An international network, extensive field experience, and tailor-made customized solutions: these are the distinctive elements of Touché Consulting, a company founded in 2000 and a partner of Kelmer Group.
Today, we have the opportunity to interview the CEO, Massimo Cugusi.
Massimo Cugusi-CEO Touché Consulting
Massimo, what is your role?
I am the founder and CEO of Touché Consulting, an Italian company with international reach and offices in Naples and Cagliari. Since 2000, I have been leading Touché’s activities on a path of international development spanning the Far East, North America, Baltic countries, Caucasus, and other emerging markets. I have experience in European, Japanese, and Central Asian markets, and since 2015, the Middle East, with a focus on the Gulf region. Additionally, I hold the position of Vice President of Uniexport Manager and I am the President of the Export Italy Award. For over 35 years, I have dedicated myself to designing and guiding the internationalization process of Italian businesses, with a particular focus on the tech and design sectors.
What is Touché Consulting’s core business?
Touché positions itself as a boutique; we are not product suppliers but designers of tailor-made solutions for each client. We offer not only operational services but also strategic consultancy. We analyze companies’ potential, leveraging deep market dynamics knowledge, to identify the best company-product-market combination. Our strength lies in combining two components: the technical and cultural aspects related to professional activity and the relational component based on a solid network of contacts. Our main clients are companies that fall within the small and medium-sized enterprises category, an extremely dynamic sector considering it contributes 46% to the total Italian exports. Additionally, we provide training services for the internal resources of the companies we collaborate with, ensuring comprehensive consultancy.
What is the nature of the collaboration between Kelmer and Touché?
Kelmer has been our first strategic partner, with whom we have been collaborating since 2015. Through this partnership, Touché Consulting and Kelmer integrate their service portfolios with new geographies and professional services for clients.
Together, Kelmer Group and Touché provide comprehensive support, ranging from legal and tax consultancy to customized internationalization strategy design. This collaboration aims to simplify the process of entering new markets, enabling companies to effectively and competently address challenges and opportunities.
What are Touché’s future goals?
Since 2016, Touché has been operating in the Gulf region with a base in the United Arab Emirates. For about two years, we have also made significant investments in Saudi Arabia. The market differs in structure, demographics, and maturity level, and the needs are different as well. Among our clients is a leading Saudi industrial group aiming to grow in various areas, including through partnerships with Italian companies. In this case, our task is to select and prepare them for the Gulf market. Saudi Arabia offers immense opportunities, even though many sectors still need to be regulated. However, there is a strong determination to become an exporting and manufacturing country, and this perspective opens up vast opportunities for the expertise possessed by Italian SMEs.