Wolfgang G.
Head of Communications and Marketing (Interim)
Experience
Interim Manager Communications and Corporate Marketing
SHK Deutschland (BME SHK Deutschland GmbH, wholesale sanitary, heating, HVAC)
Set up and manage communications and corporate marketing in the change and restructuring process (6 months).
Head of Central Marketing and Communications Division (Interim Mandate)
Lobbe Holding GmbH & Co KG (environment and waste disposal)
Built and led the central marketing and communications division for the mid-sized corporate group (21 months).
Head of Central Corporate Communications and Marketing (Interim Mandate)
Brose Fahrzeugteile SE
Led and realigned the central corporate communications and marketing division (7 months + consulting).
Interim Manager Change Communication and Stakeholder Management
Schwarz Gruppe (incl. Lidl, Kaufland)
- Established change communication and stakeholder management for the digitization and innovation strategy.
- Raised the group's profile in the media through press work and media campaigns as well as with internal stakeholders.
- Built IT communications (12 months).
Change and Communications Manager (Interim Mandate)
Deutsche Bahn Fernverkehr AG
- Change and communications management in the digital transformation of operations (top digitalization project).
- Set up IT and CIO communications as a line function (14 months).
Change and Communications Manager (Interim Mandate)
Fiducia & GAD IT AG (now "Atruvia")
Change and communication management in the post-merger integration, supporting digital transformation, team development (3 months, then consulting).
Member of project management and head of change & communication (Interim Mandate)
GaVI Gesellschaft f. angewandte Versicherungsinformatik mbH (IT company of the public-law insurers)
- Member of the project management and head of change & communication in the company's separation process.
- Strategy and concept development, operational communication management, team development, leadership coaching (over 2 years).
Change and communication support (Interim Mandate)
Nestlé Germany AG
Change and communication support for the restructuring of the entire sales division with the establishment of a new sales company (10 months, then 1 year consulting).
Interim Manager Repositioning & Change
MIAG C.V.
Repositioning of the Metro Group’s global finance company: strategy, concept and implementation of a change program to reposition the subsidiary internationally in financial supply chain management with industrial clients, publicly and internally (1 year).
Interim Executive and Advisor | Communication & Marketing at C-Level
WordsValues Griepentrog Interim Management and Communication Consulting
Focused interim roles at C-level in demanding contexts and companies (Schwarz Group, Metro Group, Deutsche Bahn, Nestlé, Brose, etc.)
Operational and strategic responsibilities: crisis/reputation management, change programs, internal/external communication
Leadership and line responsibility with measurable added value (e.g., optimized processes, increased credibility, stakeholder accessibility)
Communication audits & due diligence: holistic analysis and robust strategy development
Topics: digital transformation, sustainability, M&A communication, sales communication, cultural change
Department Head of Corporate Communications and Head of Group PR
METRO Group
Built and led the national and international group PR and corporate marketing. Managed a department team of 7 employees and led agency teams (approx. 50 people).
- Responsible for the strategy and implementation of all national and international PR, communication and marketing activities at the group level for a 360° stakeholder communication
- Press and media work (print, TV, radio, online) in selected areas (e.g., food, CSR and political topics)
- Staging press- and media-effective themed campaigns and initiatives (including the technology campaign "Future Store Initiative", public health campaign "Gut für Dich")
- Corporate publishing with responsibility for all group publications, websites and digital media (including development of the multiple award-winning "Metro Handelslexikon")
- Executive and CEO communications including media training
- Communication of international representations and sales divisions
- Planning and organizing crisis communication in international structures
- Building and developing the "METRO Group" corporate brand
External Press Spokesperson and PR Manager (Interim Mandate)
Philipp Holzmann AG
- Global corporate and financial communication with a focus on business and financial media as well as regional broadcasters
- Creation of all group publications (including project management of annual reports)
- Development of corporate marketing measures for 360° stakeholder management
- Internal crisis and change communication
Consultant for PR, Communication and Marketing and Interim Manager
Dr. Wolfgang Griepentrog Corporate Communications
Media relations, crisis communication, financial communication, change communication, corporate marketing, identity management.
Major assignments (partly parallel to the Holzmann interim mandate) include:
- Bayer AG: youth marketing
- BKK Philipp Holzmann (now: Salus BKK): press and marketing communication
- VW gedas: marketing consulting
- DGZ/DekaBank: external and internal merger communication
- German Accounting Standards Committee (DRSC): press and PR work, building a media-effective profile
- Alexander Demuth (agency): interim senior consultant for top clients from banking, real estate, logistics
- Major Volksbanken (e.g. Berliner Volksbank, Volksbank Bonn Rhein-Sieg): marketing, financial and crisis PR, merger communication, annual reports
Senior Consultant in Management Consulting
GenoConsult / Cooperative Association Frankfurt
PR and marketing consulting for bank boards and marketing managers as well as association PR.
- Development and implementation of integrated press, PR and marketing concepts
- Consulting and coaching of board members and executives
- Crisis communication for large cooperative banks, developing structures and guidelines, training and coaching
- Merger communication (support for several bank mergers)
- Corporate publishing and annual reports (overall project management for multiple clients)
- Design and execution of high-level regional events (e.g. "Berlin Brandenburger Gespräche", "Wirtschaftstage")
Account Manager and Concept Developer, most recently as Creative Director and Senior Consultant for a trade fair organizer
Various Southern German Advertising and PR Agencies
Clients: Nuremberg Trade Fair, Kabi Pharmacia, Büttner-Frank, City of Schwabach, Popp Lighting and Switch Technology, E-Plus Mobile, Wafios Machine Factory, Groz-Beckert, Kern-Liebers, among others.
Crisis Communication (Interim Assignment)
Esprit Holding
Crisis communication and brand relaunch in the media, the financial market and internally (9 months, consulting).
Interim Communications and Lobbying Manager
Metro Group
Carrying out association policy mandates, communications and lobbying in committees, politics, trade shows and the media (7 months).
Summary
As an independent interim manager at C-level, I combine 30 years of communication and marketing experience with operational leadership in temporary crisis, transformation and digitization projects.
I help established and growth-oriented companies – from family businesses to DAX corporations – in critical situations with structured, credible and action-oriented communication:
- Crisis & reputation management (e.g. scandal, corporate distress, quality incident, restructuring)
- Change & culture processes (e.g. M&A, digital transformation)
- Corporate, CEO & stakeholder communication, stakeholder alignment
- Strategic internal + external communication
My mission: Ensure communication capability – and as a temporary chief achieve sustainable impact for top management and corporate brand. So that leadership remains effective.
Languages
Education
University of Vienna
PhD · Linguistics · Vienna, Austria
Free University of Berlin; Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
Magister Artium · Comparative Linguistics · Erlangen, Germany
Similar Freelancers
Discover other experts with similar qualifications and experience
- English
- Deutsch
2025 © FRATCH.IO GmbH. All rights reserved.