Master Alberto Katz

Master Alberto Katz
New Chair of ITF Umpire and Tournament Committee

Personal Details:

Summary

Alberto Daniel Katz is an Industrial Engineer graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 1984. He got a Master of Science in Business (Sloan Program 94) at Stanford University, CA in the year 1994.

He bears the black belt, 7th Degree of Taekwondo ITF. He was Argentine National champion in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1981. He was a competitor for the National Team at the 3rd World ITF Championship in Chaco, in 81 in Argentina. He has given many lectures and seminars on Free Sparring, he performed in many exhibitions in stadiums such as Ferrocarril Oeste and Luna Park and was the coach for the National Argentine Team from 1990 to 1992. He took the national team to Pyong Yang, North Korea, to the ITF Taekwondo World Championship, where they scored second in the overall championship. He has been Chief Umpire in Argentina for many years. He has been Chairman for the International Taekwondo Federation’s Business Committee for several years until Dec 2006.

He has been present in the ITF Tournament arena as Umpire for many years. In 1988 in Budapest; in 1990 in Montreal, Canada where he designed and implemented the first software for ITF competition; in 1992 in Pyong Yang, North Korea as National Coach, in 1997 in St. Petersburg, Russia as Jury President, in 1999 in Bs As Argentina, in 2002 in León Puerto Rico again in the IT field; in 2005 in Orlando; in 2006 in Dortmund, Germany and lately last year 2006 in Benidorm, Spain as Member of the Tournament and Umpire Committee. He is actually Chairman of the Tournament and Umpire Committee from 2007 and onwards.

In his business and professional life he worked, since 1984 until December 2000, for Martha Katz S.A, a Buenos Aires-based family company devoted to the rendering of catering services. He was the General Manager of this company until april 1999 and as such he developed and implemented important projects. Opening a branch in Punta del Este, Uruguay, constructing a modern 1000 m2 production plant in Belgrano, Buenos Aires and acquiring the capacity to render services in important events for large companies such as: Andersen Consulting, YPF, Movicom/Bellsouth, OCA, Correo Argentino, Avon, Cervecería Quilmes, BankBoston, and many others, were some of his challenges and successes. These achievements permitted Martha Katz SA to become a leading company in the catering business industry in Buenos Aires.

In 1999, the Katz family sold 50% of the company and in 2000, 30% more of its shares were sold to a foreign investment fund that took control of the company.

Alberto Katz left the company in March 2001 and started to work as an independent consultant in April of that same year for The Friedman Group (TFG), a company devoted to the implementation of programs in order to increase sales productivity and improve overall customer service.

In April 2002, he left The Friedman Group Argentina, and built up his own company Align Business, ABZ, today Sales Laboratories, LLC where he acts as Director and General Manager. This company is mainly devoted to track increases in sales productivity and improve customer service for the retail industry in general where the performance of the salesperson makes the difference.

During 2002 he implemented Pirámide, a sales productivity software, for a chain of health clubs MEGATLON, with 11 branches, 400 employees and 30,000 members, with very good results. He also trained their sales force. They are extremely successful. During 2003, he trained IAMS Latinamérica sales force. IAMS is the branch of Procter and Gamble for pet food. He trained Sport City managers, the most prestigious health club in México, in sales and sales techniques.

He is an international speaker, and was present at C&S 2003 show in México City, and at IHRSA 2003 show in Sao Paolo, giving different seminars about selling and selling techniques for the health clubs industry. He was invited again on May 2004, to C&S show in Mexico City.

From the academic point of view, he worked together with Dr. Kertész during 2004, a well known Argentine psychiatrist, Dean of UFLO, Flores University, and expert on the field of transactional analysis (TA). The result of this joint venture developed in a sales model to help salespeople to understand, in depth, the whole sales presentation process and selling behaviors.

Alberto Katz was the President for the Stanford Alumni Association in Argentina for a period of four years, since 1997 until December 2001. He organized several cultural events and was pleased to invite Jaim Etcheverry, the current Ministry of Education, Eng. Carlos Balseiro, former dean of the Balseiro University and many other people that cooperated with this association.

He also plays Golf, with handicap 8, and has won many golf local tournaments in the past.

He worked ad honorem as teaching assistant at the School of Engineering of the University of Buenos Aires in 1983 and 1984 in the course Economía de la Empresa.

He studied at Saint Andrews secondary school. He speaks English perfectly well and reads and understands French fairly well.

He has been married to Karina for 20 years and is a father of three children: Iván (17), Tomás (14), and Tania (5 years old).