Interview with Ralf Strehlau

Company: ANXO MANAGEMENT CONSULTING GmbH
Location: Frankfurt
Position: Partner / Managing Director

Where did you learn the basics of running a business?
Already before I got my master degree at the University of Hamburg I became involved in AIESEC, the world´s largest international student-run organisation. Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development, AIESEC offered me the opportunity to get experience and skills in leadership and to participate in a global learning environment. Today as alumni I am still using the experience, skills and also the inspiration AIESEC has provided to me to be an agent of positive change within today’s society.

My first step into the consulting business was with the consulting arm of Peat Marwick which was later merged into KPMG. There I learned the basics how to run a consulting firm.

Whom did you work with before becoming a consultant in your firm?
Almost nine years I worked for KMPG in the Management Consulting unit. There I started my career as a Consultant for Marketing & Strategy in Germany and at the end of my KPMG time I held the position of the Leader for the Strategic Management Practice for EMEA. After that I worked for the Swedish company Ericsson where I finally became Head of Marketing for Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

In 2002 I started running my own consulting business together with three partners. We consult and support national and international clients mainly in the field of strategy, marketing, sales, logistics and E-Commerce/Social Media.

What will you do in ten years?
I will be still working with my team to develop ANXO further!

What kind of people do you like to work with?
With reference to our clients I prefer working with people who are receptive to changes, interested in creating new business or willing to stabilise their business by deriving advantage from the concrete recommendations for action based on analysis developed and executed by the ANXO consulting team.

Regarding our team members I personally prefer working with professionals who are open-minded, tolerant and customer focused. I am looking for people who are facing challenges in a friendly and creative way while supporting national projects as well as multi-cultural and international projects.

For me and my team it is of great importance to show strong responsibility for our clients and also for our team members every single day. Skill enhancement and on-the-job training should be of great importance for the people whom I am working with.

Is there someone whom you would describe as extraordinary intelligent?
Who really knows how to describe or define “intelligence”? From my point of view I would propose to credit Einstein, Newton or Leonardo da Vinci with the word intelligent.

After working many years as a consultant you managed many projects. Are there really special ones among them?
Yes, the special ones are the ones, where a lot of different cultures, characters etc. come together.

Why is your company a member of IMCN?
ANXO has become a member of the IMCN because we are very interested in networking and thus exchanging experience and expert knowledge. We would like to learn from the colleagues in the IMCN and continue to develop business jointly together.