Calm and clarity
I bring structure to complex situations, set clear expectations and make decisions that remain transparent even when interests diverge.
Leadership, strategy and integration
Taking responsibility. Guiding people through change with confidence.
I combine international corporate experience with full commercial and operational responsibility as a business owner, as well as hands-on experience of post-merger integration and organisational change. I am particularly effective in roles where people, structures and commercial priorities need to be brought into alignment.
Open to a new leadership role in a collaborative environment
Frank HeisterbergLeadership, Strategy and Turning Plans into Results
25+
years of experience across corporate roles, leadership and entrepreneurship
since 2008full business ownership and P&L accountability
20+years in commercial leadership, including integration and turnaround assignments
12international source markets
23awards from 2008 to 2024
My profile
Experience brings perspective. Integrity builds trust.
I have built markets, led teams, developed businesses and remained accountable for the outcomes of my decisions over many years. That experience has taught me that good leadership rarely needs to be loud. It requires clarity, reliability and a genuine interest in the people working together to deliver results.
I do not need to be the leading expert in every field. My role is to understand the wider context, enable specialists to do their best work and make decisions that are workable internally and credible externally.
What an employer gains
Clear leadership that makes collaboration easier
Complex assignments rarely benefit from additional pressure. They need direction, careful coordination and someone prepared to work through difficult questions calmly and thoroughly.
Fair leadership
I listen carefully, seek to understand the underlying causes and create genuine opportunities for development, while keeping expectations around performance, reliability and accountability clear.
Integration through change
I understand where friction arises when cultures, processes and expectations come together. Those differences need to be addressed before they become entrenched.
Making strategy work
Strategy only creates value when people can apply it in day-to-day work. I connect objectives with clear ownership, adequate resources and measurable steps.
Post-merger management
Integration begins where the transaction ends
I saw the cultural challenges of post-merger integration first-hand as Orbis and Pannonia Hotels in Poland and Hungary became part of the Accor Group. I worked closely with colleagues across the businesses as new structures and ways of working took shape in day-to-day operations.
I later gained the acquirer’s perspective as a business owner. In my own acquisitions, including a tyre retail business, the real challenge was not completing the transaction but ensuring that the business continued to work for customers, employees and owners.
What matters in these situations? First, understand what people value and want to preserve. Then make the future structure clear. Throughout the transition, customers, employees and leaders must be able to keep the business running with confidence.
More about strategy and integration1UnderstandCulture and expectations
2AlignStructures and people
3EmbedAccountability in day-to-day work
Professional experience
Different systems. One clear view of the whole.
My career spans multinational businesses, European business development, operational leadership, advisory work and direct responsibility as a business owner.
since 2015
Advisory work
Advising business leaders and founders
Analysis, process improvement, implementation and structured sounding-board discussions with leaders in medium-sized and security-sensitive organisations.
since 2008
Entrepreneurship
Managing shareholder
Full responsibility for a group of businesses, including budgets, forecasts, annual accounts, sales, operations and acquisitions.
2007 to 2008
Choice Hotels Continental Europe
Director of Business Development
Brand expansion, site and profitability analysis and communication with operators and investors across a portfolio of more than 180 hotels in seven countries.
2006 to 2007
Radisson and Rezidor
Director of Sales
Leadership of field sales and convention sales with nine direct reports at the Park Inn Berlin Alexanderplatz.
2002 to 2006
Accor, Dorint, Orbis and Pannonia
International sales and integration experience
Commercial leadership across twelve international source markets, together with first-hand experience of different corporate cultures within a growing European hotel group.
Leadership and performance
Leading with empathy also means being clear.
A strong organisational culture is not one that avoids difficult questions. It is one that addresses them fairly and respectfully. People need to understand what is expected of them, and performance needs to be assessed in context. Support and development should come first.
Leaders must also protect the effectiveness of the team and the organisation as a whole. Empathy leads to better decisions. It does not remove the need to make them.
Read my leadership approachQualifications
Experience strengthened by continued learning
My academic work complements many years of practical responsibility with current perspectives on strategy, people, finance and law.
Business Administration
Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla and ENEB. The 1,800-hour programme is equivalent to 72 ECTS and was completed with a final grade of 9.91 out of 10 (Distinction). Module assessments particularly confirm precise analysis, practical application and structured presentation of results.
Team Management
Master programme covering strategic people management, project management, agile methodologies, finance, digital transformation and operations management.
University Certificate in Law
Completed at FernUniversität in Hagen, followed by further study in business law.
Admission to the IHK Master Professional examination
Admitted without additional requirements to the IHK examination leading to Geprüfter Betriebswirt and Master Professional in Business Management.
A personal perspective
Responsibility needs a connection to real life
Professional judgement gains depth when it is shaped by more than roles and titles. Family, sport, international experience and caring for a rescue dog have all shaped the way I think about trust, patience and reliability.
As a player and coach in American football, I saw how differently people respond to pressure, feedback and responsibility. Good preparation builds confidence. Clarity enables people to act. Trust is earned through more than words.
Current book project
I am currently writing a book on the behaviour, communication and training of FCI Group 5 dogs, with particular attention to the Siberian Husky. It explores why breed-specific behaviour is often misunderstood when assessed against assumptions based on other breed groups.
A personal conversation
Get in touchPerhaps my experience could help in a role that calls for clarity.
I would welcome an open conversation, without pretence and with enough room for the questions that genuinely matter.