Getting to know Kacper Rozenbaum

Kacper Rozenbaum is the General Manager for Poland at Opontia. Leading the operations in the country, his role covers everything from brand sourcing and acquisitions to brand management and growth, operations and marketing. He is also responsible for building a team of local experts.?

Before joining Opontia he worked on the intersection of e-commerce, technology and consumer goods. Kacper was Head of International Sales at Allegro, the leading e-commerce marketplace in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, where he built and scaled the presence of sellers from outside Poland on Allegro. Before that, Kacper was a manager at McKinsey & Company, where he worked for e-commerce, tech, retail and PE clients in Poland, Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America and Australia. Kacper holds an MBA degree from INSEAD, a leading global business school.

We asked him about his role at Opontia and what makes him tick.?

What are some of the highlights of your role?

Kacper: In general I love it, so there are many highlights. But here are a few that really stand out for me.? I really enjoy meeting successful e-commerce entrepreneurs, owners of the brands that we acquire and scale to regional and global levels. They are always very interesting people, with great ideas, passion, grit and knowledge.?

I also love discussions with our team on how we can improve, grow and scale the brands that we acquire. We have a multidisciplinary team of experts, so these meetings are always full of creativity and different points of view and a great opportunity to learn.?

The last (but certainly not the least), I would mention is recruiting. Building a team in a fast-paced organisation like ours means constant recruiting and, given our business model, we look for various profiles. This is an excellent opportunity to meet driven, entrepreneurial people from the Polish e-commerce and startup ecosystem.

And what are your major challenges?

Kacper: As a fast-growing startup, there are always challenges, which is part of the fun :)?

Can you give us an insight into the Polish e-commerce scene?

Kacper: Polish e-commerce market as a share of total retail is still somewhat smaller than leading countries in Western Europe, but Polish e-commerce is growing much faster. I would say there are two key characteristics of the Polish e-commerce scene as compared to other countries - Firstly, the market players - almost 40% of the e-commerce market belongs to Allegro, a local marketplace that started 20 years ago. International players like Amazon and Shopee entered the market only last year and are still building their position. Secondly, what is unique is the popularity of automated parcel lockers (APM), which in Poland are often more popular than courier delivery. Moreover, the network of APMs is growing at a rate of 50% per year

What are you looking for when it comes to acquisitions in your market??

Kacper: We are looking for exceptional e-commerce-first brands, with strong traction with the consumers. We look at brands across all categories, except fast fashion and grocery. Ideal brands have unique products, a limited number of SKUs, recognizable brands and sales on e-commerce marketplaces

What makes you smile? My family, morning run, good conditions for surfing or windsurfing at one of my favourite locations

What is the one thing that really annoys you? When it gets dark at 4 pm in Poland during winter

What is your favourite ritual? Hand brewing (V60!) a good coffee in the morning

Where is your favourite place on earth? Everywhere where you can find good surf or windsurf conditions. My top pick would be probably Fuerteventura (Canary Islands)

What gadget can you not live without? My noise-cancelling headphones or Kindle with a good book

If you are in Poland and want to join the team or looking for an exit for your ecommerce business, talk to or reach out to Kacper.