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Looking back
I grew up behind the Wall in East Germany, and when it fell, my career options expanded dramatically. With a passion for science and electronics, I pursued physics, eventually earning a PhD in astroparticle physics at CERN in 2001.
Many wonder how I transitioned from fundamental research to consulting. From a young age, I was driven by curiosity for how things worked and to help others to understand complex subjects. While science deals in absolutes, business often operates in shades of gray, which made me question my move at times, but I never regretted it.
Consulting led me to McKinsey, where I worked for the next 10 years, primarily on projects in the aerospace and IT industry. The aviation world was in turmoil after September 11, and many companies struggled for the right strategy; hence, it was an interesting time to be involved in such projects. Working on the Ariane VI launcher, Eurofighter jets, and A380 development program made me fall in love with this industry. This led me to an exciting opportunity to join Airbus Defense & Space as their global lead for research and development. Five years later, Airbus asked me to take over the Dornier Consulting Group as CEO, a subsidiary with 300 consultants and several structural challenges, yet with the clear intention to divest, which we achieved 4 years later when selling the once again flourishing company to private equity.
This exit also marked my step into the world of digitization, as I joined Accenture’s global Industry X leadership in early 2019 to drive a buy-and-build strategy for engineering services & manufacturing IT/OT, which eventually led to the acquisition of umlaut by Accenture in 2021. Three years later, with the integration of 27 separate umlaut entities in Accenture all over the globe in my backpack, I was ready for new adventures and—together with umlaut colleagues—decided to build something on my own and have tangible control over it.
Many wonder how I transitioned from fundamental research to consulting. From a young age, I was driven by curiosity for how things worked and to help others to understand complex subjects. While science deals in absolutes, business often operates in shades of gray, which made me question my move at times, but I never regretted it.
Consulting led me to McKinsey, where I worked for the next 10 years, primarily on projects in the aerospace and IT industry. The aviation world was in turmoil after September 11, and many companies struggled for the right strategy; hence, it was an interesting time to be involved in such projects. Working on the Ariane VI launcher, Eurofighter jets, and A380 development program made me fall in love with this industry. This led me to an exciting opportunity to join Airbus Defense & Space as their global lead for research and development. Five years later, Airbus asked me to take over the Dornier Consulting Group as CEO, a subsidiary with 300 consultants and several structural challenges, yet with the clear intention to divest, which we achieved 4 years later when selling the once again flourishing company to private equity.
This exit also marked my step into the world of digitization, as I joined Accenture’s global Industry X leadership in early 2019 to drive a buy-and-build strategy for engineering services & manufacturing IT/OT, which eventually led to the acquisition of umlaut by Accenture in 2021. Three years later, with the integration of 27 separate umlaut entities in Accenture all over the globe in my backpack, I was ready for new adventures and—together with umlaut colleagues—decided to build something on my own and have tangible control over it.
Looking forward
In the DACH Region, our industrial strength lies largely in discrete manufacturing (the “German Mittelstand”). Many of those SMEs are world market leaders who build highly sophisticated products for the B2B and B2C markets. This has been a successful model for decades, yet the world is turning, and new competitors are rising with the advancement of breakthrough technologies like cloud, AI, and connectivity. What drives me is stepping in to help those companies navigate the challenges and capture the opportunities that come with digitalization.
My experience in a range of roles—as a strategy consultant to top management, as a leader within a traditional corporate hierarchy, and as sole managing director of Dornier Consulting—will clearly be beneficial here. Yet, my role has now shifted again. I’m looking for companies that are open to hands-on guidance, willing to improve based on our input and trust us not to overpower them but to empower them for their next growth trajectory.
In various ways, particle physics serves as a metaphor for what we’re trying to do at Räuberleiter—understand the fundamental components of a business organization, such as its markets, people, processes, and culture, and how they all need to fit together to create a successful organism.
My experience in a range of roles—as a strategy consultant to top management, as a leader within a traditional corporate hierarchy, and as sole managing director of Dornier Consulting—will clearly be beneficial here. Yet, my role has now shifted again. I’m looking for companies that are open to hands-on guidance, willing to improve based on our input and trust us not to overpower them but to empower them for their next growth trajectory.
In various ways, particle physics serves as a metaphor for what we’re trying to do at Räuberleiter—understand the fundamental components of a business organization, such as its markets, people, processes, and culture, and how they all need to fit together to create a successful organism.
Personal side
Father of six / Certified pyrotechnician / Call sign DN9AB / Climbing & badminton enthusiast / Geology ♥ Paleontology
