Born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in South America, Europe and the United States, Mr. Dirr grew up with first-hand knowledge of the varied cultural business drivers impacting market presence and penetration. Thomas Dirr currently is Director of Global Management Expertise, Alliance Partner at Sattler & Partner and Director at VaR Decisions, consultancies advising companies seeking to enter and/or grow their global market presence through market studies, strategic plan development and implementation, distribution channel development, M&A advisory services and strategic partnerships. He has advised companies in the capital goods, durable goods, environmental services, alternative energy, oil and gas, and telecommunications industries.

Mr. Dirr has 30 years of decisive leadership experience in organizations ranging from privately held companies to Global 100 enterprises. He has held key positions in oil and gas (refining and production), defense, factory automation, capital goods and packaging - acquiring the knowledge of overcoming regulatory hurdles to conducting international business. In the past 10 years, he has completed over 80 cross-border deals including M&A, strategic partnerships and joint ventures. Fluent in English, Spanish, German and French, Mr. Dirr has conducted business in over 50 countries in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Mr. Dirr graduated from Rice University with a B.S. and Master in Chemical Engineering. He also earned a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.