Marcellus Gau - Lead Corporate Development

Q: Where is Marcellus based?

Marcellus is based in Bolzano, Italy .

Q: What languages does Marcellus speak?

Marcellus speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Marcellus have?

Marcellus has at least 23 years of experience. During this time, Marcellus has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 10 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 4 months . Note that Marcellus may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Marcellus's latest experience?

Marcellus's most recent position is Lead Corporate Development at First Avenue .

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

In recent years, Marcellus has worked for First Avenue and Notus Energy .

Q: Which industries is Marcellus most experienced in?

Marcellus is most experienced in industries like Information Technology (IT) , Advertising , and Banking and Finance . Marcellus also has some experience in Professional Services , Sport and Recreation , Media, and Entertainment and Publishing .

Q: Which business areas is Marcellus most experienced in?

Marcellus is most experienced in business areas like Marketing , Sales , and Strategy and Planning . Marcellus also has some experience in Product Development , Business Intelligence , and Project Management .

Q: Which industries has Marcellus worked in recently?

Marcellus has recently worked in industries like Sport and Recreation and Energy .

Q: Which business areas has Marcellus worked in recently?

Marcellus has recently worked in business areas like Product Development , Human Resources (HR) , and Marketing .

Recommended expert

Bolzano, Italy

Experience

Sep 2022 - Present

3 years 6 months

Lead Corporate Development

First Avenue

Testing and building new business models
Designing and launching a subscription business model with a commission structure
Leading and growing a platform and community for amateur sports in South Tyrol
Product management, UX, growth and organizational development
Building teams and know-how

Nov 2020 - Aug 2022

1 year 10 months

Lead Corporate Development

Notus Energy

Building and leading a digital products and data services business unit
Designing business models for Data Services, forecasting and energy trading
Leading the Hydrogen and Battery competence centers
Defining the roles of involved companies to realize the business models and products
Reviewing and evaluating all relevant data sources (ETL), designing the data technology stack
Building the energy portal prototype and automating reporting processes
Introducing digital tools and change management

Oct 2019 - Oct 2020

1 year 1 month

CEO

Unleashed Capital

Building and running the Trading Club startup
Assembling the founding team
Developing a business model combining club, education, commission and trading
Preparing the license application for a banking license (BaFin) and securing an e-money license
Responsible for products, UX, growth, organizational development and enterprise architecture
Building teams and know-how in product development, IT & technology, operations, banking control, legal & compliance and risk management

Sep 2016 - Oct 2019

3 years 2 months

Berlin, Germany

Head of several areas and FinTechs, member of the leadership team

Sparkassen Finanzportal

Responsible for the technical and content operation of the Sparkassen online branches for 20 million customers
Further development of the user experience
Led the Data Services division, later Innovation Management and Performance Marketing
Increased contribution margin 1 from 7.5 million to 9.1 million euros (2018) and surpassed the 1 billion page impressions per month mark; boosted product sign-ups by 23%
Enhanced the Chat Suite (chatbot, text chat, video chat, call center) with revenue growth of 800k euros
Introduced real-time content, piloted marketing automation, and improved the customer journey and editorial process (introduced Slack)
Rolled out Google Analytics for 385 Sparkassen and built the analytics stack (BigQuery, Exasol, Power BI, Tableau)
Designed and sold data products (reporting, conversion optimization)
Created insight reports for Performance Marketing and UX
Grew Performance Marketing revenue from 10.7 million to 13.4 million euros (FC 2019), merged SEO and SEA, introduced affiliate marketing and online marketing automation
Implemented a self-booking tool for Sparkassen campaigns
Developed conversion optimizations for the check-out funnels
Built and rolled out an innovation process with 4 MVPs (online tax filing, real estate sales via app, cross-border payments)
Contributed to designing the Sparkassen ecosystem, implementing competitive monitoring processes and internal/external networking

Jan 2015 - Aug 2016

1 year 8 months

Hamburg, Germany

Chief Portal/Product Officer

Content Fleet GmbH

Built and ran content marketing portals
Developed, improved and marketed content marketing products
Ensured and improved output quality and optimized work efficiency and time to market
Monitored and improved the performance of processes, portals and products
Designed and implemented a product portfolio for portals and verticals based on T-shirt sizing logic (S, M, L, XL)
Built the Digital Economy 4.0 portal
Acquired clients like Telekom, T-Online, Otto, Hornbach and others
Built and led a team of concept developers, QA staff, developers and product managers
Organizational responsibility for around 10 software products
Developed the 'Editorial Briefing' tool for performance-driven content creation
Established a trend analysis process and systematic evaluation of customer and employee insights

Jun 2011 - Oct 2014

3 years 5 months

Zürich, Switzerland

Managing Director Publicis Modem

Publicis Communications Schweiz AG

Overall responsibility for digital activities at the Zurich office
Key account management, client development and new business, as well as digital transformation
Grew online net revenue to around CHF 3.5 million
Built and restructured the digital team by creating and filling new roles (Creative Technologist, Concept Developer, Digital Project & Partner Lead)
Developed communication strategies, structures, and processes
Increased visibility through a digital portfolio, concept study, association work, presentations and events
Partner management, including cooperation with Pixelpark Germany
Implemented social media monitoring (conversion and brand monitoring)
Built internal expertise and delivered a training program

Mar 2011 - Dec 2017

6 years 10 months

Co-Founder and Shareholder

Apploft GmbH

Acquired new business (> 500k) and networked
Profitable after six months
Sold shares at the end of 2017
Established and maintained strategic partnerships (e.g. City of Hamburg)

Jun 2007 - May 2011

4 years

Founder and Managing Partner, CFO/COO

Blackbeltmonkey

Acquired Adidas as a client
Achieved 1M in revenue after 18 months
Sample client list: HDI, Adidas, Page, Mitsubishi, Edeka

Dec 2005 - Jun 2007

1 year 7 months

Hamburg, Germany

Project Manager for Building the Online and E-Commerce Community

Stern.de GmbH (Gruner+Jahr)

Presented concept and business plan in a management board pitch
Launched on time
Responsible for budgeting, business development, content and concept development, feasibility analyses, business model design and stakeholder communication

Mar 2003 - Nov 2005

2 years 9 months

Hamburg, Germany

Project Manager for the Launch

Hamburg Media School

Built Hamburg Media School from scratch to launch within eight months

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Information Technology (7 years), Advertising (5 years), Banking and Finance (4 years), Professional Services (4 years), Sport (3.5 years), and Media and Entertainment (3 years).

Information Technology

Advertising

Banking and Finance

Professional Services

Sport

Media and Entertainment

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Marketing (11.5 years), Sales (10.5 years), Strategy (10 years), Product Development (9.5 years), Business Intelligence (8 years), and Project Management (7.5 years).

Marketing

Sales

Strategy

Product Development

Business Intelligence

Project Management

Summary

Digitalization/Transformation, Business Development, Marketing, Data Services, Product Development, Innovation and Organizational Development.

Strong technical and business background (Electrical Engineer, Master of Business Administration).

Leadership skills: developing employees and business units of up to 80 people.

Proven multi-project management skills with large and international teams. Executive with a networked mindset and a hands-on mentality. Familiar with start-up cultures and corporate structures.

Banking and Finance, Energy, Media, Automotive.

Languages

German

Native

English

Elementary

Education

Nov 2003 - Nov 2005

Hamburg Media School

Master of Business Administration, specialization in Media Management · Business Administration · Hamburg, Germany · 1.9

Jun 1997 - May 1998

Curtin University of Technology

Master of Electrical Engineering · Electrical Engineering · Perth, Australia · 1.0

Oct 1990 - Mar 1997

Technische Universität Dortmund

Diploma in Electrical Engineering · Electrical Engineering · Dortmund, Germany · 2

Certifications & licenses

E-Money License

Profile

Created

December 2023

Last Update

December 2025

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Frequently asked questions

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

Where is Marcellus based?

Marcellus is based in Bolzano, Italy.

What languages does Marcellus speak?

Marcellus speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Marcellus have?

Marcellus has at least 23 years of experience. During this time, Marcellus has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 10 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 4 months. Note that Marcellus may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Marcellus be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Marcellus would be well-suited for roles such as: Lead Corporate Development, CEO, Head of several areas and FinTechs, member of the leadership team.

What is Marcellus's latest experience?

Marcellus's most recent position is Lead Corporate Development at First Avenue.

What companies has Marcellus worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Marcellus has worked for First Avenue and Notus Energy.

Which industries is Marcellus most experienced in?

Marcellus is most experienced in industries like Information Technology (IT), Advertising, and Banking and Finance. Marcellus also has some experience in Professional Services, Sport and Recreation, Media, and Entertainment and Publishing.

Which business areas is Marcellus most experienced in?

Marcellus is most experienced in business areas like Marketing, Sales, and Strategy and Planning. Marcellus also has some experience in Product Development, Business Intelligence, and Project Management.

Which industries has Marcellus worked in recently?

Marcellus has recently worked in industries like Sport and Recreation and Energy.

Which business areas has Marcellus worked in recently?

Marcellus has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Human Resources (HR), and Marketing.

What is Marcellus's education?

Marcellus holds a Master in Business Administration from Hamburg Media School, a Master in Electrical Engineering from Curtin University of Technology and a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from Technische Universität Dortmund.

Does Marcellus have any certificates?

Marcellus has 1 certificate: E-Money License.

What is the availability of Marcellus?

Marcellus is immediately available for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Marcellus?

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