Stefan Rinderknecht
Leadership Expert | Consultant | Mentor | Speaker
Experience
Leadership Expert | Consultant | Mentor | Speaker
Expert in leadership, customer focus, and efficiency with over 27 years of experience in leadership and transformation.
My approach fosters trust, innovation, and clarity – empowering teams to consistently align with customer needs and succeed in dynamic markets.
Sabbatical for personal & professional development
- Deliberate sabbatical for reorientation, focusing on family, learning, self-reflection, health, fitness, and travel.
Head of Retail Partnerships Google Devices & Services
- Challenge: limited distribution channels and insufficient reach for Google hardware in Germany.
- Actions: expanded the product portfolio and sales structure by recruiting new retail partners and establishing a B2B channel. Organized strategic initiatives like trade show appearances at IFA and Euronics.
- Results: €15M additional revenue in the B2B channel (2022), €20M revenue within 12 months through new partnerships, 80% revenue growth above target in the "Nest" segment through expansion into B2B2C channels.
Principal New Business Development
Amazon EU SARL
- Challenge: developing a new B2B2C sales channel for Alexa-enabled devices in Europe.
- Actions: set up a new distribution channel for business customers in industries such as energy, banking, and hospitality in Germany. Expanded to France, Italy, and Spain, including onboarding new distributors and developing cross-brand strategies.
- Results: €17M revenue growth over three years, established a robust sales model that opened new industries and expanded the service offering.
Senior Advisor
Herax Partners
- Challenge: lack of market insights for M&A activities in the German loyalty market.
- Actions: conducted a detailed market analysis to identify strategic acquisition targets.
- Results: provided informed recommendations for M&A strategy and a reliable basis for targeted investment decisions.
Interim Sales Director
Ionos SE
- Challenge: Inefficient integration of the subsidiary Fasthosts into IONOS's corporate structure.
- Actions: Optimized tools and processes by matching those at headquarters, adjusted staffing levels to cut costs, and led a team with €23M in revenue responsibility.
- Results: Successfully integrated Fasthosts, greatly improving efficiency and harmonizing processes.
Head of Key Account Management
Rewards Arvato Services
- Challenge: Loss of the largest key account (Shell Clubsmart), limited cross-selling opportunities, and an unviable cost structure.
- Actions: Reorganized the team to improve efficiency, reduced staff to align costs, and introduced an affiliate model to offset point transaction costs.
- Results: Achieved 10% annual revenue growth through effective cross- and upselling, and successfully managed €50M in revenue with a 20-person team.
Senior Manager
Lufthansa Worldshop and Miles & More International
- Challenge: Difficulty scaling the program internationally, high operating costs, low engagement from non-frequent flyers, and limited revenue streams outside the flight segment.
- Actions: Established and managed 65 retail partners in 35 countries, developed a retail concept to expand airport shops in Germany, and led two strategic top-management initiatives at the board level:
- Reduced costs by 15% through realigning services for status customers
- Increased user activity through everyday partnerships, and developed a white-label loyalty system with shopping and logistics services for external partner programs.
- Results: Generated €17M in annual revenue with a five-person sales team, achieving consistent double-digit growth; the white-label solution added €1M in its first year; reduced program costs while maintaining customer satisfaction; and significantly increased user engagement through new partnerships.
Managing Director
Rinderknecht Consulting
- Challenge: Unclear market entry strategy and lack of alignment between marketing and sales at Telenorma C.A. (Venezuela).
- Actions: Conducted detailed market and competitor analyses, developed a strategic concept to reposition market efforts, and created channel-specific sales and marketing strategies.
- Result: Established a clear market focus and targeted measures to improve market presence and sales efficiency.
Management Consultant
COP Consulting Partners
Client: SONY Germany
Challenge: Weak engagement of exclusive hi-fi retailers and lack of structure and efficiency in trade marketing.
Actions: Developed a targeted retailer loyalty program with tailored marketing plans, restructured trade marketing with new processes, and built an efficient organizational setup.
Result: Strengthened retailer loyalty in the premium segment, improved alignment between marketing and sales, and increased efficiency in trade marketing.
Client: Deutsche Telekom
Challenge: Unclear market access for the IT segment and no processes for targeted customer acquisition.
Actions: Conducted a market and competitor analysis along the IT value chain and developed a framework for customer acquisition and partner management.
Result: Created a focused market entry strategy aligned with internal processes and market requirements.
Senior Consultant
KPMG Consulting
Client: Kappa Germany (paper processing)
Challenge: Low production and sales volumes in the German market.
Actions: Analysis of production efficiency and identification of market entry barriers. Development of an action plan to optimize processes and strengthen market position.
Result: Improved production efficiency and increased sales in the German market.
Client: Lucent Technologies
Challenge: Inefficient processes in the global supply chain.
Actions: Analysis of existing processes, identification of gaps, development of a strategic roadmap for optimization.
Result: Streamlined global supply chain processes, reduced inefficiencies, and optimized international supply chain processes.
Management Consultant
HPP Consulting
Client: Daimler-Benz AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
Challenge: Unclear strategy in the truck accessories business and efficiency potential in after-sales operations.
Actions: Market analysis for the accessories segment, development of a comprehensive marketing concept, establishment of a product management department in the spare parts division.
Result: Improved market positioning and establishment of a scalable product management.
Client: Volkswagen AG
Challenge: Lack of growth strategy for the European accessories business.
Actions: Analysis of market potential in Germany, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, and France; development of a country-specific coverage strategy.
Result: Realignment of the accessories strategy in Europe with measurable revenue growth in several markets.
Summary
Experienced sales and growth expert with leadership experience in international corporations such as Google, Amazon, Lufthansa, and Arvato. Specialized in developing and executing customer-focused sales strategies, building and expanding new sales channels (B2C, B2B, B2B2C), and scaling partner ecosystems across Europe. Proven track record in launching new product categories, reorganizing loyalty programs, and driving revenue and efficiency improvements. Led teams of up to 20 employees and had P&L responsibility of up to €50M. Acts analytically, pragmatically, and is execution-driven – with a clear focus on customer value, sustainable partnerships, and market-driven scaling. Culturally adept, multilingual, and experienced in navigating complex decision-making structures – both operationally and at board level.
Skills
Leadership & Transformation: Executive Management, Division Leadership, Building High-performing Teams, Cultural Change, Change Management
Sales & Business Development: B2b/b2c/b2b2c, Market Entry, International Expansion, Channel Development
Customer Obsession & Customer Retention: Building Customer-centric Organizations, Key Account Management, Crm Excellence
Strategic Partnerships: Developing Partner Ecosystems, Collaborations To Scale Growth
Portfolio & Performance Management: Offer Development, Cross-/upselling, Campaign Management, Data-driven Decisions
Structure & Scaling: Process Optimization, Implementing Efficient Systems, Building Scalable Organizational Units
Technology & Consumer Electronics
E-commerce & Retail
Loyalty Programs & Customer Retention Systems
Telecommunications & It Services
Aviation & Mobility
Automotive Accessories & Industry
Customer-focused & Entrepreneurial – Decisions In The Interest Of Both The Customer And The Business
Strategic Thinker, Operationally Strong – Visionary But Execution-driven
Leadership With Clarity & Trust – Enabling Responsibility Instead Of Controlling
International & Interculturally Experienced – Multilingual, Adaptive, Confident In Complex Environments
Hands-on Mentality – Direct, Pragmatic, Solution-oriented
Languages
Education
University of Münster
Diploma in Business Administration · Münster, Germany
Hoechst AG & Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce
Industrial Clerk · Frankfurt, Germany
German School "Colegio Humboldt, Caracas"
Caracas, Venezuela
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