About us
As seasoned digital business leaders, Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) and digital strategists, we have effectively guided digitalization processes and led digital business success across multiple companies. Our unique perspective sets us apart from external consultants, as it stems from firsthand experience as managers responsible for digital business.
Our extensive practical knowledge encompasses the challenges of digital transformation within established companies, as well as the scaling processes of digital native companies and startups.
Leverage our experiences to your advantage: benefit from the shortcuts we've discovered and steer clear of mistakes we've encountered in the past.
The Team
Experienced digital professionals with a wealth of management expertise.
Sabine Haase
Sabine brings 25 years of extensive experience in the digital landscape. She has successfully built and developed numerous digital businesses on both national and international scales, employing strategies involving organic growth, acquisitions, and seamless integration. Her expertise spans strategic and operational facets, encompassing corporate development, marketing, sales, product development, and IT management.
As a seasoned manager and managing director, Sabine possesses insights into diverse industries, including retail/eCommerce, portal & content businesses, media, online advertising, online classifieds, finance, leisure, and industry.
Beyond her leadership skills, she demonstrates intercultural proficiency and possesses a wealth of language knowledge acquired through participation in numerous international projects.
Leveraging her extensive leadership experience and complemented by her training as a systemic coach, Sabine is dedicated to supporting managers and teams, with a primary focus on facilitating digital transformation initiatives.
Klaus Schmücker
Klaus is a seasoned digital manager with 18 years of experience driving the strategic and operational growth of digital products and business models, as well as implementing transformative digital initiatives. His career spans global corporations, medium-sized enterprises, and startups across various sectors, with notable contributions at Amazon Web Services, Bosch, E.ON, and Thüga AG.
Klaus has a proven track record of enhancing competitiveness and fostering sustainable growth through digital transformation. He has developed innovative digital products, launched new business models, and revitalized traditional business areas by implementing digital solutions. His expertise includes designing comprehensive digital strategies and executing impactful digitalization projects across diverse operational areas.
Key areas of Klaus’s expertise include:
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Developing digital products & business models and getting them on track. Managing digital business areas
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Crafting digital strategies, executing projects, and building and leading high-performing teams
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Effectively driving change management and leading transformational processes
Klaus combines a motivating leadership style with significant international experience, building and empowering high-performing teams in both traditional and modern settings. As a certified executive coach, he also supports managers in their growth and guides them through complex change processes, equipping them to lead effectively in dynamicenvironments.
Rafael Baer
Rafael is an internationally experienced manager and entrepreneur, specializing in sales and marketing, with a focus on B2C and B2B internet operations. His particular strength lies in the international scaling of e-commerce and omnichannel companies, concentrating on industries such as retail, fashion, food, tourism, and consumer goods.
With over 25 years of professional experience at the international level, Rafael has held various leadership positions in the tourism and e-commerce sectors, serving as a managing director and company founder.
Since 2015, he has been actively involved as an interim manager, contributing his expertise to digital transformation, digital sales, and CRM initiatives across diverse industries. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Mr. Baer was honored with the title of "Interim Manager of the Year" in 2020.
Dr. Tjorben Bogon
Tjorben, a passionate computer scientist with a doctorate, has devoted two decades to the field of artificial intelligence. Over the past ten years, he has specialized in developing digital products and crafting IT strategies to drive digital transformation within both corporations and medium-sized companies.
In his role as Chief Digital Officer (CDO), Tjorben effectively managed the entire process landscape within a rapidly growing medium-sized company. He played a key role in the modernization of production and the comprehensive ERP system, contributing to the company's efficient global product distribution.
As an interim manager, Tjorben served as CDO/CIO for a leading company, overseeing the modernization, transformation, and adaptation of the IT landscape to align with the evolving working world. Whether addressing organizational opportunities or innovating IT-based processes, Tjorben collaborates with C-level executives, devises strategies, and actively supports change initiatives.
Theresa Tenneberg
Theresa is a digital leader and general manager with almost 20 years of experience. She has successfully led companies through complex transformation processes, scaled digital & software businesses and implemented digital initiatives, value creation & efficiency programs. She achieved sustainable revenue growth and margin increases, organically and through the acquisition and integration of companies.
In roles such as Chief Digital Officer, SVP Product & Engineering, Business Unit Lead, Strategy & Innovation Manager, and Management Consultant, Theresa has worked for corporations, SMEs, scale-ups, consultancies, and investors internationally. She has experience in a wide range of sectors, primarily in industrial sectors, B2B services, software, IT & telecommunications.
Her expertise includes strategy and product development, transformation & innovation, organizational development and performance improvement.
Theresa is a certified coach and passionate about building and leading interdisciplinary, international and high-performing teams. She offers tailored and people-oriented solutions that align with the specific needs and goals of companies.
With her holistic approach that integrates strategic and operational levels, and combines business strategy, technology and people, she is a valuable partner for sustainable growth, transformation, and operational performance.
Anna-Carina Maerz
Anna-Carina has 20 years of experience as a manager in retail, with a focus on customer orientation in digital and omnichannel sales channels.
In management positions at Weltbild, Mytheresa, and the Betty Barclay Group, she has successfully built and managed complex departments. Her passion for retail and customer centricity was ignited during her time as a consultant for leading retailers and manufacturers in the DACH region at Gruppe Nymphenburg.
She specializes in the strategic development and enhancement of digital sales channels, operational implementation of new business models, holistic customer centricity, and project management in both national and international contexts. Her experience includes localization projects for China and Korea, sustainability initiatives, and the creation of innovative sales concepts, both physical and digital.
Her areas of responsibility have included managing the CX, CRM, performance marketing, digital content & branding, and e-commerce operations departments, with accountability for results in online shops and marketplaces.
Anna-Carina is known for her cross-functional approach, rapid implementation skills, and ability to form high-performance teams. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute. Under her leadership, the Betty Barclay Group won the Retail Case Award 2023 for a new digital sales concept. Additionally, as part of Mytheresa's ESG initiative, she significantly contributed to establishing the D+I committee while consulting with management.
Dr. Christian Bartsch
Christian is a hands-on digital manager/CDO and IT management consultant with 20 years of international transformationand innovation experience in various industries, including automotive, chemical, mechanical engineering and pharma.
As a passionate digitizer and innovator, he pursues a holistic transformation approach. At companies such as Linde plcand KraussMaffei Technologies he has driven digital transformation programs and introduced new technologies like IIoT, machine learning, smart glasses and augmented reality as well as new ways of thinking, methods and processesinternationally to increase internal efficiency and business growth.
For example, under his leadership as Global Vice President, KraussMaffei Technologies was awarded the titles of"Champions of Digital Transformation 2021" and "Digital Champion 2022".
During his work as a management consultant at Infosys and Deloitte, he implemented international projects with a focuson process improvement and organizational development in IT for companies such as AGCO/Fendt, Novartis, BMW and Givaudan.
Christian specializes in the following topics:
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Digital Strategy, Digital Innovation & Digital Product Portfolio Management
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IT Service & Process Management, IT Target Operating Model & IT Reorganization
He leads out of conviction according to the "servant leadership" principle.
Thomas Escher
Thomas is a marketing expert with over 20 years of international project experience in the digital industry. His expertise encompasses the development and expansion of digital products and business models, as well as the creation and execution of profitable marketing and sales strategies.
Thomas excels with an agile management approach, honed across diverse industries such as e-commerce, insurance, finance, media, and healthcare. As the Head of Marketing for an international corporate brand, he recently led the digital transformation of the marketing department, transitioning it from a cost center to a profit center.
An e-commerce founder, Thomas successfully sold his company internationally in 2021. Today, he mentors young start-up founders, helping them build and scale their companies.
Klaus Lichtenauer
After completing his studies in business information technology, Klaus was able to gain a lot of experience in almost all disciplines of information technology in his more than 35 years of work. The skills he developed over the course of his career from software engineer to IT architecture, consulting and program/project management to an IT manager give him a holistic view of complex tasks in transformation and digitalization projects.
Klaus gained his expertise in intercultural management, including stakeholder management, as well as employee leadership and motivation, in various senior management roles at a large German energy company - including more than 15 years as an expat in several European countries. His areas of responsibility focused on IT management such as CIO of a decentralized business subsidiary, decentralized managing director of an IT organization or IT transformation manager.
As an internationally active interim CIO, CDO or CTO, but also as a coach and management consultant, Klaus supports corporations and medium-sized companies in the strategic repositioning of the IT organization, the development of a digital unit, digital transformation & restructuring, and the implementation of IT excellence. Consistent in the realization of the tasks, but respectful in dealing with people, Klaus helps his clients in the future-oriented positioning for a successful business with their customers.