A New Chapter in FELCO’s Development
Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane, June 17th, 2026 – Following its Annual General Meeting, FELCO SA, the world leader in professional cutting tools and an enduring symbol of Swiss quality since 1945, announces changes to its Board of Directors. Nabil Francis succeeds Manuela Surdez as Chairman of the Board, while Heiner Herz and Jean-Yves Couput join the Board as new members.
These changes mark an important new phase in FELCO’s development. Building on its expertise and heritage, the company intends to continue its growth trajectory by broadening its reach beyond professional users alone. FELCO aims to strengthen its presence among prosumers and passionate home gardeners, while continuing to meet the exacting standards of its longstanding professional customer base.
Nabil Francis is an accomplished executive with extensive experience across the construction and manufacturing sectors in multiple international markets. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) in France and an MBA from ESSEC Business School in Paris.
Nabil Francis: CEO of FELCO Since 2021
Since 2021, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of FELCO SA. Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership positions in France, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Bulgaria, India, Morocco and the Philippines. He notably served as CEO of Republic Cement Services Inc. in the Philippines, where he was also elected President of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP).
Under his leadership, FELCO has further strengthened its position as the global leader in its field. His appointment as Chairman of the Board reflects both his long-standing commitment to the company and his strategic contribution to its development.
Tribute to Manuela Surdez
After 17 years of dedicated service on the Board of Directors, including six years as Chairwoman, Manuela Surdez has decided not to seek a further term.
For nearly two decades, she has guided FELCO through numerous transformations and challenging periods with vision, balance and humanity. The Board extends its sincere gratitude for her outstanding commitment and her decisive contribution to the company’s development.
Strategic Vision Combined with Operational Excellence
Heiner Herz brings extensive experience in corporate transformation and performance management, supported by deep operational expertise. He combines strategic vision with hands-on execution, particularly in the areas of supply chain management, pricing strategy and commercial effectiveness.
As Chief Executive Officer of SIGG, he led the transformation of the company’s business model and operations, repositioned the brand, developed digital and direct-to-consumer channels, and strengthened operational discipline. His experience at Carglass provided him with significant international exposure, particularly in turnaround situations and complex multicultural environments.
As a Board member, he intends to contribute actively to discussions on business development, digital acceleration, distribution strategy and operational excellence, with a strong focus on performance and execution.
He greatly values the quality of FELCO products, the company’s Swiss heritage and the strength of its brand. He sees clear opportunities to expand direct-to-consumer capabilities, optimise distribution and successfully balance growth with profitability.
Business Acumen and Creative Expertise
Jean-Yves Couput is an internationally recognised executive with extensive expertise in brand strategy, innovation and business development within the sports and outdoor industries. He currently serves as Senior Executive Advisor for Corporate Strategy and Communications at Salomon.
Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership positions within leading international organisations, contributing to brand transformations, the development of new growth platforms and the acceleration of innovation. His expertise spans strategic marketing, customer experience, product development and organisational transformation.
His professional journey—from sports journalism to international executive leadership roles, notably with sports equipment manufacturer Salomon—has provided him with a profound understanding of consumer behaviour, market dynamics and the mechanisms through which brands create value.
As a member of FELCO’s Board of Directors, Jean-Yves Couput will contribute his expertise in strategy, innovation, international expansion and brand development to support the company’s next phase of growth while preserving the values that have distinguished FELCO for more than 80 years.
Strengthened Governance to Support Future Growth
With this renewed governance structure, further reinforced by the continuity of Peter Hug, who has been appointed Vice-Chairman of the Board, FELCO strengthens its expertise in innovation, digital transformation, international development and customer experience.
The company is thereby enhancing its ability to support sustainable growth and further expand the international influence of its brand, a recognised Swiss benchmark in professional cutting tools.
For decades, FELCO’s success has been built primarily on serving professional users, with an unwavering focus on performance, reliability, ergonomics and functionality. These core values remain firmly at the heart of the brand’s identity today.
At the same time, FELCO is entering a new phase of its evolution. The company must increasingly address not only professionals but also prosumers and passionate home gardeners. This requires more than simply offering exceptional products. It involves building a stronger emotional connection with users, inspiring enthusiasm and creating a brand that resonates with people who view gardening not merely as a task, but as a rewarding and meaningful leisure pursuit.
Inspiring a Passion for Gardening
In this context, FELCO has the opportunity to evolve from being perceived solely as a premium tool manufacturer into a brand that accompanies people in fully expressing their passion for gardening.
Bringing greater emotion and inspiration to the brand experience will be an essential part of this evolution, while remaining firmly anchored in the values that have underpinned FELCO’s success for more than 80 years.
The appointment of these new members to the Board of Directors marks an important milestone for FELCO. Both bring extensive experience in managing strong brands and, more importantly, in supporting brands undergoing a transformation of their positioning—from a focus primarily on professional users to an approach that also targets the rapidly growing prosumer segment.
