RICHMOND - The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) today announced that Andreas Dressler will serve as Director of State of Virginia, Europe. Dressler succeeds Matthias Duys, who will retire after serving the Commonwealth for nearly 15 years.
A graduate of the University of Colorado, Duys obtained a master’s degree in business administration in International Business from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management. He worked in several management positions for international pharmaceutical and medical companies prior to his career in international economic development for Virginia. At VEDP Duys promoted the State’s international trade programs and helped source and support global sales and marketing opportunities for Virginia companies. Duys has been promoting foreign direct investment to Virginia for the past nine years.
Dressler, who has been active in the field of foreign direct investment (FDI) for 17 years, is Managing Director of Terrain Consulting in Berlin, Germany. Together with Terrain’s team of foreign direct investment and corporate location specialists, he will provide support to European companies planning to establish a presence in Virginia. Before founding Terrain, Dressler spent 13 years with KPMG, where he created a specialized FDI practice (Global Location & Expansion Services) and managed a global network of location advisory consultants. Dressler has lived in eight countries throughout his life and speaks five languages. He has a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Bath in England.
VEDP has maintained operations in Europe since 1968.
“The Commonwealth of Virginia has long realized the importance of a presence in the European market as we strive to stay competitive in this global economy,” said Martin Briley, VEDP President and CEO. “Matthias Duys served Virginia in our Europe office for the majority of his tenure and is to be commended for his work sharing Virginia’s compelling business story. Virginia has received rankings as a top state for business from CNBC and Forbes.com since the inception of these marquee awards in 2006, and we continue to aggressively promote our business advantages in all markets. We welcome Andreas Dressler to this position, and are confident that his diverse international background and Terrain’s expertise will be valuable in continuing to move Virginia forward overseas.”
“It is an honor and a privilege to be chosen for this important role,” said Dressler. “I look forward to continuing the momentum to promote Virginia’s economic prosperity and advantages in the global market, and help contribute new jobs and capital investment in the Commonwealth.”
Dressler will assume his VEDP role on October 1.
Hans Schetelig, former VEDP Director of State of Virginia, Europe, and Senior Advisor of Council of American States in Europe, will serve as Acting Director until that time.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, a marketing organization, was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate, and support the development and expansion of the economy of the Commonwealth. The Partnership is a state authority, which is governed by a 25-member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor and the Virginia General Assembly. To accomplish its objectives of promoting economic expansion within the Commonwealth, the Partnership focuses its efforts on business recruitment, expansion and international trade. VEDP has offices in Virginia, Germany, Shanghai, Mexico, Japan, India and the United Kingdom.