Explore every episode of the podcast Making an Entrance

Steve Dickinson's guest in today's episode is Christian Hasenest, CEO of the Novoferm Group.

He is a dynamic, modern executive steering one of the absolute cornerstones of the global entrance solutions market. With a strong foundation in business administration, his career has been defined by driving commercial excellence and premium brand leadership across some of Europe's most respected industrial organizations—including BTI, Kärcher, and the Fischer Group. 

In April 2025, Christian took the helm as the Chief Executive Officer of the Novoferm Group. He is currently leading a highly strategic evolution of the business, unifying a powerful international network into a coherent, high-performance global entity under the vision of 'One Novoferm.'

Topics covered in the show include:

• Hands-on leadership on the road
• The DNA of premium global brands
• The strength of the Novoferm network
• Market trends in tech and sustainablity
• AI in entrance solutions
• Coherence and unity: The One Novoferm vision
• The art of strategic alignment and modern leadership
• Engaging a global workforce, and aligning the entire team with a vision for a dynamic, unified group.

Steve Dickinson's guest on today's show is an international commercial leader with a strong technical background and deep experience across the Spanish, Portuguese, and South American markets. He graduated from the University of Cantabria in 1989, in the beautiful northern Spanish city of Santander. 

Making an entrance today is Javier-Pérez-Sánchez, Managing Director of Novoferm Alsal, and President of FIMPA, the Spanish Federation of automatic door installers and maintainers. 

Topics covered in today's show include:

• Javier's roots and early influences.
• The evolution of Novoferm-Alsal.
• The Southern European vs Northern European Dynamic.
• Expanding across borders to South America and Northern Africa.
• The invisible infrastructure and regulation of entrance solutions.
• Technology, smart access and AI.
• The evolution of leadership and employee expectations.

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Steve Dickinson's guest in today's episode is Erik Klomp, founder and CEO of Novodoor. 

Erik is a Dutch entrepreneur who lives and works out of Istanbul, operating at the very extreme end of the global entrance solutions market. His company, Novodoor, doesn't just sell doors; they secure some of the largest, highest-stakes infrastructure projects in the world—specializing in complex fire door installations for international airports and mega-developments, primarily across the Middle East.

What makes him unique is that he has constructed a truly global supply chain, stitching together products from Germany, Italy, Spain, South Korea, and the United States to deliver a unified solution to his clients. He is also a man who knows a thing or two about endurance, having successfully completed the gruelling Dakar Rally.

Topics covered in the show include:

• The Dakar Rally mindset
• Global sourcing: The unified platform in action
• The reality of mega-infrastructure projects
• The challenge of global coordination
• Feedback from the frontline to suppliers
• The high stakes of fire door compliance
• The global life, and the meaning of partnership

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Steve Dickinson's guest in today's episode is Anders Majland, Managing Director of Novoferm Denmark, and Regional Manager for Novoferm in Scandinavia. Anders graduated from Syddansk University in Southern Denmark, began his career in advanced electronic control systems, and for the last two decades he's held senior positions in the field of entrance solutions with two of the industry's leading companies: Nassau Doors (now part of Assa Abloy) and since 2012, the Novoferm Group (a member of Sanwa Holdings).

Topics covered in the show include:

• The Scandinavian market
• The main challenges faced when doing business across borders
• Anders' leadership style
• The 'invisibility' of the entrance solutions market
• Social, regulatory, and environmental trends in the Scandinavian market - including the impact of European fire safety standards
• Key technological changes in the industry, including AI and modular building methods
• The impact of social, regulatory and technological changes on leadership

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Steve Dickinson's guest in today's episode is Michel Akoum, President and CEO of Novoferm France. Michel was born in Lebanon, rose from the ranks of R&D engineers in Paris, before quickly moving into export sales and general management. For the last two decades he held senior positions in the field of entrance solutions with two of the industry's leading companies.

Topics covered in the show include:

• The company Novoferm France and its place within the Novoferm Group, and their parent company, Sanwa Holdings
• Advice he would offer to current graduates of his alma mater, the Ecole des Travaux Publics, Paris
• One thing he would do differently during his career at Novoferm
• Michel's leadership style
• Current social, regulatory and technical trends in the French market
• Key lessons learned during a long career

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Steve Dickinson's guest in today's episode is Ali Ihsan Güneş, the co-founder of FGI, an exciting family-owned business based in Sakarya, Turkiye- 125 km east of Istanbul. Together with his brother, Gunay, and other members of the family, he built his business, not once, but twice. His origin story is one of the most traumatic imaginable.

Topics covered in the show include:

• The company FGI, and the markets it serves
• Contrasting styles and roles of the two founders
• Their overall journey into the industry
• The devastating earthquake of 17 August 1999
• Perspectives from Ali's roles as Chairman of the Advisory Board at Sakarya Business School, and Vice President of the Turkish-German Chamber of Commerce
• Trends in social, regulatory and technology - including AI

If you enjoyed the show and want to be among the first to hear future episodes, don't forget to subscribe to 'Making an Entrance' on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.