About me

I’m Christian – an international strategist, marketer, sustainability entrepreneur, advisor and fractional leader with a unique blend of corporate, consulting and founder experiences.

I thrive in pivotal moments of change – brand reinventions, market entries, strategic re-alignments, sustainability transitions – where clarity is scarce, playbooks don’t exist and speed matters.

Over the past 20+ years, I’ve built the Global Consumer Insights Team for Mazda during a three-year assignment in Japan, launched and scaled Avaus – the leading Nordic digital consultancy – in DACH, and founded Sneakers Unplugged, Europe’s first retail concept for sustainable & fair sneakers, nominated twice for the German Sustainability Award (2025 & 2026).

Throughout my corporate career, I led strategic marketing, brand, media & insights functions for more than a decade, introducing innovations from econometric modelling to applied behavioural science and was awarded with the prestigious Automotive News Europe Rising Star Award in 2017.

Having lived and worked in Germany, the UK and Japan, I move seamlessly between cultures, industries and disciplines – forming a contextualised understanding of people, relationships and organisational dynamics.

I bring strategic depth and hands-on execution alongside energy, speed, curiosity and decision guts. Clients value me as a trusted sparring partner and kickstarter who can master new, unfamiliar and complex topics fast and turn them into tangible results.

“I swim fast, especially in cold & unknown waters.”

Black, white, red, and yellow badge with the text "NOMINEE" at the top, a black circle with a white center and black border, and black, red, and yellow stripes at the bottom. The badge features the words "German," "Sustainability Award," and the year "2025."
A badge with the text 'NOMINEE' at the top and 'German Sustainability Award 2026' at the bottom. The badge features a black, red, and yellow horizontal stripe at the bottom, reminiscent of the German flag. The main background is white, and there is a black and white circular design in the center.
Cover of Automotive News Europe 2017 Rising Star magazine.
  • Man with glasses pointing at store window with large text that says 'Stylish Sustainable Eco-Friendly Air' and display of sneakers inside store.
  • Group of seven smiling people taking a selfie in an office, with a banner and a green emergency exit sign above.
  • A man in a suit with glasses standing in front of a large tractor tire, with arms outstretched and smiling.
  • A man with glasses and a denim shirt smiling and pointing upwards at a sneakers store sign.

Career Milestones

A man wearing glasses and a plaid blazer is giving a presentation in front of a slide with hexagonal shapes containing text. The man is holding a remote control and gesturing with his hands.

  • Founder & Owner

    Cologne / Düsseldorf / ex-Münster

    • Conceptualised and established Europe’s first retail fashion concept for sustainable & fair sneakers with highly acclaimed press coverage

    • Developed the Onlineshop and three physical retail concept stores in central locations

    • Operationally led all business areas from purchasing, inventory & sales planning to Marketing, HR, Finance & Accounting

  • CEO & General Manager DACH

    Munich / Germany

    • Led the market entry of a Nordic digital transformation consultancy and MarTech implementation partner of Adobe and Salesforce

    • Set up the Munich office, built a team of eight and passed €1M revenue in the first year

    • Built new business, recruitment, PR and events from scratch

    • Advised clients on B2B marketing, marketing automation, lead management, data foundations and change management

  • 06/2015 - 04/2018 (Leverkusen / Germany)

    Head of Brand, Media & Insights

    • Repositioned Mazda’s European brand direction, established brand governance principles and European media guidelines

    • Sparring partner and trusted advisor to the local management teams

    • [Budgets of up to €10M, teams of more than 15, if that was this role]

    • Automotive News Europe Rising Star Award 2017, Brand Management

    09/2013 - 05/2015 (Leverkusen / Germany) - Head of Launch & Car Connectivity

    • Led go-to-market for five new models across 12 markets within nine months, from strategy to operations

    • Created the global car connectivity strategy and its development foundations

    09/2010 - 08/2013 (Hiroshima / Japan) - Manager Global Consumer Insights

    • Selected for a three-year expatriate assignment at global headquarters to set up and lead the new Global Consumer Insights department

    09/2007 - 08/2010 (Frankfurt / Germany) - Team Leader Brand Strategy & Insights

    07/2006 - 08/2007 (Frankfurt / Germany) - Specialist Consumer Insights

  • Senior Executive Client Service - Frankfurt / Germany