Christian Kählig - CEO, Founder & Managing Partner

Q: Where is Christian based?

Christian is based in Munich, Germany .

Q: What languages does Christian speak?

Christian speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Christian have?

Christian has at least 29 years of experience. During this time, Christian has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 9 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 11 months . Note that Christian may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What roles would Christian be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Christian would be well-suited for roles such as: CEO, Founder & Managing Partner, CEO, Managing Director, Head of Architecture & Chief Architect .

Q: What is Christian's latest experience?

Christian's most recent position is CEO, Founder & Managing Partner at Ideas Enabled .

Q: What companies has Christian worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Christian has worked for Ideas Enabled .

Q: Which industries is Christian most experienced in?

Christian is most experienced in industries like Information Technology , Telecommunication , and Pharmaceutical . Christian also has some experience in Tourism , Professional Services , and Retail .

Q: Which business areas is Christian most experienced in?

Christian is most experienced in business areas like Strategy , Product Development , and Information Technology . Christian also has some experience in Project Management , Business Intelligence , and Marketing .

Q: Which industries has Christian worked in recently?

Christian has recently worked in industries like Pharmaceutical and Tourism .

Q: Which business areas has Christian worked in recently?

Christian has recently worked in business areas like Business Intelligence , Marketing , and Strategy .

Recommended expert

Munich, Germany

Experience

Oct 2019 - Present

6 years 6 months

CEO, Founder & Managing Partner

Ideas Enabled

Served as Chief Digital Officer a.i. at a leading European travel industry player (2021-2023)
Steered the Digital B2C unit with 100+ employees in the challenging phase of a large scale strategic transformation and re-organization in the travel industry
Defined the strategic design of the overall Digital B2C platform and increased the direct online sales share by 2x post-covid
Re-organized the unit around 5 pillars: CoC Business Analytics & Rules, Digital Marketing Outreach & CRM, Digital Toolkit & Platform, E-2-E Digital Experience, Content Production & Mining
Conducted an as-is assessment (SEA & social media, SEO, UX/CX, content) including benchmarking and best practice review cross-industry
Designed an overarching business case for three strategic scenarios to pave the most efficient way towards the ambitious mid-term goal of 30% direct online sales share
Led key strategic initiatives dedicated to B2C brand strategy & architecture, digital B2C strategy & disintermediation, and B2B2C strategy & commissioning model re-design
Led 100-day plan investigation initiatives around group sales commissioning and overall marketing spend effectiveness leveraging the marketing excellence framework
Investigated and implemented AI/ML in recommendations and CR optimization
Ran European Lean Startup Workshops as executive & employee coach for an international pharma company

Sep 2018 - Sep 2019

1 year 1 month

Munich, Germany

CEO, Managing Director

Shore

Transformed and stabilized a challenged seven-figure ARR B2B SaaS company into a growing business with low churn (<1%), renewed culture, and foreseeable EBITDA break-even
Increased NPS from -32 to +35 by changing leadership approach in product development and introducing features such as Insights, Appointments, and Shift Planning
Improved customer journey and increased conversion through hypothesis-driven experimentation focusing on registration, onboarding, and upselling
Reestablished finance & BI, established state-of-the-art reporting, and raised €1.3m in equity

May 2012 - Aug 2018

6 years 4 months

Munich, Germany

CEO, Founder & Managing Partner

Ideas Enabled

Served as interim executive at early stage and high growth startups to master challenges such as setup of a global product delivery (70 FTE), rollout of a new eCommerce platform in more than 10 countries, and product and marketing strategy for a two-sided business model
Spearheaded large digital transformation programs with budget up to €14m including successful project turnarounds and launch of five mobility service startups for a business innovation unit
Advised and coached startups in lean business, customer and product development contributing to two successful exits of a fashion eCommerce and a B2B SaaS startup
Acted as jury member, speaker, and coach at startup events such as Lean Startup Machine

May 2006 - Apr 2012

6 years

Munich, Germany

Head of Architecture & Chief Architect

Vodafone Kabel Deutschland

Headed the architecture unit, defined business-oriented technology strategy, and drove projects to success contributing to critical product launches such as Video-on-Demand
Led the strategic Enterprise SOA and BPM platform introduction from budgeting to rollout resulting in over 300 deployed business services and service reuse rate 2x benchmark
Defined and rolled out an Enterprise Architecture Management platform fostering transparency, increasing asset reuse, and reducing IT cost by 10%
Advised top management and business units on technology strategy and digital innovation management

Dec 2005 - Feb 2006

3 months

Munich, Germany

Director

Ciao

Supervised the software delivery department with 20 members in three locations (DE, RO, PL) resulting in increased motivation, cross-location collaboration, and successful relaunch of key project “Search”

Sep 2004 - Oct 2005

1 year 2 months

Munich, Germany

Manager

Sapient

Lead architected the definition of a SOA concept including governance and prototyping for a large Swiss telco, leading to promotion to the Strategic Advisory Board
Crafted a .com business strategy for senior client management and led pitch presentations
Architected and designed a state-of-the-art mobile connectivity solution for a leading German telco
Prepared and executed professional workshops with international and multi-disciplinary participants

Jul 2001 - Aug 2004

3 years 2 months

Munich, Germany

Management Consultant, Solution Architect & Project Manager

BCG - Platinion

Managed planning and delivery of a large digitalization initiative for a leading insurance company resulting in Germany-wide rollout cutting business process time by over 90%
Strategically analyzed IT landscapes to increase business support efficiency, realize cost savings up to 20%, and define IT architectures for top tier enterprises
Spearheaded technology proof-of-concepts and turned proposal pitches into client orders
Led internal technology group and played integral role in enhancing HR processes

Oct 2000 - Jun 2001

9 months

Munich, Germany

Senior Technology Consultant

Viant

Led community software product evaluation as lead tech for a large UK media company in London
Contributed to software architecture team for design of an online trading application for the largest European investment bank in London
Participated in business development initiatives and conducted client presentations closing deals with major clients in Germany and UK

Nov 1998 - Sep 2000

1 year 11 months

Munich, Germany

Technology Consultant

Andersen Consulting

Led a four-member team of senior developers responsible for planning, budgeting, development, QA, and rollout of core components at Europe’s first pure-play internet banking startup
Analyzed, designed, and developed financial service solutions including share buyback online and core banking and brokerage platform for the European market
Conducted competitor analyses and market, product, and technology evaluations and presented insights at international events
Trained international staff in Internet architecture and technologies at Andersen Consulting headquarters in Chicago, USA

Oct 1996 - Oct 1998

2 years 1 month

Karlsruhe, Germany

Founder and Managing Director

Mips & Bits Innovative Systems

Bootstrapped and established an IT system house for SMEs with six-figure revenue before sale
Compiled high-end hardware and software systems, conducted trainings, and provided support

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Information Technology, Telecommunication, Pharmaceutical, Tourism, Professional Services, and Retail.

Information Technology

Telecommunication

Pharmaceutical

Tourism

Professional Services

Retail

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Strategy, Product Development, Information Technology, Project Management, Business Intelligence, and Marketing.

Strategy

Product Development

Information Technology

Project Management

Business Intelligence

Marketing

Summary

Driven executive with comprehensive hands-on experience in the definition and execution of digital business models in the SaaS and eCommerce industry — all that with a good sense for markets and trends.

Thought leader and expert in Lean Startup, agile program delivery, business modeling and digital strategy — track record in early stage (rise), high growth (WESTWING, zooplus, shore) and enterprise settings (Tipico, Audi, XING).

Strong business and technology background combined with excellent communication skills to lead with a strong vision and facilitate between diverse stakeholders across multiple organizational levels.

Skills

Visionary Leadership
Product & Technology
P&l Management
Strategic Planning
Ai/ml, Analytics & Data
Turnarounds
Program Management
Hr & People Development
Financial Modeling

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Advanced

Education

May 2010 - May 2011

TUM, HHL, UC Berkeley

Executive MBA in Innovation and Business Creation · Innovation and Business Creation · Berkeley, United States · Grade: A

Mar 1994 - Oct 1998

Technical University Karlsruhe

Diploma in Computer Science · Business and Computer Science (CS) · Karlsruhe, Germany · Grade: A-

Certifications & licenses

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

ScrumAlliance

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 10

Experience in Information Technology 11.5 y

Avg length 2 y 10 m

Longest experience 6 y 5 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 1 (Germany)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles CEO, Founder & Managing Partner, CEO, Managing Director, Head of Architecture & Chief Architect

Main industries Information Technology, Telecommunication, Pharmaceutical

Main business areas Strategy, Product Development, Information Technology

Qualifications

Highest degree Master

Certifications earned 1

Profile

Created

September 2023

Last Update

November 2024

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Christian based?

Christian is based in Munich, Germany.

What languages does Christian speak?

Christian speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Christian have?

Christian has at least 29 years of experience. During this time, Christian has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 9 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 11 months. Note that Christian may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Christian be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Christian would be well-suited for roles such as: CEO, Founder & Managing Partner, CEO, Managing Director, Head of Architecture & Chief Architect.

What is Christian's latest experience?

Christian's most recent position is CEO, Founder & Managing Partner at Ideas Enabled.

What companies has Christian worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Christian has worked for Ideas Enabled.

Which industries is Christian most experienced in?

Christian is most experienced in industries like Information Technology, Telecommunication, and Pharmaceutical. Christian also has some experience in Tourism, Professional Services, and Retail.

Which business areas is Christian most experienced in?

Christian is most experienced in business areas like Strategy, Product Development, and Information Technology. Christian also has some experience in Project Management, Business Intelligence, and Marketing.

Which industries has Christian worked in recently?

Christian has recently worked in industries like Pharmaceutical and Tourism.

Which business areas has Christian worked in recently?

Christian has recently worked in business areas like Business Intelligence, Marketing, and Strategy.

What is Christian's education?

Christian holds a Master in Innovation and Business Creation from TUM, HHL, UC Berkeley.

Does Christian have any certificates?

Christian has 1 certificate: Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).

What is the availability of Christian?

Christian is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Christian?

Christian's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.