“After the plant reorganisation I wanted to move fast. Systemsdevsuite made me wait two weeks before contacting anyone in my old supplier network. That pause felt wrong at the time — and it kept me from looking desperate in rooms I still needed later.”Former Werkleiter · automotive supplier · Baden-Württemberg
Client stories
Evidence from real search moments
These notes reflect specific engagements. Names and employers are generalised where confidentiality requires it.
“The mock Aufsichtsrat session was sharper than the real one. Lena flagged how I dismissed a question about Betriebsrat conflict — I fixed that before the panel met.”Incoming Geschäftsführerin · mid-sized logistics firm
“Offer negotiation counsel saved the conversation on notice period more than on salary. I still wonder if we could have pushed the bonus curve harder, but the signed package matched what I could defend.”CFO transition · family holding · Sachsen
“Positioning work forced me to stop describing myself as a ‘transformation leader’ and start naming the P&L I owned. Search partners suddenly returned calls.”Senior director relocating from London to München
Extended story
From garden leave to a holding mandate
A commercial director on garden leave after a merger approached us with a polished international CV and almost no German-market framing. Over five weeks we rebuilt his short profile, mapped twelve holdings with plausible succession gaps, and rehearsed two PE diligence calls.
The first serious process ended without an offer — culture mismatch on travel load. The second closed with a Geschäftsführer role in a regional subsidiary. What mattered most was declining the first soft verbal offer long enough to finish the stronger process.
See the flagship mandate if you are weighing a similar path.