My Background

 

I look back on over two decades of professional experience in Management Consulting, Executive Training, and Higher Education.   I worked for leading consultancies such as Ernst & Young and Cap Gemini, high-tech companies like Ericsson, as well as universities, including Webster Private University Vienna, Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt, and Donau Universität Krems.  In addition, I served for 16 years as Head of the Business and Management department at Webster Private University Vienna.

 

Today I work as an executive trainer, coach, and consultant based in Vienna, Austria.  I am a network partner and trainer for selected consultancies and executive training providers in Austria and the United States (see Partners page).  My methodology is a blend of instructor-led training and facilitation, with elements of systemic coaching.  My seminars are highly interactive, driven by a focus on experiential learning.  All models presented are grounded in academic theory and supported by business practice and experience. I also facilitate corporate workshops in which I employ numerous exciting ideation tools and techniques.

 

Having lived, worked and studied in Europe, the US and Asia, I bring a multi-cultural perspective to my work.  I am fluent in both German and English and can conduct seminars, workshops and coaching sessions in either language. 

 

My Motivation

 

In my career, I have experienced organizational cultures as an employee, a manager, and a consultant.  As a university instructor, I have spent the past twenty years lecturing about leadership and management best practices.  After all this time, what never ceases to amaze me, is the disconnect between theory and practice.  Established insights about human nature and effective leadership are often not reflected in everyday management practice.

 

A surprisingly large number of organizations I have encountered are run as if they were stuck in the twentieth century, ill-equipped to meet the demands of the market and labor force of this century.  The prevailing organizational culture and management style in these organizations is one that is stifling.  Employees are discouraged from taking real initiative, compliance is confused with commitment, and communication remains top-down.  The results are high turn-over, low-levels of commitment, high-levels of burn-out, slow reaction times and quality compromise.  Gone is the entrepreneurial spark that once ignited the business.

 

My services, be they training seminars, coaching sessions or consulting work, always aim at reigniting that spark.  I work with top-level managers to help them understand what drives the people that report to them.  I provide employees of all levels in an organization with skills and insights that allow them to feel a renewed sense of ownership for the work they do.  In seminars that are fast-paced and coaching sessions that are sincere and personalized, I strive to let my clients find their own voice and rediscover a passion for their work.

 

The Private Me

 

I love history, am a passionate hobby cook, and I enjoy historical fiction. 

 

A product of these passions is my culinary history seminar series A Taste of History.  In these team-building seminars, I guide participants through different eras of history (e.g. Roman, Medieval, Baroque, Belle Époque, etc.) from a cook’s point of view.  Together we recreate dishes from authentic period recipes, sample rare and forgotten ingredients, and enjoy drink and food from eras long past. 

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Another product of my interests is writing.  I have recently finished a historical novel set in 17th Century Austria and am currently writing a collection of short stories revolving around the subject of cooking and eating through history.