Business leader and author dies

VILNIUS - Lithuania's business community is mourning the loss of Audrone Tamulionyte-Lentz, vice president of the Vilnius-based firm Aon Consulting. Tamulionyte-Lentz died in Vilnius on April 5 after a sudden illness.

Tamulionyte was born in Lithuania at the close of WWII and fled to Germany with her parents. The family settled in Detroit, Michigan where she earned several degrees and worked in high-level positions in the human resources field in the United States auto industry.

She was one of the first expatriates to return to Lithuania after the country regained its independence. Her company, HR Strategies, was incorporated into the multinational Aon Consulting firm in 1995 and now has a staff of 20 people. It is the head office for the Central and Eastern European region (including Russia).

Tamulionyte-Lentz had recently been spending much time expanding the company's activities in Malaysia.

Tamulionyte-Lentz is the co-author of a forthcoming book, "Business Beyond the Curtain: Succeeding in Central and Eastern Europe," which will be released this month by Gulf Publishing. The book draws on her extensive experience as a human resources consultant in the region.

Tamulionyte-Lentz had also been president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania, and was president of the first chapter of International Sales and Marketing Executives in Eastern Europe.

She was also a member of the International Women's Club and the Association of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists. She is survived by her husband, William, and a son, Andrius.