Managers under the spotlight - Cătălin Mitroi, Geberit

Can you tell us about your career journey?

My career started as an engineer in 1995, being an employee of the Technical University of Constructions Bucharest, in charge with research and designing projects in potable water treatment.

Eager to expand my scientific background, I attended a 3-year master at the Technical University Karlsruhe / Germany, on the topic of energy optimisation in Waste Water Plants.

The „sales journey” started in 1999, at Rehau Romania, where I became the National Sales Manager for the Industrial Programs Department, in 2003. I must acknowledge that it was not easy at all to switch from the sciencific world to the sales environment, and this was a very challenging time of my life.

A cornerstone in my transition to the „management journey” was the 2-year MBA started in 2004 at the Viadrina University in Frankfurt Oder / Germany. This programme structured my ideeas about business development and leadership. My master thesis concentrated on strategy development and its implementation by means of Balanced Scorecards.

Since 2006, I am the Managing Director of Geberit Romania and Republic of Moldavia, a very dynamic job considering the transition from a Representative Office to a Limited Company, the integration of the ceramic business aquired in 2015, the continuous growth and steady adaptation to economical ups and downs over the years. Within Geberit, I was offered a 2-year Management Program in Regensdorf / Switzerland (in 2014), which continued my learning process in the management and leadership field.

From a family-run business to the leading sanitary group in Europe, Geberit produces a wide range of sanitary products. What is the history of its Romanian branch?

I would start with the history of the Geberit company, because in 2024, we have the honour to celebrate world-wide 150 years of Geberit existence under the claim „150 Years of Tomorrow”. In Romania, we invited our customers to take part in two events, in Bucharest in Cluj, where we looked back with emotion at the innovations that revolutionized the industry and looked forward to the innovations to come. We followed the Geberit path from a small family plumbing shop in Rapperswil, at the shore of lake Zuerich, to an European leader in sanitary products operating globally, with 3,1 billions CHF net sales in 2023 and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

As of Romania, we started in 2004 with a small Representative Office in Bucharest and in the meantime we have 3 offices: in Bucharest, Cluj and Iasi, where we can train our customers and show them our products. We sell locally the whole range of the Geberit Group: from bathroom products behind the wall like e.g. concealed cisterns, watter supply pipes and water drainage pipes to bathroom products in front of the wall like ceramic WCs, WCs with integrated bide function called Geberit AquaClean, wasbasins, bathroom furniture, shower enclosures, shower drainage and bath tubes. But Geberit is also active in the public buildings range with products like e.g. urinals, electronic IR taps as well as in the industrial range, with systems like the rain water syphonic drainage system PLUVIA for large roofs or the metal pipes and press-fittings system Mapress for different industrial applications.

What are the current trends and challenges in your industry?

Talking about sanitary business, we see since years a clear tendency from the exposed WC cisterns (in front of the wall) toward the concealed WC cisterns (behind the wall), as a more aesthetic, hygienic and reliable solution. Then we see an increasing interest in the shower toilets, meaning WC bowls with the integrated bidet function as a matter of comfort, hygiene and space saving. In the piping business, the lack of specialized workers and the increasing  salaries in the building industry established the “press-fitting” technology, meaning pressing the joints between 2 pipes with a pressing machine, very fast and safe.

Talking about the residential segment, we gladly noticed the upgrading quality in the medium-plus projects as a matter of differentiation.

Fortunately, Geberit is prepared with top products for all tendencies mentioned before.

What was one big innovation your industry has benefited from over the last few years?

Innovation is at the heart of Geberit every year, sustained also by real numbers: 159 patents over the past 5 years, or e.g. 2,3% from Net Sales (70 Million CHF) invested in 2023 in the development and improvement of products.

But really revolutionary for the industry was e.g. the introduction of plastics in the production of the WC cisterns, Geberit developing the absolute first cistern in the sanitary industry made entirely of PVC in 1952.

Also the introduction in 1964 of the concealed cistern (behind the wall) revolutionized the modern bathrooms, giving freedom of design and hygiene as we know them today.

Last but not least, innovations like start/stop or dual flush technology contributed to the decrease of the flushed water volume by 80% compared to 1952. The constant pursuit for water saving is reflected also by new WC System with TurboFlush technology in the WC bowl.

Tell us about one important project you’re working on this year.

WC System is the most important project for this year and the next one. It is about the combination between the famous Geberit WC concealed cistern +  the Geberit WC ceramic bowl with the innovative TurboFlush technology, having as main unique advantages: 10 times more efficiency than the European norm in flushing the toilet; silent due to hydraulic vortex created in the WC ceramic bowl; very hygienic and easy to clean due to the RimFree® technology (WC ceramic bowl without a rim where germs and bacteria could develop); 40% faster installation for e.g. the Acanto WC ceramic bowl due to an innovative mounting system; a large collection of push plates, with different materials like stone, wood, glass, metal, plastic and different design options for the push buttons.

We actually trust so much in the reliability of our products, that we want to share this trust with the end user by running currently 2 campaigns: “Life Time Warranty for Ceramic products” and “6 months retour right” for the WC System with the Acanto WC ceramic bowl, if the flushing performance is not satisfying. The end users can register on our web site in order to participate in campaigns. Otherwise, we offer 50 years availability of the spare parts for the Geberit concealed cisterns, after a version is phased out from production.

How is Cătălin Mitroi outside the office?

Very active: father, husband, friend and trying to find spare time for my (too) many hobbies: organizing a jazz festival, playing guitar, doing fine-art photography, reading, just to mention the most important ones.

What piece of advice would you give to a newly appointed CEO?

Firstly take care of your team: build a trustful management team around you, with the same values as you have. They will seek for the same kind of people around them. Then love, respect and support the so formed team because they are the key to your success. Secondly: become an expert in change management, as the new world is rapidly changing. Read a lot, stay informed in order to be prepared for a change, including changing yourself. Thirdly: take time for your family, your good friends and your hobbies. Your brain and your soul need this kind of quality time.