services
Engagement formats by task
From a single session to full interim management.
01 Europe Market Entry Diagnostic — 5–8 hours: business review and interviews; distributor vs. direct model; strategy session with next steps. 02 Distributor-to-Direct Transformation — 3–6 months: risk assessment; transition roadmap; team structure and governance. 03 Interim GM / Head of Europe — 6–9 (up to 12) months: P&L leadership; team restructuring; KPI rhythm and reporting. 04 Systematizing a Growing Business — 3–6 months: value proposition; marketing strategy; team and operating model. 05 100-Day Commercial Turnaround — 3 months: performance diagnostic; margin recovery plan; sales discipline. 06 Retail Expansion & CEE/Turkey — 6–10 weeks: retail format and franchise; country prioritization; partner strategy.
Case Studies
Results across different market conditions
Growing sales through Instagram: transitioning from an expensive niche product to an affordable, scalable product line. The first case on the ValGro site.
FAQ
Before you get on a call
How much will this actually cost us?
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Depends on the track. Diagnostic (A) — hourly, $150–250/hr, typically 5–8 hours. Transformation projects (B) — milestone-based, €20–80K. Interim mandates (C) — day rate, €1,200–1,800/day. An exact estimate comes after a short, no-obligation call.
How confidential is this?
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Client materials and project details are never shared with third parties. An NDA is signed on request before any substantive work begins.
How quickly can we start?
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For a diagnostic (A) — usually within a week of the call. For projects and interim mandates — 2–3 weeks to align on scope and logistics.
Do you work remotely, or do you need to be based in Europe?
+
Both formats are possible: remote work with visits to key markets, or full on-site presence for interim roles. English and Russian — fluent, French — intermediate. Working hours cover the main European time zones.
What’s the difference between a diagnostic and a full project?
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A diagnostic is a fast review of the situation and an action plan. A project or interim mandate means staying through implementation of that plan to a measurable result — not just recommendations on paper.
Contact
Ready to talk about your European strategy?
The first step is a short call: business context, goals in Europe, and the right format. I respond personally — no assistants, no queue — within 24 hours.
Book a Call
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