Thomas Grigoleit

Background

About Thomas Grigoleit

I have been playing soccer since I was 5 years old. And when I look at my professional work in executive search, I find some parallels: • Preparation counts: People cheer when they close the deal (or win the match). But the really important thing is the preparation. In the long run, those who maintain the energy, creativity and meticulousness, will score best. • Teamwork rules: in soccer it is obvious. When filling executive positions, I notice how much more effective we are when we are in close contact with both partners - candidate and client - throughout the entire process until the successful onboarding. • It’s people's business: To stay successful, you have to link the right people. To understand the character and motivations behind the CV."Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast" is as true on the pitch as it is in successful companies. What I professionally have ahead of many soccer players: I play for two great teams at same time, both of which I helped to found. At Departer, we fill executive positions almost worldwide at foreign subsidiaries of German companies. With DavidsonRise, we are often first choice for PE portfolios in the DACH region to place executives, according to the claim: connecting people.creating value. The fact that I have previously worked in a PE-led company myself and also gained experience as an advisory board member of a PE-portfolio company, has been the perfect precondition for my current activities. And the fact that we have deliberately set up both companies, DavidsonRise and Departer, as boutique consultancies is in line with my convictions anyway. That’s why I have been playing soccer in the senior team of FC St. Pauli for years. Sometimes – in soccer and in business – the supposedly smaller ones are simply the better ones. And cooler anyway.