Management vision and values of Parker & Lafitte

Parker & Lafitte is a management and leadership advisory firm that works with organizations facing demanding and complex environments. Our work is guided by a clear management vision that combines grit, wise judgment and a strong focus on people and culture.

Who we are

Our story & legacy

Vision, mission &
core beliefs

Our values

Leadership & Governance

A management and leadership advisory firm

Parker & Lafitte is a management and leadership advisory firm that supports organizations facing demanding and complex environments. We work with senior leaders and C-suite teams to address strategic, organizational and human topics in an integrated way, always linking leadership, culture and execution.

At the heart of our work is a strong belief that there is no business without people. People are the soul of every organization, the visionaries, creators and collaborators who shape its culture and make transformation possible. We focus on building trust, psychological safety and a sense of purpose so that talent, collaboration and performance can grow together.

Our distinctive stance is captured in the expression grit and wise advisory. We combine resilience, perseverance and clear judgment with a pragmatic way of working that is grounded in real life business experience. Across our missions we rely on a PPS lens that connects people, process and system so that advisory work leads to meaningful and sustainable outcomes for our clients.

Our story & legacy

Paris, 1853 : the origins of Parker & Lafitte

PARKER & LAFITTE. The legacy of advice. The future of management.
Grit and Wise Advisory.


Behind the scenes of imperial power, a discreet yet influential man was shaping the economy of a rising empire. Jacques Lafitte, banker to Napoleon III, was more than a financier. He was a strategist, a trusted advisor and a pioneer of what we now call advisory. He understood that beyond numbers, leadership requires courage and clarity, two rare virtues in times of transformation. This became his craft.

Born into an era of industrial acceleration, Parker began not in finance but in the mechanics of progress. He built his reputation by advising early innovators and merchants whose fortunes rose and fell with the tides of change.

Lafitte represented the polished order of capital. Parker embodied the restless energy that turns ideas into institutions. His approach was pragmatic and principled. Numbers served purpose and purpose served people. Colleagues spoke of his rare combination of boldness and restraint. He believed that wisdom is earned through the testing of conviction.

It was this equilibrium between Lafitte’s refinement and Parker’s resolve that would later inspire the founding philosophy of Parker and Lafitte as Grit and Wise Advisory.

A legacy reborn in today’s business reality

Over one hundred and fifty years later, as organizations face unprecedented complexity, Parker & Lafitte was created based on the vision of Jean Luc Giraud. For several years he offered advice on a goodwill basis to friends and colleagues while still working in corporate roles. These informal engagements confirmed the need for a management and leadership advisory approach that is both pragmatic and human.

In 2026, building on his experience across multiple industries and countries, he decided to structure this activity and created Parker and Lafitte as a dedicated advisory firm with an AktionGesellschaft in Switzerland at the centre of the EMEA region.

The firm was founded on a simple belief. To support today’s leaders, it is necessary to combine the rigor of past practices with the insight required by current challenges. The name Lafitte pays tribute to a legacy of vision, discretion and trust. The name Parker brings a forward looking, international and agile perspective shaped by real world transformation challenges.

From this alliance emerged a clear position, Grit and Wise Advisory. Advisory grounded in reality and powered by resilience, experience and collective intelligence.

Parker & Lafitte is born from heritage and built for the future. In a world of constant change, leaders need strong and trusted allies. The best advice is always given with courage and wisdom.

Vision, mission and core beliefs

Our vision

Our vision is to guide ambitious organizations that have the grit to endure and the wisdom to evolve. We aim to help leadership teams leverage the full strength of their workforce so that strategy, culture and execution move in the same direction and create sustainable value.

Our core beliefs

– People are the soul of every organization. Diversity and inclusion are pivotal to making a difference and strengthening company culture.

– Culture is not just a set of rules or rituals. It is the invisible force that ignites passion, fuels innovation and drives extraordinary performance. When organizations invest in people, nurture talents and build a culture of trust and purpose, they unlock a powerful ripple effect. It inspires greatness, propels teams beyond limits and turns challenges into opportunities. Simply put, people shape culture, and culture shapes the future of every business.

– Our distinctive global approach is designed to deliver unparalleled value. Rooted in perseverance and insightful guidance, and leveraging our smart P.P.S methodology, we strategically align people, process and system to achieve meaningful and sustainable results tailored to your unique needs.

Our mission is to empower organizations to overcome demanding strategic, organizational and human challenges through resilient, insightful and pragmatic management advisory. We partner with leaders and C-suite teams to design tailored solutions built on clear operational plans that can be executed in real life.

Our mission

Our values

Our values guide the way we work with leaders, teams and organizations. They shape our advisory style and the way we design and execute each engagement.

Grit

We approach every mission with determination and perseverance. We stay engaged through complex situations and remain focused on finding solutions that create real impact.

Wisdom

We bring industry experience, analytical thinking and sound judgment to our work. Our recommendations are based on facts, context and a clear understanding of how organizations operate.

Client centricity

Our clients’ goals and needs are at the heart of everything we do. We build strong, collaborative partnerships and tailor our solutions to deliver lasting value rather than generic answers.

Resourcefulness

We encourage creativity, curiosity and learning. We help organizations explore new ideas, connect existing capabilities in different ways and turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.

Excellence

We are committed to high standards in everything we do. We prepare thoroughly, challenge ourselves through feedback and continuously improve the way we deliver advisory work.

Leadership & governance

Our leadership and governance framework combines a structured board, an active advisory board and selected academic collaborations. Together, they provide strategic guidance and independent insight that strengthen the quality of our advisory work.

Board

Our board brings together experienced senior leaders from different functions and industries. It provides strategic guidance, oversees our development and ensures that our advisory work stays aligned with our vision and values.

Advisory board

Our advisory board brings independent perspectives from various disciplines and geographies. It acts as a sounding board on complex topics and helps us challenge and enrich our thinking for the benefit of our clients.

Jean Luc Giraud

Managing partner and chairman of the board

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Frédéric Giraud

Senior logistics partnership manager

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Christian Neubert

Leader of the Human Edge consulting firm and senior executive and transformational leader

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Firm leadership and board members

Strategic advisory board

Brigitte Schraetzenstaller-Rauch

Head of organization and administration at Vedra Pension and co founder of Great People Consulting

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Matthias Scharer

Chief operating officer for Microsoft Device Partner Sales EMEA and strategy and marketing leader for AI and cloud transformation at Microsoft

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Cecilia Rodriguez

Founding partner and managing director of Sollertia in Argentina

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Devvesh P. Srivastav

Country president and HR director APAC at Centrient Pharmaceuticals in India

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Alexandra Zhao

Senior Consultant of Zhonglun W&D Law Firm. Visiting scholar of Columbia Law School 2025-2026

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Jean Luc Giraud

Managing partner and chairman of the board

A global human resources and business C-suite Leader with a combined business management and broad human resources expertise. Having worked and lived internationally, with multinational large and mid-size companies experiences developed across several industries, FMCG, retails, Healthcare & pharmaceutical, luxury, automotive and energy including best practices gained in General Electric, Novartis and Mercedes-Benz. Jean-luc worked several years as a member of the management team in PE (Bain Capital) back up company.

Driving substantial changes through growth plans, operational effectiveness, multiple integrations following acquisitions, entry & development into emerging markets. Creating short and long terms value by addressing people challenges such as Global cultural and business Transformations, talent acquisition, organization development, leadership, performance management, C&B, Employee relations, HR operations.   Having held significant budgets and leading global teams in complex matrix organizations, focusing on both strategic and operational excellence.  Passionate by talent Management and people growth.

Jean-Luc is an alumni from the Ecole Superieure des affaires-University Grenoble II (France)  with 2 post MBA degrees Magistere of business management and DESS of management information system – He is also an alumni from ESSEC Business school (France) with a specialized HR program  and Manheim University (Germany) with an Executive MBA.  He has also completed various short terms programs at Stanford university (USA) – Sloan Business school (USA) – INSEAD (France)

Frédéric Giraud

Senior logistics partnership manager

Frédéric is a multilingual logistics professional with hands-on experience in last mile delivery, supply chain optimization, and 3PL operations across Europe. He currently serves as Senior Logistics Partnership Manager at Westwing, where he oversees logistics strategy and carrier partnerships across DACH, BENELUX, and France.Prior to Westwing, Frédéric held multiple leadership roles at Amazon Logistics, including Delivery Operations Manager and On-Road Manager, where he directed large-scale delivery networks, led regional cost optimization initiatives, and supported multiple country and station launches across Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

He is Lean and Kaizen certified, with a strong track record in vendor negotiations, cost savings, and sustainable logistics practices.

His experience spans e-commerce, retail, and tech-driven logistics environments, with a focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Frédéric holds a Master in International Management from EADA Business School in Barcelona and a Master in Change Implementation & Disruptive Technology from Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. He is fluent in French, German, and English, with working proficiency in Spanish

Brigitte Schraetzenstaller-Rauch

Head of organization and administration at Vedra Pension and co founder of Great People Consulting

About Great People
Founded in 2014, Great People brings together a team of highly experienced practitioners with outstanding consulting and coaching qualifications and a proven track record across industries and leadership levels.
The team combines solid business backgrounds with deep human understanding – bridging strategy and people, structure and empathy. With decades of international experience in corporate, SME, and start-up environments, Great People consultants work pragmatically, strategically, and with a deep belief that successful transformation starts with people who feel connected to what they do.

About Brigitte
Brigitte combines systemic coaching and mediation expertise with extensive leadership experience in multinational corporations and start-ups. Her career includes positions at Roche, Oracle, Novartis, and Bilfinger, giving her a profound understanding of organizational dynamics, leadership challenges, and cultural diversity.
As a former Managing Director in the start-up sector, Brigitte brings a hands-on approach to business transformation and organizational development. She supports executives and teams in gaining clarity, aligning strategy and culture, and leading change with confidence and empathy.

Her Focus Areas
Executive Coaching Brigitte coaches C-level leaders, senior managers, and leading professionals to enhance their effectiveness and leadership impact.
Focus topics include:
• First 90 Days onboarding and leadership transition
• Executive Presence and authentic leadership, especially for female senior leaders
• Self-effectiveness, management, and career development strategies

Start-up Consulting
Drawing on her own executive experience in start-up leadership, Brigitte supports founders and early-stage companies in building sustainable structures and growth strategies.
Typical consulting areas:
• Pitch coaching to create compelling, investor-ready presentations
• Business development and Go-to-Market strategies
• Company building and scaling from concept to execution

Executive Consulting & Organizational Development
Brigitte advises organizations in strategy, change, and leadership development, enabling transformation with clarity, empathy, and measurable results.
Key project experience includes:
• Company strategy development and rollout in Healthcare, IT, and Service industries
• Design and global rollout of a Human Resources Strategy in the service sector
• Development and implementation of a “Sales Academy” for an intern. printing company
• Teambuilding and leadership alignment workshops for global finance teams in the
pharmaceutical industry

Global Projects & HR Expertise
Her international project portfolio includes:
• Development of Global HR strategies and implementation of an international Diversity & Inclusion strategy
• Development of Global Leadership Programs for multinational organizations
• HR Interim Management for a leading pharmaceutical company – including business
partnering with global business units and facilitating change management & coaching skill workshops for leadership teams

Facilitation & Events
Her passion lies in inspiring groups, fostering active and interactive collaboration, and creating lasting impact.
• Facilitates engagement from small teams to large organizations, ensuring every
participant is involved
• Designs and leads kickoffs, trainings, and bootcamps that spark creativity and
collaboration
• Creates experiences that leave participants inspired, motivated, and talk about the impact years later

In a nutshell
Brigitte is a pragmatic, inspiring, and results-driven consultant – credible in the
boardroom,empathetic in personal interaction, and deeply committed to sustainable
transformation.
She believes that organizations thrive when people are aligned, motivated, and connected.

Matthias Scharer

Chief operating officer for Microsoft Device Partner Sales EMEA and strategy and marketing leader for AI and cloud transformation at Microsoft

Matthias is technology executive with 25+ years of experience leading strategic growth, transformation, and innovation across global markets. As COO and Head of Strategy & Marketing for Microsoft Device Partner Sales EMEA, I drive regional execution across Marketing, Category Management, and Operations—accelerating AI adoption, hybrid infrastructure, and next-gen device deployment.

I lead a high-performing organization focused on aligning Microsoft’s investment strategy with customer needs, enabling digital transformation at scale, and unlocking value through intelligent edge and cloud services. Passionate about building future-ready teams, I combine strategic foresight with operational excellence to deliver impact across diverse industries and partner ecosystems.

Previously held senior sales leadership roles at Microsoft and Intel, with deep expertise in enterprise sales, vertical industry transformation, and partner strategy across Europe.

Matthias is hold a master of Engeering – Diploma Civil engineering from the Technical University of Munich and an MBA from Mannheim and ESSEC Business schools as well as a certificate from Insead in Management acceleration program.  

Cecilia Rodriguez

Founding partner and managing director of Sollertia in Argentina

Cecilia is an executive coach and consultant with over 20 years of experience in human behaviour and organizational development. Since founding Sollertia in 2004, she has partnered with more than 600 clients across Latin America and internationally, guiding leaders and organizations through processes of change, growth, and transformation. 

She is also Co-Founder of Avvartes International, a Switzerland-based network that amplifies leadership and organizational evolution programs across 16 countries. 

Certified Executive Coach by the Center for Creative Leadership, she has supported leaders at different organizational levels—CEOs, Presidents, Regional Heads, Vice Presidents, and Directors—across industries such as banking, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, energy, logistics, and beverages & spirits, in regions from Latin America to the U.S., Europe, and Asia. 

Rooted in experiential learning and inspired by her lifelong connection with mountaineering, Cecilia brings a distinctive perspective to her facilitation and coaching: insight-driven conversations that help leaders unlock clarity, strengthen decision-making, and move forward with focus and confidence. 

She designed the R4G – Resilience for Growth Program with five global colleagues, delivering it for women leaders in open cohorts in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America (2019–2023). From this initiative, “daughters’ programs” were created in-company for SIG (Global), MSD (Latin America) Akbank (Turkey), YPF and Banco Galicia (Argentina).

Devvesh P. Srivastav

Country president and HR director APAC at Centrient Pharmaceuticals in India

Devvesh P has an enriched experienced of three decades in various Global, Regional & Local organizations in People & Business Management across Pan India, Asia, Europe & North America. Been on panel of key industry forums like IGCTC, NIPM, IISPI, OPPI & EFI. A post-graduate in HR Management & Employee Relations, Lawyer by training & Graduate in Tax with Chartered Accountancy Inter.

Devvesh is an inspiring leader who has a proven track record to transform, build, Co create and integrate high performing teams to achieve goals. He is currently based out of Gurgaon, Delhi NCR where he is working as Country President & Global & Regional HR Head for Global Tech Ops and Asia Region and a Board Member, Occupier under the Indian laws on compliance. Before he was working as Head HR & Corporate Services function with a Canadian MNC – Apotex and part of the Global HR Leadership Team having a GCC – Shared Service Centre in Mumbai.

Prior to Centrient & Apotex, he was with Sun Pharma as Corporate & Manufacturing HR Head, he advanced to become the Global HRBP for Sun Pharma with a responsibility of 10,000+ People role and was heading the Formulations business as AVP – HR & Admin. During his stint with Sun Pharma, Devesh has spearheaded the landmark integration of Sun – Ranbaxy & successfully completed the integration of GSK Opiate business of Australia with Sun.

At Teva, he was Sr. VP – HR & Admin and was responsible for the building One Teva – One Team. Previously he played significant role in transforming Merck in India while he was VP – HR & Corp Admin for Merck Group of Companies as HR Head for more than 12 Years. During his stint he has did multiple integration, Merck Millipore, Bangalore Genie & Merck Serono & also worked at Merck HQ in Germany and was responsible for 7 APAC countries in his regional responsibility. In addition to his HR professional exposure, he has successfully established 2 Major CSR Campaign MICT (Merck India Charitable Trust) – Adoption of Talent & IGNITE in Apotex – Initiative for Talent for underprivileged students in BLR & Mumbai and currently supporting a Centrient CSR campaign where he is passionately driving multiple projects touching 60,000+lives every year.

Devvesh P have worked across regions of India and did Global assignment in Germany/Frankfurt and lead South East Asia seven countries in his Regional Roles and exposed to multiple complex projects working with great minds and Organizations like McKinsey , EY, PwC , Bain , KPMG and known for working many business transforming assignment in his tenure and supporting start Up network while awarded as TOP 100 HR Mind , Best 100 HR Leaders, won accolades for his companies in Best Employers study in 2014 and 2018.

Belongs to a defence family background, Wife Mohini, an IT Professional and now a Home Maker & his son Divynsh is a professional Architect.

Certification Programmes & Key Leadership Engagements:

  • Certified trainer for different programs in Leadership & Management Development.
  • Certified trainer for “Insights” a behavioural program by Insights Discovery, Berlin
  • Certified trainer for coaching skills and NLP by David Ross, Performance Unlimited, UK.
  • Certified Assessor for Leadership Profiling by Merck KGaA.
  • Certified for Hogan Assessment – Three Fish
  • Performance Management System IIM – Ahmedabad
  • Certificate Course in “Regional Talent Training” at Singapore/Shanghai/Mumbai
  • Executing Coaching Skills & NLP Techniques – by Performance Unlimited UK
  • Merck Leadership Curriculum Certification – I, II, III & IV
  • 360 degree feedback program – by SHL.
  • Critical skills for Managers – by Andrew Bryant of “Self Leadership”, Singapore.
  • Gold Medallist in “Innovation Workshop” at Frankfurt
  • Persuing his ACC/MCC from Coachraya & ICF

Alexandra Zhao

Senior Consultant of Zhonglun W&D Law Firm. Visiting scholar of Columbia Law School 2025-2026

Ping ZHAO (Alexandra) is a Senior Consultant at Zhonglun W&D Law Firm and a Visiting Scholar at Columbia Law School. With over twenty years of experience spanning the judiciary, corporate, and private practice sectors, she has gained extensive experience advising multinational corporations on international arbitration, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and global trade compliance.

Before entering private practice, Ms. Zhao served as Global Risk and Compliance Director and China Legal Head at Centrient Pharmaceuticals, a Bain Capital portfolio company headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she established comprehensive global compliance frameworks covering anti-corruption, export controls, ESG, and data privacy. Earlier, she was Senior Legal Counsel at China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), managing complex international disputes and investment arbitration cases across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Africa.

Ms. Zhao began her legal career as a judge assistant at the Beijing Haidian District Court and was later promoted to Acting Judge. She also worked with The Asia Foundation on legal reform initiatives in China. She currently serves as Vice Secretary-General of the China International Investment Arbitration Forum and Director of the China Modern Enterprise Research Association.

She holds an LL.M. in Commercial Law from the University of Bristol, an MBA from Tsinghua University, and a B.A. in English from the China University of Political Science and Law.

Christian Neubert

Leader of the Human Edge consulting firm and senior executive and transformational leader

Christian Neubert is a senior executive, transformational leader, and a trusted advisor to C-level executives for major businesses. He is also an expert in cultural transformation. Christian’s interactions with clients are insightful and provocative. He contributes experience from a multitude of countries, in a wide array of industries including pharmaceuticals, technology, banking, and broader life sciences. 

He specialises in defining strategic vision, leading and managing change, and executing to deliver against expected results. Wherever he goes, he cultivates innovation and demonstrates a global perspective, to deliver high performance across multiple cultures and markets. 

Christian’s focus on advanced analytics solutions includes Strategic Workforce Planning, allowing senior leaders to take impactful decisions resulting in more agile organizations for today and in the future. 

He is dedicated to successfully building and enabling organizations to build internal game-changing capabilities that have long-lasting business impact. Christian holds a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from the University of Freiburg (Germany), and a bachelor’s degree in Economics. In his free time, he spends time with his family and friends, skiing, and traveling around the world. 

What clients can expect from Christian: 

His thoughtful, probing approach coupled with his strong business acumen focuses individuals and teams on the behaviours and actions required to achieve results, whether setting strategic direction, leading transformational change, or achieving exceptional performance.