Experience does matter. With the average Retail Service provider being in business less than 15 years, it’s assuring to know that with SPAR, your merchandising business is being run by people who’ve been doing this for longer than many of our competitors have even been in business.
Leadership
Overview
Christiaan Olivier
CEO & President
Christiaan (Chris) Olivier serves as Chief Executive Officer, President and a Board member of SPAR Group Inc. since September 5, 2017.
As President & CEO he fosters a “culture of growth”, focused on innovating services, creating new technologies and spearheading complimentary acquisitions. With over 25 years as a retail executive he has successfully led global organizations bringing positive transformation in the areas of strategy, business development, sales, marketing, client service and operations. His ability to unite groups and executives have continually grown revenue and client base within each company he has served.
Prior to joining SPAR Chris served as President of Retail Activation with the Omnicom Group, during his tenure he considerably increased new business. Before that he was President at Advantage Sales and Marketing managing Sales and Marketing, then Chief Executive Officer at the Smollan Group a Sales & Marketing service firm located in South Africa.
Chris earned his BA and MBA from the University of South Africa, has been married for 28 years and has two daughters. He has resided in several countries and locations throughout the world.
Kori Belzer
Chief Operating Officer
Kori serves as the Chief Operating Officer of SPAR Group, Inc., as of 2004, having been with the company since 1992.
Throughout her years at SPAR, Kori has been a leader in the areas of Client Service, Field Operations and Sales & Marketing. She has streamlined processes and developed efficiencies that allow the company to focus on the needs and success of its customers. She has also led the successful integration of multiple acquisitions that have provided SPAR’s clients with increased services.
As COO, she is responsible for creating the operating processes that, along with the SPARtrac™ Retail Service Operations System technology, give SPAR a service level unparalleled in the industry. Kori drives the efficiency, timeliness and accuracy of SPAR’s operations. In addition, she spearheads and oversees the development, communication and implementation of effective growth strategies with all SPAR’s clients.
To SPAR’s clients, Kori is a pillar of confidence that their business is being executed to the highest standards and maximum return on investment.
Kori is a graduate of the University of Kansas who is an avid sports fan with a particular focus on Jayhawks basketball.
James Segreto
Chief Financial Officer
James (Jim) Segreto serves as the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of SPAR Group, Inc., as of 2007, having been with the company since 1997 as its Corporate Controller.
As CFO, Jim is responsible for all aspects of financial reporting worldwide. Under his financial guidance, SPAR has expanded into a global enterprise across five continents with in-store merchandising coverage of approximately 50% of the world’s population. He is directly responsible for the company’s consolidation financial, tax and SEC reporting, Sarbanes Oxley compliance, banking and investor relations, strategic direction and M&A activities.
Prior to joining SPAR, Jim was CFO and Sr. Vice President Corporate Operations for Supermarket Communications Systems, a national customer-orientated marketing company supporting the grocery trade, from 1992-1997. Before that, Jim was the CFO of LM Capital, a venture capital fund focused on building a network of regional food processing companies, and was the Corporate Controller for Dorman Roth Foods during a 4-year period in which the company more than tripled in size from $70 million to over $250 million in gross revenue.
When Jim is not chasing new acquisitions or managing their integration into the SPAR system, he is usually chasing his first grandson. He also enjoys tailgating at the Jet games, even if the team has been doing quite a bit of chasing itself.
Gerard Marrone
Chief Revenue Officer
Gerard (Gerry) Marrone joined SPAR Group, Inc. as SVP Sales & Marketing in January 2017 and was promoted to Chief Revenue Officer in December of the same year.
As Chief Revenue Officer he oversees all revenue generation and marketing activities for the company. He is responsible for strategic growth initiatives and expansion of the domestic business. His role includes seeking and leading strategic alliances and joint ventures and he is responsible for developing capabilities and best practices within the sales and marketing function that will be shared and implemented across the organization and the international network.
Gerry brings SPAR over twenty-five years of progressive experience in the marketing services, experiential marketing, professional sports, Internet retailing and big box retail. During his career he has held executive positions for leading companies such as PromoWorks, CROSSMARK, Pierce Promotions, Women’s Professional Soccer and Bed Bath & Beyond.
Mr. Marrone was a two-sport college athlete and received a B.S. degree in Marketing from Montclair State University. He lives in Middletown, NJ and has been married to Karen for over thirty years. They have three children and one grandchild.
Husam Mufti
Chief Information Officer
Husam joined SPAR Group in 2000 as a Software Developer and in 2019 was promoted to Chief Information Officer.
Husam has been a part of SPAR’s digital journey in different capacities. During which, he led multiple IT teams through different initiatives to design, streamline, and modernize the overall systems’ capabilities and efficiencies. Husam’s leadership and dedication have been a cornerstone of SPAR’s global expansion over the past two decades, including North America, and Asia-Pacific. As Chief Information Officer, Husam is responsible for advancing SPAR’s digital strategy and enhancing SPAR’s global market leadership.
Husam graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Electrical Engineering from SUNY New Paltz.
In his spare time, Husam enjoys the outdoors and traveling. He is also a fitness enthusiast and enjoys learning about emerging technologies.
Steve Adolph
President, International
Steve serves as the President of the International Division of SPAR Group, Inc., as of June 2016.
As International President, he oversees operational improvements for SPAR’s global businesses and provides executive support to strengthen client relationships among existing international clients. He is also responsible for strategic growth initiatives including geographic and service expansion.
Steve provides SPAR and our clients accomplished international leadership. He has not only conducted business in more than 60 countries over 20 years, but he also spent 10 years living in Australia and Singapore. Over this time, he has held executive positions for leading global brands such as Equal, NutraSweet, Roundup, SentrySafe, Cat’s Pride and Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, and leading Private Label brands like Cott Beverages. Steve is also the former CEO Asia/Pacific for Invacare, a leading provider of home medical care.
Steve graduated Magna Cum Laude from Duke University and has an MBA with distinction from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business.
When he’s not flying out across the globe accumulating over 5 million frequent flyer miles, he can frequently be found grilling out at home with his wife and son.
