There's nothing to stop BWT... or Naty Lopez! Called upon to consolidate business units worldwide as COO BWT POOL, she hands over her position as Managing Director of BWT Pool Products France and Benelux to Carlos Muñoz, a new addition to the BWT team. Two changes that reflect the company's constant drive to innovate and expand internationally. We met this exceptional duo!

New challenges and prospects at BWT to meet the international expansion of the Pool Division and continuous BWT mission "Change the World - Sip by Sip"

So Naty, can you assess all the actions that you've taken since you've joined BWT? 

Naty Lopez: I have been around BWT five years now and during this time we have been creating and consolidating the Pool division within BWT. The group BWT (Best Water Technology) is a leader in water treatment technologies. As such, we produce state-of-the-art softeners, drinking water, water dispensers and because we are specialists in water, we decided some years ago to step into the pool business. We started to do acquisitions to create a strategy around the world, and for sure, we should not forget about COVID impact in our Pool Business. What's happened to the pool industry during those two years was unexpected. And after that, we had to adapt to the new market. During these challenging times we improved, we learned, and we created a very dynamic and flexible team adapted to this constantly evolving market.  

What initiated those changes for both you and Carlos? 

Naty Lopez: When we were consolidating this new BWT pool business unit, a lot of new companies joined us. And I was proposed a new role, the role of the COO, coordinating all these pool activities around the world. That meant that I needed to find someone to replace me in my previous function as a managing director of BWT for France and Benelux in order for me to focus on the new position worldwide. 

Will you be supervising the day-to-day operation of the pool units? 

Naty Lopez: Yes, exactly. My new function will be this consolidation of all the business units worldwide. Today, we have companies from New Zealand to Hong Kong, from the USA to South Africa. That means that I'll need to coordinate these business units and guideline a little bit of the strategy for the future of BWT worldwide. It's really important for us. BWT is becoming a big player in the pool industry, but our objective, our ambition even, is to create ecological and sustainable products for the future aligned with our mission to "Change the world - Sip by Sip". And to achieve that, we really have to coordinate our strategies. The same strategy we are doing in France or in Spain, we could do it in New Zealand or in the US. And a second point that's also very important to us is developing and strengthening our distribution network and our promise to create mutually beneficial partnership that support the growth of our professional customers and mutual benefits.

In order to reach that goal, will you be developing a new strategy or the strategy is already in place?

Naty Lopez: The strategy is already in place, and it has been since we started to go into the pool business. However, I will now be focused on renewable energies in a multicultural division. And we need to put more energy and a really positive attitude into this strategy. But this strategy is and always will be: to change the world - Sip by Sip. 

Will you be working with a new team?

Naty Lopez: I'm very aware that no one can be successful alone. We are an orchestra director and we need good people around us. I'm very proud to say that I have a lot of people who have been supporting these transversal operations. It means that even if the team is already in place, but we need to reinforce this corporate structure with new people. But a big part of the team is already in place and they are absolutely brilliant.

Where are we in the process of the handover?

Naty Lopez: It's already ongoing. Carlos joined us at the end of January in his new position at BWT France and Benelux managing director. We've known each other for many years and we know it'll go very smoothly. It will be a soft transition. I won't disappear all of a sudden. I will be supporting him, but stepping behind a little bit at the time to leave him space.

Carlos, how are you feeling about the new position?

Carlos Muñoz: I'm very happy. Really happy. Everything has been very natural and everyone is helping me a lot and accompanying me through the process, thanks to an excellent professional management team from both BWT Pool France and BWT Pool Benelux who have provided me with all the information I needed. Everything has been as easy as it could be. And thanks to that, I have quickly adapted to my new responsibilities at the BWT group.

For how long have you been working with BWT and what was your previous position?

Carlos Muñoz: I have been working for BWT since the end of January. So, it has been a very intense first few months in which I have met a very large part of the teams working at the manufacturing and logistics facilities, as well as part of the staff responsible for the thirteen professional shops we have in France and the three in Belgium. So, for me, after 32 years working in the water sector applied to the swimming pool, it's a great challenge. And I feel, with all my years of experience, I can contribute. And with my arrival, the BWT Group intends to confirm the transformation momentum of its companies in France and Belgium and generates more value for the market and its professional customers, taking advantage of the great competitive values and synergies that we have in both countries.

What are your goals as new managing director?

Carlos Muñoz: Our goal is to put the professional customer at the heart of all our decisions. We want to exceed the expectations that our customer has put in us. So, we are working to improve our internal operations in order to provide the best of our value proposal to the market. And that's the first and main goal. We are working very hard to achieve that. We continue to improve our internal and external capacities to push the French and Benelux market. Because BWT is more than a water company or a pool company, you know. We want to "Change the World - Sip by Sip", so step by step we are preparing our companies to do so. And that's what distinguishes BWT from all the others companies in the sector. We are focusing on customers and professional customers, in efficiency and ecological products, in energy saving and water saving. And that's our focus for the future.