Marc Hammerschmidt - Senior Product Manager / Product Lead

Q: Where is Marc based?

Marc is based in Cologne, Germany and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Marc speak?

Marc speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Marc have?

Marc has at least 17 years of experience. During this time, Marc has worked in at least 7 different roles and for 6 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 6 months . Note that Marc may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Marc's latest experience?

Marc's most recent position is Own AI product project & AI training at Self-employed .

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

In recent years, Marc has worked for Self-employed , WeightWatchers , and Wolters Kluwer .

Q: Which industries is Marc most experienced in?

Marc is most experienced in industries like Food and Beverage , Retail , and Healthcare . Marc also has some experience in Tourism , Media and Entertainment , and Professional Services .

Q: Which business areas is Marc most experienced in?

Marc is most experienced in business areas like Marketing , Product Development , and Operations . Marc also has some experience in Information Technology , Project Management , and Finance .

Q: Which industries has Marc worked in recently?

Marc has recently worked in industries like Healthcare , Professional Services , and Information Technology .

Q: Which business areas has Marc worked in recently?

Marc has recently worked in business areas like Marketing , Operations , and Strategy .

Recommended expert

Cologne, Germany

Check rate

Experience

Oct 2025 - Present

10 months

Remote

Own AI product project & AI training

Self-employed

Built and validated SupportPiloten, an AI-powered content operations service; won first paying pilot customers
Tested agentic workflows with Claude Code and Codex for analysis, research, documentation, and prototyping
Further developed own AI product; training: AI governance, AI compliance, and the EU AI Act (ongoing)

Aug 2023 - Sep 2025

2 years 2 months

Remote

Head of Programmatic

WeightWatchers

Led an international performance setup across eight markets with budget responsibility in the double-digit million USD range and a five-person cross-functional team

Consolidated a fragmented setup through inhousing, a partner ecosystem, contract restructuring, and unified process standards
Established KPI frameworks, performance reviews, and reporting routines; reduced CAC by 15% YoY while growing budget by 20%

Mar 2022 - Jul 2023

1 year 5 months

Remote

Market Lead Acquisition Marketing DE/CH (Interim)

WeightWatchers

Managed acquisition in Germany and Switzerland across TV, Search, Social, Programmatic, and Affiliate with a double-digit million EUR budget

Established control and decision routines for testing, budget allocation, and cross-channel prioritization
Improved CLTV:CAC by 35% and saved six-figure amounts per quarter through a paid social inhousing pilot

Sep 2020 - Feb 2022

1 year 6 months

Digital Product Manager

Wolters Kluwer

Independently initiated and validated an AI-based B2B SaaS in the legal and IP context between business, technology, sales, and management.

Initiated and validated an AI-based B2B SaaS in the legal and IP context between business, technology, sales, and management
Conducted 50+ interviews across four customer segments and sharpened willingness to pay, market assumptions, and the business case
Derived a justified no-go recommendation before development started and thereby avoided a potential seven-figure bad investment

May 2013 - Jul 2015

2 years 3 months

Cologne, Germany

On-site

Co-Founder, Product & Technology Lead

Boxoffice Metrics GmbH

Developed the product concept, roadmap, and technical specifications for a data-driven B2B SaaS for film revenue forecasting

Led prototype development with a full-stack and data team
Raised USD 150,000 in early-stage funding

May 2010 - Aug 2020

10 years 4 months

Co-Founder, CTO & CFO

Cognac-Expert

Built an international, profitable e-commerce platform with sales in over 30 markets and developed scalable commerce structures

Scaled in a 100% KPI-driven environment with average 100% YoY growth
Built three autonomous teams (Product, Finance, Operations) and introduced agile product management (Kanban, CI/CD, Git)
Implemented marketing optimizations, internationalization, and automation

Apr 2009 - Aug 2012

3 years 5 months

Product Owner & Lead UX Manager

Billiger-Mietwagen

Product Owner and UX Lead for Germany's largest car rental price comparison site; led an interdisciplinary team in a professional capacity

Led an interdisciplinary team for data-driven conversion and UX optimization (+45% increase in conversion rate) using Google Analytics
Introduced systematic product development (Agile, Jira, Confluence) as well as process improvements for customer service and billing
Close collaboration with Marketing (SEO, SEA, CRM) and Business Development to drive growth

Industry Experience

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

Experienced in Food and Beverage, Retail, Healthcare, Tourism, Media and Entertainment, and Professional Services.

Food and Beverage

Retail

Healthcare

Tourism

Media and Entertainment

Professional Services

Business Area Experience

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

Experienced in Marketing, Product Development, Operations, Information Technology, Project Management, and Finance.

Marketing

Product Development

Operations

Information Technology

Project Management

Finance

Summary

Product Lead | Digital Platforms, Transformation & Growth

Mandate: I take on product, platform, and transformation mandates: validate new products, scale platforms, and manage digital businesses in a financially sound way.

Focus: Product discovery, data-driven prioritization, and delivery — with experience in e-commerce, B2B SaaS, growth, and international operating models.

Track record: 50+ B2B customer interviews and a solid go/no-go decision, an operating model for eight markets, and the scaling of an e-commerce platform to 30+ markets.

Way of working: Hands-on with product, engineering, data, marketing, and management; from customer and market signals to roadmaps, business cases, KPI routines, and actionable decisions.

Current: Own AI product project, practical testing of agentic workflows with Claude Code and Codex, as well as further training in AI governance, AI compliance, and the EU AI Act.

Skills

Product Strategy & Discovery

Product Strategy And Product Management
Product Discovery And User Research
Market And Customer Validation
Business Cases And Go/No-Go Decisions
Roadmapping And Prioritization
Product Ownership And B2b Saas ### Transformation & Delivery
Operating Models And Inhousing
Transformation Management
Cross-Functional Leadership
Stakeholder And Partner Management
Agile Delivery With Scrum, Kanban, Jira, And Confluence ### Growth, Commerce & Analytics
E-Commerce And Platform Scaling
Funnel And Conversion Optimization
Growth And Performance Marketing
Product Analytics With Ga4, Amplitude, And Looker
Experimentation And A/B Testing
Kpi Frameworks With Cac And Cltv:Cac ### Ai-Native Practice
Ai Prototyping
Agentic Workflows With Claude Code And Codex ```

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Spanish

Elementary

Education

May 2005 - Apr 2009

Fresenius University of Applied Sciences (FH)

Diploma · Media Economics · Idstein, Germany

Certifications & licenses

Certified AI Consultant

LEEON Advanced Learning

Certified AI Officer

LEEON Advanced Learning

Certified Scrum Master (PSM I)

Scrum.org

Certified Product Owner (PSPO I)

Scrum.org

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 7

Experience in Food and Beverage 10.5 y

Avg length 3 y 1 m

Longest experience 10 y 3 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 1 (Germany)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Own AI product project & AI training, Head of Programmatic, Market Lead Acquisition Marketing DE/CH (Interim)

Main industries Food and Beverage, Retail, Healthcare

Main business areas Marketing, Product Development, Operations

Qualifications

Certifications earned 4

Profile

Created

March 2022

Last Update

July 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Marc is based in Cologne, Germany and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

Marc speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Elementary).

Marc has at least 17 years of experience. During this time, Marc has worked in at least 7 different roles and for 6 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 6 months. Note that Marc may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Based on recent experience, Marc would be well-suited for roles such as: Own AI product project & AI training, Head of Programmatic, Market Lead Acquisition Marketing DE/CH (Interim).

Marc's most recent position is Own AI product project & AI training at Self-employed.

In recent years, Marc has worked for Self-employed, WeightWatchers, and Wolters Kluwer.

Marc is most experienced in industries like Food and Beverage, Retail, and Healthcare. Marc also has some experience in Tourism, Media and Entertainment, and Professional Services.

Marc is most experienced in business areas like Marketing, Product Development, and Operations. Marc also has some experience in Information Technology, Project Management, and Finance.

Marc has recently worked in industries like Healthcare, Professional Services, and Information Technology.

Marc has recently worked in business areas like Marketing, Operations, and Strategy.

Marc attended Fresenius University of Applied Sciences (FH) for Media Economics.

Marc has 4 certificates. Among them, these include: Certified AI Consultant, Certified AI Officer, and Certified Scrum Master (PSM I).

Marc is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

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

To hire Marc, click the Meet button on the profile to request a meeting and discuss your project needs.