Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
I advise companies on the appointment of digital executives and board members – with a focus on C-level and advisory roles that drive transformation, innovation, and growth. My perspective is shaped by nearly three decades of operational experience in the digital economy. I am an entrepreneur and also held leadership roles across digital businesses such as AOL and Pixelpark and have advised founders, investors, and corporate boards throughout my career. I understand both the strategic and cultural dimensions of leadership in fast-changing environments. Today, I support family-owned companies, listed corporates, and technology-driven scale-ups in identifying leaders who create long-term impact. Beyond executive search, I contribute to the broader leadership dialogue as an author, publisher, guest lecturer, and active member of several professional and industry associations such as BVDW and BDU, where I am currently acting as Vice President. I regularly work at the intersection of business practice, policy, and executive education. I believe leadership appointments should create more than just alignment. They should unlock potential – strategically, culturally, and personally.
five14 - Lead the Shift! At five14, we are a team of multi-award winning consultants, all with decades of operational experience in marketing, sales and business leadership in the digital industry, and successfully serving as Executive Search Consultants for the last few years. We've partnered to help companies successfully master the changes in the New Work Era and bring the best digital talent on board - for Scale-Ups, larger SMEs and corporations. We see ourselves as a service provider and attach great importance to acting as a partner with our customers and to communicate and advise constructively in an open and transparent manner. In addition, we have committed ourselves to the New Work Guidelines, merging them with Social Entrepreneurship: 14 percent of our annual profits go to charitable organizations. Each team member is personally involved in charitable and political initiatives or educational institutions. Because we firmly believe that we can change the world - a little bit at least. Reach out and let us discuss how we can support you on your digitization path!
Suits & Sneakers ist ein Podcast für Entscheiderinnen und Entscheider. In der Leadership Edition sprechen Deininger Group CEO Joy Edwin Thanarajah und Harald R. Fortmann, geschäftsführender Gesellschafter der Personalberatung Five14, mit Führungspersönlichkeiten über neue Arbeitswelten, die Veränderung von Führung und über langjährige Erfahrungen im Aufbau und in der Steuerung von Unternehmen. Die Digital Edition, die Harald R. Fortmann solo moderiert, richtet den Fokus auf die großen Treiber unserer Zeit: künstliche Intelligenz, digitale Transformation und disruptive Technologien. Hier kommen Expertinnen und Experten aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Tech-Industrie zu Wort, die Einblicke geben, wie KI und digitale Innovationen Führung, Organisationen und Märkte verändern. Gemeinsam bilden beide Formate das Fundament von Suits & Sneakers: die Leadership Edition mit dem Fokus auf Menschen und Führung, die Digital Edition mit dem Blick auf Technologie und Zukunftstrends – vereint in einem Dialog über das, was Entscheiderinnen und Entscheider heute und morgen bewegt.
The Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberatungen (BDU) e.V. represents the German consulting industry, which employs over 220,000 people and has a turnover of almost 50 billion euros. Because consulting is of the utmost importance for the German economy and the public sector, the association has set itself the task of constantly improving this service and ensuring the quality level of its member companies: From management consulting to reorganisation consulting to personnel consulting. Through studies, certifications, guidelines, networking and further training, the BDU helps to ensure that companies and administrations in Germany always receive the best possible advice.
The official podcast of the Federal Association of German Management Consultants (BDU e.V.) brings together leading voices from consulting, business, and academia. They explore what drives our profession today — leadership, transformation, sustainability, artificial intelligence, and the challenges faced by SMEs. "Gemeinsam besser beraten" delivers fresh perspectives and practical insights for everyone eager to rethink consulting and help shape the industry’s future.
Our professional association currently comprises around 70 Executive Search Consultants who focus on the search, selection and recruitment of executives and specialists. Founded in the 1970s, our professional association is currently the largest group of experts within the BDU.The members cover a broad spectrum, both in terms of the size of the companies represented and in terms of the individual consulting specializations and client industries. Our professional association sets the quality standards for Executive Search in Germany and advocates the interests of the executive search industry in politics, business and academia.
DAYONE designs user-centered digital business models, the corresponding digital products and the thinking and working methods of the teams behind them.
E-Commerce Berlin Expo is the largest pure B2B E-Commerce event in Germany and the first port of call for anyone working in the industry. Over 11,000 visitors meet around 300 exhibitors and 150 speakers who are among the most renowned e-commerce executives.
d3con is the world's biggest event on the topic of Programmatic Advertising. More than 1,500 top-level participants, from leading advertisers, agencies, publishers and service providers, meet every year in Hamburg to discuss, to network and to learn.