Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf
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Meet FRATCH Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf
Marcus Wolf
Last position:
CIO (ad interim) at Bartec Group
- Responsible for infrastructure, operations, network and VoIP, security, quality assurance, as well as asset management and business continuity
- Planning and implementation of all requirements related to NIS 2.0
- Responsible for application development
- Company-wide implementation of SAP S/4Hana and leading development of new business processes, incl. cut-over planning
- Digital transformation and cultural transformation toward a "doer mentality"
- Realignment of infrastructure (hybrid)
- Restructuring of the organization with partial outsourcing
- Management of four direct reports with a total of 25 internal and external employees
- Budget responsibility of up to €25 million
Tom Klein
Last position:
Volunteer Member at Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe
Volunteer helper at the Johanniter in medical services and disaster response, highlighting teamwork and coordination even in times of crisis.
Florian Elke
Last position:
Lead Software Engineer
- In this role, I was responsible as Lead Software Engineer for automating various meat production lines.
- My focus was on developing highly available (High Availability) systems using C/C++.
- I also implemented and supported container orchestration with Kubernetes to ensure smooth and scalable production operations.
Dirk Volkmann
Last position:
Interim Project Manager at Energy Producer
- Innovation division: Project development for a brownfield biofuel production partnership
Claus Geiger
Last position:
Member of the BVMW Federal Association at Der Mittelstand. BVMW
- Association member focused on supporting the sales structures of medium-sized businesses
Kshitija Kamtam
Last position:
CEO Office at Techno Design GmbH
- Acted as a trusted advisor to leadership, driving strategic initiatives, structuring meetings, and ensuring follow-through on key priorities.
- Led the launch of a corporate travel platform, aligning cross-functional teams and improving operational efficiency.
- Conducted market and competitive analyses to identify growth opportunities and inform business and investment decisions.
- Supported M&A and venture evaluations, contributing to global expansion and portfolio strategy.
- Developed strategy briefs, business cases, and executive presentations to enable data-driven decision-making.
- Managed quarterly and annual planning processes, tracked KPIs, and ensured alignment with organizational goals.
- Planned and executed brand initiatives, including organizing Techno at Bharat Tex, enhancing industry visibility and partnerships.
- Strengthened internal communication cadence and governance frameworks, improving execution efficiency by 20%.
- Drove process improvements to enhance execution discipline and strategic alignment.
- Enhanced governance and reporting mechanisms to increase accountability, milestone tracking, and performance visibility.
- Collaborated closely with finance, product, and strategy teams to ensure timely delivery of cross-functional priorities.
- Fostered knowledge-sharing and continuous-improvement practices to strengthen organizational collaboration and execution.
Patricia Winkler
Last position:
Vice President Marketing & Communications at Ranger Marketing & Vertriebs GmbH
- Developed and implemented company-wide marketing and communication strategy.
- Merged marketing and communications departments.
- Strengthened brand positioning among core target groups.
- Managed social media, content, and PR/corporate communications.
- Led the department; internal and external stakeholder management.
- Introduced KPI-driven marketing controlling with analytics.
Holger Ulland
Last position:
Interim CEO at AM Polymers GmbH
- Stabilizing the company after the COVID crisis
- Restructuring the team
- Achieving a positive net income for 2025
- Implementing company processes in finance, administration, R&D, sales and production
Maximilian Bunte
Last position:
Co-Founder & CEO at Qlance GmbH
- Driving strategic partnerships, product development, and company growth from early-stage concept to operational execution
- Leading business development, early project scoping, and advisor integration to establish Qlance’s value proposition in real-world cases
- Set up core operations, talent onboarding processes, and relationship management structures to enable scalable collaboration with clients
- Built initial network of high-potential talents from leading European business schools and began matching them to first client challenges
Bernd Veith
Last position:
Consultant & Interim Executive (CEO / COO / CRO / Transformation Lead)
- Interim and advisory mandates for B2B platform and digital service businesses with a focus on stabilisation, operating model design and scaling.
- Support to shareholders and management teams in transformations, carve-outs and integration preparation; set up KPI systems and governance routines.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Chief Executive Officers statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
22 years
Position duration
2.2 years (Germany: 5.8 years)
Positions per freelancer
13 (Germany: 10)
Top business areas
Operations, Product Development, Strategy
Top industries
Information Technology, Professional Services, Energy
Certification focus areas
Human Resources, Information Technology, Business Intelligence
Bachelor's degree or higher
100% (Germany: 91%)
Master's degree or higher
83% (Germany: 62%)
Doctorate
17% (Germany: 14%)
Certifications per freelancer
3 (Germany: 2)
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
100% (Germany: 96%)
Based on our profile pool as of 28 Aug 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role in Dusseldorf are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range.
Average rates for Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 28 Aug 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
About the role
What a CEO does
A freelance Chief Executive Officer sets direction, makes hard decisions, and keeps the organisation aligned around one plan. Companies bring in a CEO for a fresh start, a leadership gap, or a period that needs sharper focus. Typical work includes:
- defining the strategy and operating priorities
- leading the executive team and board communication
- steering growth, restructuring, or turnaround plans
- handling investors, owners, and key partners
- improving execution across sales, finance, and operations
When to bring one in
A freelance CEO is useful when speed matters and the role needs to be filled without a long hiring process. That can be during an interim period, a post-merger integration, a market launch, or when a founder wants support without losing control of the business. In Dusseldorf, this often fits companies in media, consumer goods, industrial groups, logistics, and cross-border firms working with German and international teams.
Core skills
A strong Chief Executive Officer combines commercial judgment with calm leadership. They should be able to read a business quickly, make priorities visible, and keep teams accountable.
- strategy, governance, and P&L ownership
- leadership in complex stakeholder setups
- change management and crisis handling
- investor, board, and owner communication
- fluency in English and, where needed, German business contexts
Tools and scope
The work is less about one tool and more about how the leader uses data, process, and people. A capable CEO will work with dashboards, financial reports, CRM data, board decks, and planning tools to make decisions that hold up in daily execution. In many assignments, the same person also covers the duties of an interim CEO or managing director, especially when a company needs a steady hand before a permanent appointment.
What good looks like
The best freelancers do not just talk about vision. They create clarity, reduce noise, and move the company toward decisions that can actually be executed.
- a clear plan with priorities and owners
- honest communication with teams and stakeholders
- fast orientation in a new business model
- measured decisions under pressure
- the ability to lead without creating extra complexity
Working style
Some CEO assignments are fully remote, but many need regular on-site presence, especially during change, financing, or leadership replacement. In Dusseldorf, companies often expect direct communication, a practical mindset, and confidence in meetings with owners, works councils, or international leadership teams. The right Chief Executive Officer adapts quickly to the company’s culture and still keeps the focus on results.
Frequently asked questions
Everything clients usually want to know about Chief Executive Officers, in one place.
A Chief Executive Officer sets the direction of the business and turns it into action. In a freelance setup, that can mean interim leadership, turnaround support, growth planning, or stepping in while a permanent hire is being prepared. The scope is usually broad, but the priorities must be clear from day one.
A freelance CEO makes sense when leadership is needed quickly or for a defined period. Common cases are a vacancy at the top, a restructuring, a founder transition, or a market expansion that needs senior steering. It is also useful when the business wants senior experience without adding a permanent layer too early.
The titles often overlap, but the remit can differ by company and country. A managing director may have similar authority in a local entity, while an interim CEO focuses on a temporary mandate. The key is not the label alone, but whether the person can lead strategy, execution, and stakeholders at the level the business needs.
Look for proven leadership, commercial judgment, and the ability to make decisions under pressure. A strong Chief Executive Officer can work with the board, align the leadership team, and handle investor or owner discussions without losing operational focus. Industry fit matters too, especially when the role touches regulated, international, or turnaround situations.
Both are possible, but many assignments need a mix of remote and on-site work. A CEO can handle planning, reporting, and stakeholder preparation remotely, while workshops, crisis meetings, and team resets often work better in person. In Dusseldorf, hybrid collaboration is common when the company has a local base but international contacts.
Ask what the mandate is, who the key stakeholders are, and which decisions the person is expected to own. A good Chief Executive Officer should be able to explain how they would stabilise the business, lead the team, and measure progress. It also helps to clarify decision rights early, especially in founder-led companies.
Focus on evidence, not just presentation. A strong CEO can point to situations where they improved performance, led change, or resolved conflict between owners, management, and operations. References, board experience, and a clear view of the first steps in the role are all strong signs.
They usually want to know the mandate, reporting line, and whether the company is seeking stability, growth, or a full reset. For a Chief Executive Officer, clarity on authority, expected presence in Dusseldorf, and the decision-making culture is essential. That information helps avoid mismatched expectations on both sides.
The average hourly rate for Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf is 141 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,127 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf, 100% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 83% hold at least a Master's degree, and 17% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers working as Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf have 22 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.2 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf are German (100%), English (100%), and French (50%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf are Information Technology (80%), Professional Services (60%), and Energy (50%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Chief Executive Officers in Dusseldorf are Operations (80%), Product Development (80%), and Strategy (80%).
FRATCH Chief Executive Officers main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin 
Hamburg 
Munich 
Cologne 
Frankfurt Request a free demo
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
