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Richard

Chief of Staff | Strategic Advisor to C-Level | Driving Transformation & Growth

About Me

Chief of Staff / business operations leader with experience spanning commercial operations, transformation, and marketing across FMCG, mobility, technology and media; supports C-level teams, builds operating models, and drives measurable execution across complex B2B and B2C environments. My strength lies in bridging overarching strategy, concrete execution and creativity – turning ambitious plans into measurable results. I have proven myself as a sparring partner at C-level in complex transformation projects, as an operational driver in scaled B2B environments and as a creative strategist with a deep understanding of brand experience, partnerships and revenue operations. I am resilient in challenging situations, precise in stakeholder management and consistently results-oriented.

Jurisdiction

Germany | Switzerland | Austria

Experience

Seniority LevelDirector
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Principal Commercial Operations Business PartnerStaffbase
2025 - 2026

- Owning regional GTM execution in close collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Finance and Analytics – translating strategy into measurable outcomes. - Ownership of the regional Annual Operating Plan: aligning targets, headcount and investments to achieve Net New cARR within S&M budgets. - Operational excellence across the revenue funnel: improved pipeline quality, forecast accuracy, conversion rates and goal attainment – tools: Salesforce, Tableau, Gong. - Development and continuous improvement of KPI dashboards and Quarterly Business Reviews as decision- making tools for management. - Design of territory, quota and capacity models; accelerating onboarding and ramp-up times for new sales hires. - Close collaboration with the global RevOps team to harmonise processes and KPI frameworks.

Chief of Staff · Interim Manager · Business ConsultantSelf employeed
2025 - Present

- Operate as an interim Chief of Staff and strategic advisor across C-level: operational improvements, process optimisation and strategic prioritisation for mid-sized and large organisations. - Creation of investor decks and board presentations – including for the carve-out & M&A process at Sport1 and the development of an innovation hub at Lufthansa. - Development and presentation of business cases and financial models as decision-making tools for management and investors (e.g. VDE). - Management of GTM strategies, transformation processes and forecast quality for B2B and B2C clients across industries. - Coaching of leadership teams on operational clarity, change management and cross-functional collaboration. - Leading transformation projects as the bridge between strategy and execution, aligning regional initiatives with global objectives. - Development and implementation of brand experience concepts, sponsorship strategies and event formats for international brands. - Building and managing partnership ecosystems and steering cross-functional project teams of up to 20 people.

Chief Operating Officer (COO)kreait
2017 - 2019

- Lead strategy and project management delivery, translating business strategies into operational plans and measurable results. - Managing a core team of 6; overall responsibility for revenue streams of EUR 12 million p.a. - Building standardised project management frameworks and internal reporting structures. - Client ownership for strategic accounts; supporting pitches and business development activities. - Establishing cross-functional collaboration processes between strategy, creative and technology.

Marketing Director / Marketing ManagerJT International
2006 - 2012

- Lead regional marketing and commercial planning for CEE/DACH including forecasting, trade programs and trade marketing activities (budget: EUR 6.5M, team: up to 12 people). - Full end-to-end responsibility for sponsorship, events and festivals: planning, budgeting, execution and KPI measurement. - Management of international consumer and trade marketing activities and product launches across multiple markets simultaneously. - Close collaboration with global brand teams to localise international campaigns and ensure brand consistency. - Development and implementation of direct-to-consumer programmes and establishment of CRM foundations. - Management of external agencies (creative, media, events) and negotiation of partner contracts.

Account Director / Account Manager & Project ManagerI-D Media AG
1996 - 2006

- Managed multinational client projects across ATL, BTL and digital channels (incl. Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Deutsche Telekom). - Building and maintaining long-term client relationships at decision-maker level; revenue responsibility for strategic accounts. - Leading cross-functional teams (creative, strategy, production, digital) of up to 15 people. - Presenting and facilitating strategic workshops and C-level pitches. - Developing integrated communications campaigns from concept through to delivery and performance measurement. - Mentoring and developing junior account managers.

Skills

Core skills10
Interests1
Languages2

Skills

Transformation
Chief of Staff
Innovation
Strategy
Business Consulting
Brand Experience & Activation
Commercial Operations
Change Management
GTM Strategy & Execution
Project Management

Interests

Artificial Intelligence

Languages

English
German