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Managing Director

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Steer strategy, profit and loss, team leadership, and operational execution with a freelance Managing Director who can step in for growth, turnaround, or interim coverage. Fast, precise matching with vetted, available freelancers.

Meet FRATCH Managing Director

Verified expert

Andreas Z.

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Trade Law Managing Director Warehousing and Director Supply Chain Management

Vienna
Andreas Z.

Last position:

Founder & Owner at AZentron Solutions

  • Interim management: Temporary leadership in supply chain, logistics, and operations - including budget, investment, and personnel responsibility.
  • Project management: Steering infrastructure, construction, and automation projects as well as transformation and digitalization programs.
  • Supply chain consulting: End-to-end strategies, network and site planning, intralogistics, and automation - from international corporations to regional SMEs.
  • Process and organizational development: Optimization of workflows, systems, and control logic; building KPIs and reporting structures.
  • Executive mentoring: Supporting leaders in growth, change, and crisis situations.
Verified expert

Mike B.

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User Experience Designer / Design Thinking Coach

Bottighofen
Mike B.

Last position:

Freelance UX-Researcher, Designer at Bodensee Schiffsbetriebe; Labhard-Medien

  • UX research, UX concept development, and UX design for an AI dialogue system with information on events, locations, public transport timetables, and special trips. Observations, remote user tests, session recordings, analytics evaluations, RapidUserTests, prototyping, etc., using Figma/Figma Make, Claude Design, and OpenAI Codex (Design)
Verified expert

Ralph S.

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Organizational Architect and PMO for Complex Transformations and Strategic Reorganizations

Neckarsulm
Ralph S.

Last position:

Interim Head of Business Excellence at DEHN SE

Process architect and transformation driver for company-wide excellence initiatives (covering a vacancy) Establishment and management of a company-wide process and governance framework to strengthen structure, leadership and effectiveness in an internationally growing family-owned company. Responsibility for the global process house, end-to-end governance, process role architecture and further development of the integrated management system – including international implementation (Romania, USA).

Scope:

  • Management of the Business Excellence department with 6 employees and functional leadership of 20+ Process Owners
  • Establishment of a global process operating system (architecture, roles, governance, global-local logic)
  • Development of a group-wide control and KPI system for processes (transparency, KPIs, maturity)
  • Introduction of mechanisms to ensure effectiveness in day-to-day operations (role enablement, communities, feedback)
  • Governance and role framework for new production sites in Romania and USA (mandates, roles, decision logic)
  • Stabilization and further development of the integrated management system (IMS)

Sustainable Results:

  • Global process operating system established - Structure, roles, governance and global-local rules defined as a binding framework and anchored in the management system — the basis for consistent management and scalability.
  • End-to-end process ownership strengthened - Process Owner roles globally defined, qualified and anchored in Communities of Practice — clear ownership structures across all sites for the first time.
  • KPI and process management logic established - Uniform KPI system, maturity model and reporting principles developed — the basis for fact-based decisions, prioritization and transparency throughout the company.
  • Effectiveness in day-to-day operations increased - Enablement architecture, onboarding mechanisms, regular meeting formats and feedback loops introduced — the process system is applied in daily work and continuously improved.
  • Governance framework for new site implemented - Mandates, roles, decision paths and escalation logic for the new production site in Romania developed — clear structure for setup, management and integration.
Verified expert

Karl F.

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Managing Director ONECEPT GmbH | Software Engineering, Data & AI

Graz
Karl F.

Last position:

Managing Director at ONECEPT GmbH

Verified expert

Christoph P.

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ICT DevSecOps Engineer & Security Coordinator

Zug
Christoph P.

Last position:

ICT DevSecOps Engineer & Security Coordinator at Abraxas Informatik AG

  • Interface role with the SOC team; improved incident response time by 45% through structured escalation processes and proactive security monitoring.
  • Defined technical standards for a multi-tenant enterprise platform (10+ services), resulting in a 30% shorter onboarding time for new clients in the public sector.
  • Active knowledge transfer and mentoring of a 6-person team; increased team autonomy and established a sustainable engineering culture.
  • Reduced time to market by 50% by optimizing CI/CD pipelines and establishing self-service deployments.
  • Stack: GitLab CI/CD, Kubernetes, Nexus, Harbor, ArgoCD, HashiCorp Vault, Grafana, Python, PostgreSQL, Java, Spring Boot, Flyway, Quarkus, JBoss, Loki, Go, Kafka, Kustomize, MongoDB
Verified expert

Norbert F.

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Principal Partner

Bergisch Gladbach
Norbert F.

Last position:

Principal Partner at Consileon Business Consultancy GmbH

Verified expert

Robert K.

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Senior IT Infrastructure Project & Transition Manager | Migrations, Cutover, Multi-Vendor Delivery in Regulated Environments

Breitenfurt bei Wien
Robert K.

Last position:

Enterprise Architecture and Overall Transition Lead — UK National Lottery, 4th Licence at Scientific Games International GmbH

Owned the end-to-end architecture and the transition for the fourth licence period of the UK National Lottery: a complete technology stack replacement delivered against a hard regulatory deadline. Produced the end-to-end high-level architecture that served as the delivery baseline for the replacement of all major IT service components including infrastructure

Target architecture across two geo-redundant UK data centres: multiple VMware ESX clusters, OpenShift, MS SQL Server clusters, Oracle Exadata, integrated with AWS-hosted components and a retailer WAN over VSAT, DSL and LTE

Business continuity concept and geo-redundant high availability design

Review and approval authority over all low-level designs, application and infrastructure: network security, Oracle RAC, VMware, OpenShift, SQL clustering, geo-redundancy

Designed and implemented full hardware and network separation between test environments and staging/production

SME for third-party security audits against CIS benchmarks and NIST standards: preparation, execution, findings analysis, remediation prioritisation

Delivered software deployment to 45,000 retail terminals with minimal downtime, plus data migration from the incumbent end-to-end landscape to the new architecture

Transitioned 45,000 POS terminals and 19 million online players on time with no critical incidents

Owned the integrated transition plan for the full replacement of the lottery technology stack: work packages, milestones, dependencies and critical path across parallel technical sub-projects

Central organisational interface between internal IT leads, technical workstream leads, multiple external vendors and client executive stakeholders

Planned and led migration and cutover of live, regulated national infrastructure, including 80+ bare metal servers running VMware ESX, Microsoft VMs across several Active Directory domains, Linux VMs, OpenShift on Linux, 2 SANs, 2 Oracle Exadata systems, AWS components and a retailer WAN

Ran 4 full cutover dress rehearsals ahead of the 2 major go-live releases

Governed all changes through the ITIL change process and CAB; ran risk, issue and escalation management with regular status reporting to the Program Director and client's CTO

Onboarded the internal cyber security team and acted as architecture SME in pre-deployment security audits for client and internal security teams, including prioritisation and remediation of findings

Joined the programme as Enterprise Architecture Lead from May to September 2022, gaining detailed knowledge of the target infrastructure before taking overall delivery responsibility; after go-live, supported the delivery teams through the warranty phase

Verified expert

Constantinos S.

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ERP Solution Architect | IT Programme Director | AI Enablement

Geneva
Constantinos S.

Last position:

Managing Director at PrimeLogic Advisory Sàrl

  • Partnering with organisations to manage complex IT programmes, architect and implement ERP solutions, and embed AI where it drives measurable performance gains.
  • ERP solution architecture and hands-on delivery across the full lifecycle (Oracle Cloud, Infor LN, Cegid, iValua)
  • Programme and delivery leadership in both Waterfall and Agile environments (SAFe / Scrum / Kanban) - governance, stakeholder management, and execution at scale
  • Comprehensive assessment of business processes, organizational maturity, and technology landscape to ensure successful ERP adoption and digital transformation initiatives
  • Current mandate: Oracle Cloud SCM implementation for a Big Four consultancy
  • Geneva-based; operating across Switzerland and the EU
Verified expert

Onur K.

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AI & Automation Consultant · Project Manager for AI Projects

Braunschweig
Onur K.

Last position:

Project Manager & Outsourcing Manager at SENEC GmbH (EnBW Group)

  • Built a scalable nearshore IT developer hub (Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland) as an independent company through a BOT model (Build – Operate – Transfer)
  • Identified, selected, and managed full-service agencies; introduced management and control mechanisms, including KPIs, SLAs, and regular service reviews
  • Prepared and reviewed data processing agreements and framework contracts in coordination with Legal & Compliance; integrated regulatory requirements (including KRITIS) into process design
  • Advised on cloud vs. on-premise strategies, data storage, and authorization concepts; supported Procurement with tendering and service provider evaluations
  • Managed change and process harmonization between internal teams and nearshore partners; reported to executive management, CFO, and CIO

Result: Scalable IT developer hub with an audit-ready governance model, reduced operating costs, and accelerated product development.

Verified expert

Gabriele B.

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Founder and Managing Director

Vienna
Gabriele B.

Last position:

Founder and Managing Director at PaiperOne GmbH

  • Main tasks and responsibilities: development, acquisition, sales, consulting, and controlling
  • Area of work or industry: Software as a Service in AI compliance and consulting

Selection of client projects:

  • Creation and operation of an AI governance platform, including training content on the use of AI in companies
  • Design, setup, and operation of the ISO 42001 management system at PaiperOne with certification by TÜV
  • Auditor according to ISO 17024 at Austrian Standards for the "AI Manager"
  • AI training for staff of two Austrian publishing groups
  • AI training for the management level at the State of Lower Austria
  • AI strategy workshop for a municipality in Styria and a municipality in Salzburg
  • AI workshops for the House of Digitalization in Tulln
  • AI training for municipalities at KDZ
  • Delivery of training on "Certified AI Compliance Officer" at the Academy for Internal Audit
  • Organizational consulting on AI governance at ÖGK
  • Project support for the "homepage chatbot" at öbv
  • Certification exams at Austrian Standards
Verified expert

Daniel N.

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Founder & Managing Director Enterprise Agility & Transformation

Zürich
Daniel N.

Last position:

Strategy Advisor · Interim & Fractional Executive · Board Member DSIM at DriveDelta GmbH

Strategy needs rhythm. Continuous strategic guidance for industrial & technology leaders — turning strategic priorities into real progress.

Selected Impact:

  • EV infrastructure rollout strategy — hypothesis-driven business & monetization model launched, > €80M cost savings, 30+ stakeholders engaged. Wolfsburg, DE
  • Interim project lead, 200 HC — site alignment & new working model; +15% efficiency via faster decisions and reduced R&D spend. Frankfurt / Switzerland / Turin / USA / UK
  • Automotive Updateability Framework — strategic, use-case-driven concept aligned across 10 brands and ~50 management stakeholders in 30+ workshops. Berlin / Munich, DE
  • AI-readiness for R&D & SME transformation — benchmarked AI solutions, RACI & agile sales process, target operating model with top-management alignment. Berlin / Stuttgart, DE
Verified expert

Thomas P.

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Project Manager, Product Owner & AI Consultant, AI Transformation - ERP · Shop · Marketing

Leipzig
Thomas P.

Last position:

Product Owner & AI Automation Architect (B2B) at Ihre-Hygieneberatung

  • Development of a digital audit application for inspections in medical facilities. The goal is to connect on-site data collection, voice recording, documentation and downstream processes in one end-to-end, AI-supported workflow.

  • Design and development of a Flutter audit app with Claude Code for the structured execution and documentation of inspections.

  • Processing of voice recordings captured in the app through automatic transcription and AI-supported creation of structured inspection reports, followed by an approval process

  • Connecting various data sources such as email, Odoo 19, attendance records and Google Drive via n8n to automate billing and follow-up processes

  • Automatic provision of required documents and email delivery through n8n-controlled workflows, including the use of LLMs for text creation

  • Skills: Flutter, Claude Code, LLM Integration, n8n, Odoo 19, Google Drive, Process Automation

Verified expert

Christian T.

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Senior IT Project Manager Infrastructure | self-employed since 2006 | 28+ years of project experience

Vienna
Christian T.

Last position:

Project Management / Program Management at Energy company, AT

  • NIS2/IT-OT infrastructure project for network and firewall: PoC, roll-out, and blueprint
  • Coordination of IT, OT/operations, information security, business units, and external suppliers
  • Risk and escalation management
  • Direct evidence of security, multi-vendor delivery, and operational context.
Verified expert

Jürgen S.

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CFO | IFRS & Governance in decision and liability situations | numbers you can rely on | industry, trade, services, PE

Meggen
Jürgen S.

Last position:

Interim CFO - member of executive management at Transport catering company (NDA), group company, Germany; publicly listed group, Switzerland

  • Stopped the chaos: rebuilt the team, filled silo IT roles, eliminated silo solutions, and cut them off decisively
  • Established consistent reporting, ensured reliability
  • Conducted recruitment
  • Created IT harmony
  • Implemented process standards

Discover over 15,000 top freelancers

Managing Director statistics

Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.

Experience

24 years

Managing Director have 24 years of professional experience on average.

Position duration

4.1 years

Managing Director stay in a single position for 4.1 years on average.

Positions per freelancer

11

Managing Director have completed 11 positions on average over the course of their careers.

Top business areas

Project Management, Strategy, Information Technology

Managing Director have gathered most of their hands-on project experience in Project Management, Strategy, and Information Technology.

Top industries

Professional Services, Information Technology, Manufacturing

Managing Director are most in demand in Professional Services, Information Technology, and Manufacturing.

Certification focus areas

Information Technology, Project Management, Human Resources

Managing Director earn their certifications most often in Information Technology, Project Management, and Human Resources.

Bachelor's degree or higher

87%

87% of Managing Director hold at least a Bachelor's degree.

Master's degree or higher

55%

55% of Managing Director hold at least a Master's degree.

Doctorate

12%

12% of Managing Director have a doctorate (PhD).

Certifications per freelancer

3

Managing Director hold 3 professional certifications on average.

Most common languages

German, English, French

Managing Director most often speak German, English, and French.

Speak two or more languages

95%

95% of Managing Director speak two or more languages.

Based on our profile pool as of 30 Sep 2026.

Daily rate distribution

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
<1% of Managing Director charge less than €400 per day.
18% of Managing Director charge between €400 and €800 per day.
49% of Managing Director charge between €800 and €1200 per day.
24% of Managing Director charge between €1200 and €1600 per day.
8% of Managing Director charge €1600 or more per day.
<€400 €400-​800 €800-​1200 €1200-​1600 €1600+

The chart shows how the daily rates of experts in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging within that range.

Average rates for Managing Director

Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.

1200
900
600
300
Rate comparison chart
Daily rate avg. 1012 €

The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.

1200
900
600
300
Rate comparison chart
Median rate 1000 €

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 30 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.

Managing Director experts industry focus

See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.

  • Professional Services (69%)
  • Information Technology (67%)
  • Manufacturing (47%)
  • Automotive (33%)
  • Banking and Finance (31%)
  • Retail (29%)
  • Education (27%)
  • Media and Entertainment (25%)

Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.

About the role

What they lead

A Managing Director sets direction and makes the business work day to day. The role connects strategy, finance, people, sales, and operations. Companies bring in a freelance Managing Director when they need clear leadership for a transition, a growth phase, or a gap in the senior team.

Typical deliverables

  • Define priorities and convert them into an executable plan
  • Lead the management team and align department goals
  • Review performance, margin, cash flow, and major risks
  • Improve operating routines, reporting, and decision making
  • Support restructuring, market entry, or post-merger integration
  • Represent the business with key clients, owners, and partners

Core skills

A strong Managing Director combines commercial judgment with calm leadership. They need to read the numbers, understand the market, and keep people moving in the same direction. Common tools include financial dashboards, KPI reporting, CRM systems, ERP data, and structured management reviews.

  • Strategic planning and execution
  • P&L ownership and budget control
  • Stakeholder management
  • Team leadership and hiring
  • Change management and turnaround work

When companies hire one

Freelance Managing Directors are often the right choice when a company needs an experienced leader now, but not permanently. This is common during interim cover, a founder handover, rapid scaling, or a difficult phase that needs focus and discipline. In smaller firms, the role may sit close to the owner; in larger companies, it often supports a division, subsidiary, or business unit.

What strong professionals do differently

The best Managing Directors do not stay at slide level. They set priorities, make hard calls, and follow through until the plan sticks. They know when to delegate, when to intervene, and how to keep both senior stakeholders and operational teams aligned. Strong candidates explain how they have improved performance, not just how they have managed meetings.

Fit for your setup

For companies, the right person can work on-site, hybrid, or remotely depending on the mandate. If the work affects culture, leadership, or a local leadership team, regular on-site presence usually helps. If the task is a focused interim assignment, remote coordination with clear reporting can work well. For freelancers, the role often suits people with broad general management experience, not only a single functional specialty.

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Frequently asked questions

The facts hiring teams ask for most often when it comes to Managing Director.

A Managing Director leads the business on behalf of the owner, board, or group leadership. The work can include strategy, financial control, people leadership, sales focus, and operational follow-through. In many assignments, the person is expected to bring order quickly and keep the management team aligned.

A freelance Managing Director makes sense when you need senior leadership for a defined period, a transition, or an urgent gap. This is common for interim cover, turnaround work, or a founder-led company that needs experienced support without a long hiring process. It is also useful when the scope is broad but not yet stable enough for a permanent appointment.

The strongest Managing Director profile combines business judgment, leadership, and financial control. You should look for clear P&L ownership, good communication with owners and teams, and the ability to turn goals into action. Experience with change management is often a strong sign, especially in complex or fast-moving environments.

The titles overlap, but the remit can differ by company size and structure. A CEO usually sits at the top of the whole organization, while a Managing Director may lead a company, region, or business unit. A General Manager often has a narrower operational scope and less direct ownership of long-term strategy or external stakeholder management.

A good brief should explain the mandate, decision rights, current problems, and expected outcome. The freelancer also needs to know who they report to, which teams they lead, and whether the focus is growth, stabilization, or transformation. The clearer the scope, the faster a Managing Director can take ownership.

Yes, but the fit depends on the assignment. Strategy work, reporting, and board preparation can often be handled remotely, while culture change, team resets, and difficult stakeholder situations usually benefit from on-site presence. Many companies choose a hybrid setup for a freelance Managing Director.

Ask for concrete examples of leadership decisions, business results, and difficult situations they have handled. Strong candidates talk in specifics about priorities, trade-offs, and how they measured progress. A good Managing Director should also show how they build trust quickly with owners, managers, and key clients.

They usually need broad leadership experience across several business functions, not just one specialty. Useful backgrounds include company leadership, business unit management, interim management, turnaround, or growth leadership. The key is proof that they can step in fast, take control, and improve the situation without long onboarding.

The average hourly rate for Managing Director is 127 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,012 € based on an 8-hour working day.

Of the freelancers working as Managing Director, 87% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 55% hold at least a Master's degree, and 12% hold a doctorate.

On average, freelancers working as Managing Director have 24 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 4.1 years.

The most common languages among freelancers working as Managing Director are German (99%), English (94%), and French (26%).

The most common industries among freelancers working as Managing Director are Professional Services (69%), Information Technology (67%), and Manufacturing (47%).

The most common business areas among freelancers working as Managing Director are Project Management (75%), Strategy (68%), and Information Technology (66%).

FRATCH Managing Director main locations

Our freelancers and interim experts are at home all over Germany — available on-site in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and every major business hub, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.

In Austria our freelancers and interim experts support companies from Vienna to Graz — on-site where your project needs them, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.

Across Switzerland our specialists are active in Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern — working on-site or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.

Zurich Geneva Basel Bern

Countries:

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FRATCH CEO avatar

Philipp Thomaschewski

FRATCH CEO

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