The Management Team

The PUNCH Group Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors

Marc Maes
Marc
Maes
Group Director for M&A, Corporate Development & Legal Affairs

Marc Maes joined the PUNCH Group end of 2003 when his own company ACUNIA, at the time one of the leaders for in-vehicle telematics platforms, was integrated into PUNCH International. He then held several senior management positions within the PUNCH Group such as CEO of Prolion, renamed in 2005 PUNCH Technix (Euronext Amsterdam, PNX). Since 2009, Marc Maes is PUNCH’s Group Director for M&A, Corporate Development and Legal Affairs, leading all M&A, corporate development and restructuring activities worldwide. He has a master's degree in Law, which he completed with an MBA from the Vlerick Business School.

Olivier Nass
Oliver
Nass
Group Director Sales & Marketing

Oliver Nass joined the PUNCH Board of Directors in 2014. His career began with Siemens, at Siemens Management Consulting in Munich. He later moved to France where he has served as COO of Siemens Medical Solutions (today Siemens Healthineers). He went on to become the founding President at the French subsidiary of a German engineering company, specialised in system engineering for the automotive, aeronautic and defence industry. He has also held several non-executive assignments and is engaged in a number of German-French associations. Oliver Nass has a Ph.D. in international management and studied Economics and Management in Switzerland and Great Britain.

Guido Dumarey
Guido
Dumarey
CEO

Guido Dumarey's first job after his engineering studies was with Michelin. In 1983, shortly after he got his start in the business world, he founded his first company. Since then, Guido Dumarey incarnates the PUNCH history. He quickly gained a reputation beyond Belgium as a serial entrepreneur, investing in young companies with upcoming technologies or in companies/sites with difficulties, for which he mostly managed an incredible turnaround story. His key strengths are reorganizing companies, developing new products, applying lean structures, assuring dynamic decision lines and creating profitable business models. Many of his investments have been brought to a successful IPO. The first in 1999. Since the take-over of GM Strasbourg (now PUNCH Powerglide), Guido Dumarey's industrial focus is on driveline technologies for the automotive industry, which reflects his passion for the automotive industry. He holds together, with his family, 100% of today's PUNCH Group.

 

Punch group

 

K. Smits
Kwinten
Smits
CFO

Kwinten Smits holds a master's degree in engineering and architecture from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He started his career in financial audit department of BNP Paribas, managing investment banks for 5 years. It was in 2014 that Kwinten Smits joined the group as Operation Manager in Argentina. In 2017 he became Purchasing and After-sales Director for Asia after moving to Hong Kong. In parallel, Kwinten worked on various acquisition projects for the group. In January 2022 he was appointed Group CFO; his main focus is on finance and accounting as well as M&A activities from a financial perspective. 

Arnaud Bailo
Arnaud
Bailo
COO / CEO of PUNCH Powerglide

Arnaud Bailo started his career as a Sales Representative at Michelin and later worked as a Logistics Manager at Valeo. In 1993, he was hired by General Motors and held several assignments as Purchasing Manager in Luxembourg and in Strasbourg, including Program Manager 6-speed automatic transmission in US, HR Manager in Strasbourg and then CEO of General Motors Strasbourg (since 2013, PUNCH Powerglide Strasbourg). In his current assignment, Arnaud Bailo manages all operational activities of the PUNCH Group. He has a master's degree in Mechanics completed with an MBA in International Business.

pierpaolo_antonioli
Pierpaolo
Antonioli
CTO / CEO of PUNCH Torino

Group CTO and PUNCH Torino CEO, he joined the group in February 2020. Paolo has a technical background in Electrical / Electronic, Mechatroinics and Control engineering. He started his carreer in 1989 at Fiat Research Centre joining in 2001 FGP, the joint venture between GM and Fiat. In 2005, after FGP dissolution, he took several managerial roles in GM Global propulsion and in 2009 he was appointed Managing Director for GM Global Propulsion Europe srl. During the last 20 years he worked globally with industrial partners, suppliers and Research Centres to create the complete supply chain for Diesel Engines and Diesel Controls developing the technology to make these products sustainable. Currently, he is responsible for the Engineering Centre located in Torino (Torino Polytechnic Campus) with more than 700 employees, dedicated to the development of Diesel Powerpacks and Hybrids, Hydrogen Solutions for multipurpose applications, SW and Controls architectures with focus on mobility and industrial. In his CTO position he coordinates the PUNCH Group technical development exploiting synergies and opportunities in strict collaboration with the rest of the group.

Marc Maes
Marc
Maes
Group Director for M&A, Corporate Development & Legal Affairs

Marc Maes joined the PUNCH Group end of 2003 when his own company ACUNIA, at the time one of the leaders for in-vehicle telematics platforms, was integrated into PUNCH International. He then held several senior management positions within the PUNCH Group such as CEO of Prolion, renamed in 2005 PUNCH Technix (Euronext Amsterdam, PNX). Since 2009, Marc Maes is PUNCH’s Group Director for M&A, Corporate Development and Legal Affairs, leading all M&A, corporate development and restructuring activities worldwide. He has a master's degree in Law, which he completed with an MBA from the Vlerick Business School.

Olivier Nass
Oliver
Nass
Group Director Sales & Marketing

Oliver Nass joined the PUNCH Board of Directors in 2014. His career began with Siemens, at Siemens Management Consulting in Munich. He later moved to France where he has served as COO of Siemens Medical Solutions (today Siemens Healthineers). He went on to become the founding President at the French subsidiary of a German engineering company, specialised in system engineering for the automotive, aeronautic and defence industry. He has also held several non-executive assignments and is engaged in a number of German-French associations. Oliver Nass has a Ph.D. in international management and studied Economics and Management in Switzerland and Great Britain.

Guido Dumarey
Guido
Dumarey
CEO

Guido Dumarey's first job after his engineering studies was with Michelin. In 1983, shortly after he got his start in the business world, he founded his first company. Since then, Guido Dumarey incarnates the PUNCH history. He quickly gained a reputation beyond Belgium as a serial entrepreneur, investing in young companies with upcoming technologies or in companies/sites with difficulties, for which he mostly managed an incredible turnaround story. His key strengths are reorganizing companies, developing new products, applying lean structures, assuring dynamic decision lines and creating profitable business models. Many of his investments have been brought to a successful IPO. The first in 1999. Since the take-over of GM Strasbourg (now PUNCH Powerglide), Guido Dumarey's industrial focus is on driveline technologies for the automotive industry, which reflects his passion for the automotive industry. He holds together, with his family, 100% of today's PUNCH Group.

 

Punch group

 

K. Smits
Kwinten
Smits
CFO

Kwinten Smits holds a master's degree in engineering and architecture from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He started his career in financial audit department of BNP Paribas, managing investment banks for 5 years. It was in 2014 that Kwinten Smits joined the group as Operation Manager in Argentina. In 2017 he became Purchasing and After-sales Director for Asia after moving to Hong Kong. In parallel, Kwinten worked on various acquisition projects for the group. In January 2022 he was appointed Group CFO; his main focus is on finance and accounting as well as M&A activities from a financial perspective. 

Arnaud Bailo
Arnaud
Bailo
COO / CEO of PUNCH Powerglide

Arnaud Bailo started his career as a Sales Representative at Michelin and later worked as a Logistics Manager at Valeo. In 1993, he was hired by General Motors and held several assignments as Purchasing Manager in Luxembourg and in Strasbourg, including Program Manager 6-speed automatic transmission in US, HR Manager in Strasbourg and then CEO of General Motors Strasbourg (since 2013, PUNCH Powerglide Strasbourg). In his current assignment, Arnaud Bailo manages all operational activities of the PUNCH Group. He has a master's degree in Mechanics completed with an MBA in International Business.

pierpaolo_antonioli
Pierpaolo
Antonioli
CTO / CEO of PUNCH Torino

Group CTO and PUNCH Torino CEO, he joined the group in February 2020. Paolo has a technical background in Electrical / Electronic, Mechatroinics and Control engineering. He started his carreer in 1989 at Fiat Research Centre joining in 2001 FGP, the joint venture between GM and Fiat. In 2005, after FGP dissolution, he took several managerial roles in GM Global propulsion and in 2009 he was appointed Managing Director for GM Global Propulsion Europe srl. During the last 20 years he worked globally with industrial partners, suppliers and Research Centres to create the complete supply chain for Diesel Engines and Diesel Controls developing the technology to make these products sustainable. Currently, he is responsible for the Engineering Centre located in Torino (Torino Polytechnic Campus) with more than 700 employees, dedicated to the development of Diesel Powerpacks and Hybrids, Hydrogen Solutions for multipurpose applications, SW and Controls architectures with focus on mobility and industrial. In his CTO position he coordinates the PUNCH Group technical development exploiting synergies and opportunities in strict collaboration with the rest of the group.