“I will be general manager of Porsche Colombia. In the last few years, Colombia has recorded an economic boom, its car market growing from 100,000 to 200,000 units, with this year’s car market expected to reach 350,000 units,” says Tapalaga.
Dana Cortina, the other general manager of Porsche Inter Auto, will remain at her post. Last year, the company, which has four showrooms in Bucharest and one in Timisoara, as well as holding imports of the Porsche and Bentley brands on the Romanian market, posted EUR115.6 million in turnover and a net profit of EUR0.9 million and had 540 employees. In 2009 the company had 627 employees, a EUR119.6 million turnover and a net profit of EUR3.8 million.
In the four years in which Tapalaga has been at the helm of PIA, the company sold nearly 40,000 cars and posted EUR850 million in cumulated turnover.
Tapalaga had been working for Porsche Romania for more than ten years.
The salary packages offered to executives promoted to positions in developing countries are somewhat lower than they would receive in Western European countries, but considerably higher than they would receive in their own country.
“The salary packages of Romanian executives relocated to Colombia are on average 60-80% higher than what they received in Romania, sometimes even double. Although the value of the packages offered depends on the size of the business, one can say an expat earns on average EUR250,000-EUR300,000 in gross amount per year in Colombia,” says Werner Stein, a headhunter with over 17 years’ experience recruiting top managers on the Romanian market.
(English version by Daniela Stoican; Editing by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu and Radu Bostan)