Thorsten Gropp - Senior Consultant Digitalization as Interim Manager

Q: Where is Thorsten based?

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

Q: What languages does Thorsten speak?

Thorsten speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Elementary), French (Elementary), Italian (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Thorsten have?

Thorsten has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, Thorsten has worked in at least 13 different roles and for 12 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 3 months . Note that Thorsten may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Thorsten's latest experience?

Thorsten's most recent position is Senior Consultant Digitalization as Interim Manager at State government of Bavaria .

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

In recent years, Thorsten has worked for State government of Bavaria and Möbel Martin GmbH & Co. KG .

Q: Which industries is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in industries like Media, Entertainment and Publishing , Retail , and Advertising . Thorsten also has some experience in Information Technology (IT) , Real Estate , and Healthcare .

Q: Which business areas is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in business areas like Marketing , Information Technology (IT) , and Project Management . Thorsten also has some experience in Operations , Sales , and Strategy and Planning .

Q: Which industries has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in industries like Healthcare , Government and Public Administration , and Retail .

Q: Which business areas has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology (IT) , Operations , and Project Management .

Recommended expert

Augsburg, Germany

Experience

Feb 2023 - Present

3 years 1 month

Senior Consultant Digitalization as Interim Manager

State government of Bavaria

Direct report to the health department manager at the State Ministry for Health and Care
Digitalization of processes in all areas of the health department
Process optimization in the Bavarian public health service (ÖGD)
Project member “Health Department 2025”

Sep 2020 - Oct 2022

2 years 2 months

CEO as Interim Manager

Möbel Martin GmbH & Co. KG

Reporting directly to the proprietors
Sales revenue responsibility €398m in 2021
Budget responsibility €21m in 2021
Development of the digitalization strategy
Selection and implementation of the CRM system
Development of the customer loyalty program
Development and implementation of a digital employee app
Various digitalization processes in sales and marketing
Overall marketing responsibility for the Möbel Martin Group across all distribution channels including 8 stores
Brand launch
Restructuring and building up teams

Oct 2019 - Aug 2020

11 months

Senior Consultant Business Development as Interim Manager

Enjoygroup Grupo Ferrer Gestión S.L.U.

Reporting directly to the proprietors of the Group
Process optimization
Digitalization of the processes in all business units
Development of the “Palma Beach” brand

Mar 2018 - Jun 2019

1 year 4 months

Marketing Director International as Interim Manager

Garant-Global s.a.r.l

Reporting directly to the Chair of the Group
Expansion of the company
Process optimization
Digitalization of the processes in all national companies
Overall marketing responsibility worldwide (€50m)
Development of the Garant Home Design brand
Development of the international franchise system

Apr 2017 - Mar 2018

1 year

CEO as Interim Manager

MaxEnergy GmbH / MaxEnergy Handels GmbH

Reporting directly to the proprietor of the group
Management spokesman
Sales revenue responsibility €135m in 2017
Budget responsibility €25m in 2017
Restructuring and expansion of the companies
Process optimization
Overall responsibility for marketing/sales/IT in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Digitalization processes in sales and marketing
Changing the IT landscape to Salesforce / SAP / Confluence / Jira etc.

Feb 2015 - Mar 2017

2 years 2 months

CEO as Interim Manager, eCommerce, Marketing, Sales, IT

Weltbild GmbH & Co. KG

Reporting directly to the Group Advisory Board
Sales revenue responsibility €305m in 2016
Budget responsibility €34m in 2016
173 employees plus 1,050 employees in the stores
10 direct reports
Restructuring, reorganization, digitalization and reorientation
Overall responsibility for marketing/sales in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the Weltbild brand through all distribution channels including 86 stores
Selection and implementation of a CRM system
Brand management of all brands of the Weltbild Group in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
All print and POS advertising media in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, especially the catalog with monthly circulation of more than 7 million copies
All websites of the Weltbild Group in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
All eCommerce activities of the Weltbild Group
All social media activities
All digital marketing measures incl. moving images (SEA/SEO, E.Mail, Affiliate, Display, etc.)
All cooperations of the Weltbild Group, sales approx. €23m in 2016
TV and radio campaigns
Digitalization processes in sales and marketing

May 2005 - Dec 2015

10 years 8 months

Managing Partner

Interactivelabs GmbH & Co.KG

Digital marketing & eCommerce optimization
Social media analytics and services
Social media customer service
Observation, analysis and optimization of social media and networks on the Internet
Development, operation and sales of an analysis and observation software for social media on the Internet
Digitalization of business processes
Cross-media strategy & development
Consultancy services and project management
Customers: McKinsey & Company; Volkswagen; Audi; Bentley; Adobe; Samsung; Hagebau; Peek & Cloppenburg; Mann-Hummel
Agency partners: Razorfish (Paris, London, Frankfurt, Berlin); TribalDDB (London, Paris); DIGITAS (New York, London, Paris); DDB Health (London); UPC (Amsterdam); KETCHUM-PLEON GmbH (Düsseldorf); DPA – news aktuell

Oct 2004 - Apr 2005

7 months

Head of New Media division

Weltbild Verlags GmbH

Operative and strategic management of all online portals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Member of the management team
Positioning and further development of the Weltbild.de shopping platform, making it one of Germany's leading Internet portals
Efficiency enhancement for internal processes
Consistent development of the online platforms in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Oct 2001 - Sep 2004

3 years

CEO of Karstadt.de

Karstadt Warenhaus AG

Operative and strategic management of the portals Karstadt.de and Karstadtsport.de
Expansion of business to 109 employees and an annual sales revenue of approx. €145m in 2003
Reporting to the holding CEO and to the Chair of Karstadt Warenhaus AG
Positioning and further development of the shopping and information platform, making it one of the leading Internet portals
Communicative and structural integration of the eBusiness unit of Karstadt Warenhaus AG in the holding structures
Establishment of synergies with the mail-order subsidiaries Quelle and Neckermann in backend business
Consolidation of IT and corporate structures (reorganization with integration of Karstadtsport AG in Karstadt Warenhaus AG)
Efficiency enhancement for internal processes
Consistent development of the platform
Development of business models and strategies for marketing of the FIFA World Cup 2006 for Karstadt Warenhaus AG
Major contribution to the migration of the Karstadt-Club to Happy Digits
Development of strategic cooperations with various partners from media and the retail trade

Jun 2000 - Sep 2001

1 year 4 months

COO of Winegate Internet AG and CEO of Winegate New Media GmbH

Winegate Internet AG / Winegate New Media GmbH

Responsible for all the company’s marketing and operative activities
Reporting to the CFO of the entire Group and to the CEO
Management of 25 employees at Winegate Internet AG and 7 at Winegate New Media GmbH
Both B2B and B2C Sales Managers and Key Accounts Sales Managers reported back to me
Expansion of the website to make it a profitable distribution channel in Germany and abroad
Development of eBusiness strategies and solutions for the holding
Correct positioning of the Winegate brand on the www, accompanied by print and online campaigns, combined with PR measures and classical marketing measures
Development of a cooperation network with Gruner & Jahr, Axel Springer Verlag, SZ-Online, Pro 7, N24, Kabel 1 and others
Integration of the customer loyalty program Lufthansa Miles & More

Sep 1999 - May 2000

9 months

Head of eCommerce division

Hawesko Holding AG

Development of the Winegate brand with the associated spin-off to Winegate Internet AG and creation of an “in-house agency” for combining Internet competence within the Group under the name “Winegate New Media GmbH”
Brand relaunch of “Jacques’ Wein-Depot” (food retail trade, Germany), “CWD” (mail-order wholesale trade, Germany)
Launch & Internet platform for “The Winecompany” (mail-order trade, Austria)
Group integration of “Wein Wolf” (wholesaler, Germany), Internet platform for the French market “Chateaux Classic” (mail-order trade, France)

Jul 1997 - Aug 1999

2 years 2 months

New Media Project Manager and Marketing Consultant

Aengevelt Immobilien KG

Work in Düsseldorf, Berlin, Moscow and Shanghai
Development of customer support programs and customer analysis
Development of the Internet services and the Intranet
Development and realization of service CD-ROM
Linking of branches in terms of CI, uniform user interface and product offering
Workflow optimization

Jun 1996 - Jun 1997

1 year 1 month

Junior Marketing Manager

Aengevelt Immobilien KG

Work in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Moscow
Assigned to the interface between marketing, IT and organization
Development of a realty database and corresponding incorporation on the Internet and Intranet
Creation of a homepage for the Aengevelt Group
Introduction of new marketing concepts
Development of communication concepts
Responsible for a budget of DM4m p.a. and a further DM1m for the Internet budget

Mar 1994 - May 1996

2 years 3 months

Traineeship

Aengevelt Immobilien KG

Realty marketing of office realty and investment realty
Realty marketing of private realty
Trade fair planning and organization
Design of advertising media and print media
Planning and opening of new sites (Magdeburg, Frankfurt, Bonn)
Training of staff and managers
Planning and introduction of in-house Intranet

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 Media and Entertainment (12.5 years), Retail (11 years), Advertising (10.5 years), Information Technology (10.5 years), Real Estate (5.5 years), and Healthcare (3 years).

Media and Entertainment

Retail

Advertising

Information Technology

Real Estate

Healthcare

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 (28.5 years), Information Technology (23.5 years), Project Management (15.5 years), Operations (11 years), Sales (6.5 years), and Strategy (5.5 years).

Marketing

Information Technology

Project Management

Operations

Sales

Strategy

Summary

Many years of management experience as CEO/Chair eCommerce / digital business, digitalization, B2C and B2B marketing, general management, responsibility for sales revenues of up to €500m.

Digital transformation of organizations and business models
Restructuring and optimization of retail and marketing organizations
Marketing controlling and optimization return on marketing investment
Strategic brand management and marketing
CRM and loyalty development, implementation and management
Result-oriented management of projects and service providers
Extensive technical IT know-how

Skills

Office Packages For Mac & Pc
Various Statistics Programs
Various Intranet And Internet Developer Tools

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Spanish

Elementary

French

Elementary

Italian

Elementary

Education

Oct 1989 - Mar 1995

Braunschweig University of Technology

Degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering / Business Management · Industrial Engineering · Braunschweig, Germany

Jul 1987 - Dec 1987

High School

Chicago, United States

Aug 1978 - Jun 1987

Comenius Gymnasium

Passed the university entrance examination · Düsseldorf, Germany

Profile

Created

February 2024

Last Update

January 2025

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Frequently asked questions

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

Where is Thorsten based?

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

What languages does Thorsten speak?

Thorsten speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Elementary), French (Elementary), Italian (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Thorsten have?

Thorsten has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, Thorsten has worked in at least 13 different roles and for 12 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 3 months. Note that Thorsten may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Thorsten be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Thorsten would be well-suited for roles such as: Senior Consultant Digitalization as Interim Manager, CEO as Interim Manager, Senior Consultant Business Development as Interim Manager.

What is Thorsten's latest experience?

Thorsten's most recent position is Senior Consultant Digitalization as Interim Manager at State government of Bavaria.

What companies has Thorsten worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thorsten has worked for State government of Bavaria and Möbel Martin GmbH & Co. KG.

Which industries is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in industries like Media, Entertainment and Publishing, Retail, and Advertising. Thorsten also has some experience in Information Technology (IT), Real Estate, and Healthcare.

Which business areas is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in business areas like Marketing, Information Technology (IT), and Project Management. Thorsten also has some experience in Operations, Sales, and Strategy and Planning.

Which industries has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in industries like Healthcare, Government and Public Administration, and Retail.

Which business areas has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Operations, and Project Management.

What is Thorsten's education?

Thorsten holds a Bachelor in Industrial Engineering from Braunschweig University of Technology.

What is the availability of Thorsten?

Thorsten is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Thorsten?

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