I'll get your company ready for growth

About me

I know what it takes to build a company that embraces change from both an organizational and cultural perspective. 20 years in start-ups and scale-ups have shown me how to establish sustainable organizations, starting with their two most important resources: their employees and their customers.

My primary areas of expertise:

• the establishment of a marketing and sales structure geared towards sustainable growth

• organizational development and fostering company culture

• opening up new markets or target groups

I look forward to helping your company grow, whether through a reorganization, the launch of a new product, team or market, or other major changes.

Find out more:

Career Highlights

In 2017 I founded the solar company EIGENSONNE with two co-founders and an investor. As co-CEO, I built the company to around 450 employees, one of the largest in the German industry by the time I left in 2023.

As German country manager for Zalando, I drastically cut back marketing expernditure in their home market, while meeting the ambitious growth targets. I was also actively involved in the marketing department reorganization.

Together with a small but mighty team, I turned ASOS into a household name in Germany. The British online store for twentysomethings saw sales quadrupling in two years, with marketing costs remaining at the same percentage of sales.

I set up the New York office for the luxury e-commerce operator YOOX / Net-A-Porter and doubled US sales in two years. This made the USA both the fastest growing market and one of the most profitable.

My journey as an entrepreneur

Between 2003 and 2017, I worked in start-ups and scale-ups within the fashion e-commerce sector, spending three years in Italy, six in New York, and another five in Berlin. During this time, I had the opportunity to experience extremely fast-growing companies at various stages, from 30 to 12,000 employees. I spent seven of those years as a Country Manager, handling general management tasks and P&L responsibilities.

After 14 years in the fashion industry, I realized that I wanted to start my own company in a sector that had a positive impact on society. The result was EIGENSONNE, a nationwide installer of PV systems in Germany. For the first time in my career, I was able to satisfy my entrepreneurial drive while contributing to the energy transition.

Six years later, in 2023, I stepped down as co-CEO of EIGENSONNE to take a sabbatical. During this break, I realized that I wanted to work with even more autonomy. Although I had long led an entrepreneurial life and enjoyed a great deal of freedom, investors often had the final say. After building a company with over 450 employees, I understood that moving forward, I would prefer to work with a small team of friends to create long-term, meaningful projects. This realization led me to two decisions:

• I've founded a Friends & Family Office, starting with a mid-sized holding company, through which I can create sustainable value on my own terms and work day-to-day with fellow entrepreneurs who are also friends.

• I've started advising SMEs and scale-ups that are on the cusp of their next growth stage. My goal is to accompany them through execution, ensuring I provide maximum value.

Both projects benefit from each other and from my previous experience.

What can I do for you?

Two examples of how we could work together

Internationalization, product launch or new ventures

I spent 13 years of my career opening up or expanding markets with all the associated activities. I can help with internationalization, new products or new ventures. It can take the form of a spin-off or the realignment of an existing marketing and sales structure. Depending on what is needed, I'll produce a go-to-market strategy, build the team, plan and implement the marketing measures and sales channels and much more. Again, I can serve as consultant or part of the C-level (ad interim), whatever makes most sense.

Get ready to grow or restructure

With over 20 years of experience in start-ups and scale-ups, I specialize in supporting medium-sized companies with fewer than 500 employees through transformation processes. I develop tailor-made restructuring strategies that include all levels of the organization. My approach includes a thorough analysis of current and desired processes, fostering a culture open to change, and ensuring clear communication throughout the transformation process. I can act as a consultant or as CEO or C-younameit-O ad interim - the title is only relevant insofar as it should fit the situation and mandate.

Get in touch

... and let's build something great together!

moritz@moritzhau.com

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