Our leadership team

Vassilis Gkatzelis is a Greek citizen, born in Athens on November 15, 1977. He was appointed as Sampoerna’s President Director at the Company's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGMS) on June 9, 2022. He joined PMI in 2003, starting his career in various Marketing and Sales roles in Greece and the Czech Republic. In 2012, he moved to PMI’s Global Operating Center in Switzerland, serving as the Director Sales Strategy for Asia and the EU Regions. Since 2014, he has undertaken General Management roles of increased accountabilities across geographies, including General Manager Philip Morris Morocco (2014-2016), Managing Director Philip Morris Egypt (2016-2017), and Managing Director Philip Morris Egypt & Levant Cluster (2018-2022). Vassilis holds a Global Executive MBA from INSEAD and a Diploma in Non-Executive Director from the Financial Times in the UK. He is also a graduate of the Athens University of Economics and Business, where he completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in Management.

Elvira Lianita became Sampoerna’s Director in 2018, being responsible for external affairs. Surabaya-born, she first joined PMI Indonesia in 2001 prior to joining Sampoerna in 2007. She has assumed various important responsibilities in the fields of regulation, fiscal, international trade, and communications before finally being appointed as a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to joining PMI, she has had extensive experience in professional communications and consulting institutions and has participated in various training and development programs in many countries during her professional career.

Sergio Colarusso became Sampoerna's Director in 2022, responsible for finance. He is a Switzerland citizen and hold a master’s degree in Finance from HEC Lausanne (the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne). He has more than 25 years of professional work experience in various finance roles, and he is an expert in Financial Strategy, Corporate Business Planning & Development, Budgeting & Reporting and Internal Audit. He joined PMI in 2002 and has built his career by holding various important roles such as Strategic Planning and Business Development manager before taking on higher responsibilities as Director of Finance in several affiliates in Europe, the Middle East, and now Indonesia.

Gunnar Beckers was appointed as Sampoerna’s Director in 2023. He joined Philip Morris International (PMI) in Germany back in 2005 as a Brand Executive and rapidly progressed through several positions of increasing responsibilities in Brand Management. In 2010, Gunnar moved to PMI Global Services in the United States of America as Manager Marketing and in 2014, he became Marlboro’s Manager Marketing in Brazil. Afterward, Gunnar moved to Indonesia in 2016 and was appointed as Head of Brand Management International Brands for Sampoerna. In 2019, Gunnar was relocated to Lausanne as a Global Head of Projects – Consumer Experience, followed by his most recent role as Global Head Consumer Experience CC.