What made you decide for Batten & Company?

During my course of studies, I have understood quickly that the key of success is enthusiasm for a field of expertise. In my training to become a bank clerk, as well as in the following study of business administration, I did not really catch fire. But then, I was dead on choosing the main focus marketing. Wishing to know marketing from different perspectives in as many sectors as possible, the career start as a management consultant was self-evident. As I wanted to work explicitly on marketing issues right from the beginning of my career, Batten & Company was the first choice.

What does a “normal” day look like for you? What kind of projects do you work on?

At present, I support a big international business group in developing its e-commerce strategy. A key element of the project is establishing business plans for developing and operating potential online shops of different specialist retailers. Apart from competition analysis, identification and checking of the possibilities to realise essential shaping parameters, the task of a comprehensive investment planning is involved as well. It’s a tempting task as the specialist retailers act in different sectors, in which different requirements and challenges are focused on respectively. As to e-commerce projects, logistics and IT issues naturally play an important role: So, peering over the rim of the proverbial teacup is unavoidable.
The variety of tasks result in my attending meetings the major part of the day and knowing many people – from the management director over the category manager to the responsible for the supply chain in the central warehouse.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

So far, the biggest challenge did not occur. When you act as a consultant every day is filled with ever changing experiences and challenges.
In principle, I find it instructive and thrilling to develop, on the basis of highly complex problems, structured paths to a solution that our customers can finally tread on their own successfully. When acting as a greenhorn it is important to familiarise with the consultant’s everyday life – what is meant here, is not only the management of a variety of tasks and subprojects but also the management resp. the coexistence of profession and leisure.

What kind of adventures do you have outside of work?

I like to play the saxophone and have celebrated this with my friends in a soul and funk band over many years. And I like travelling!

Education

Bank apprenticeship and study of business administration at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and St. Mary's University Halifax

What made you decide for B&C?

It all started with my enthusiasm for good advertising. During my course of studies, I quickly found it more fascinating to see how the strategy behind works: How does a brand become “strong”, how good communication develops and how an enterprise can use all facets of marketing in an optimised way? These were the issues I wanted to deal with in my profession as well, so my attention was drawn to Batten & Company. Apart from specialising in marketing, another point was decisive for me, too: the working environment. During my internship, the respectful dealings with colleagues and the catching enthusiasm of the team strengthened my conviction that Batten & Company was the right employer for me.

How does a “normal” working day look like for you? What kind of projects do you work on?

How a working day looks like depends strongly on the project one is dealing with. As to my last projects, there was no need for continued presence at the customer’s so that I worked from our office. Before that, however, I supported a customer in Switzerland for a long time and was on the site from Monday to Thursday mostly. Such experiences are always particularly thrilling because one is involved closely into the working environment of one’s contact partner. As to the contents of my projects, I have dealt, amongst other things, with brand management issues such as the development of a brand positioning, and communication issues like optimising the communication efficiency and designing communication strategies.
Beside the project work, I assume internal tasks such as the organisation of attending trainees and contribute to contentual issues.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

That’s difficult to answer because each new project is always a new challenge, too. As we deal with different customers, no two projects are exactly alike and one must be able to adapt quickly to a new project team, a new sector, new issues etc. During the project big challenges can occur, too, for example the mastering of critical situations at the customer's or coping with tight deadlines. Moreover, it was always a big challenge for me to be on the plane at 06:20 h on Monday mornings. But in the end, it’s exactly this abundance of challenges you meet every day that makes the job so attractive.

What kind of adventures do you have outside of work?

I prefer to spend my leisure time with friends. With the time acting as a consultant one also learns to appreciate relaxing weekends. Furthermore, I try to work out regularly and I like travelling a lot – but without my laptop bag.

 

Education

Study of business administration at he Wuppertal University

What made you decide on Batten & Company?

Key to my decision to join Batten & Company was the prospect of working for a leading management consultancy that belongs to one of the world's largest communications networks.

What does a “normal” day look like for you? What kind of projects do you work on?

I work on projects in the areas of financial services and the automotive industry as well as the field known as "monetary brand evaluation". My working day consists mainly of carrying out project-specific analyses and reconciling them with the project management and the needs of the client respectively. Additionally I have internal responsibilities in the areas of intern supervision and recruitment. I've had several opportunities to work on some exciting projects: when I first started my job here I was able to gain experience working abroad in Spain and Switzerland as part of a brand evaluation project for a large European bank. Other milestones have been the development of a loyalty scheme for a car manufacturer, the development of a multi-brand strategy and the creation of a marketing plan for a client in the second-hand car sector.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

The most interesting projects are those that combine both the development of the strategy and the implementation. A good example of this was when I was called upon to prepare and support the campaign launch for a Germany DAX company. Alongside the development of the value proposition and its implementation into a communications strategy I was also responsible for managing market research companies and weighing up market cultivation scenarios.

What kind of adventures to you have outside of work?

Sport is a big hobby of mine. My aim is to complete a triathlon in the not too distant future.

 

Education:

Business an economic studies at Bayreuth University

 

What made you decide for Batten & Company?

There are three reasons in all for my decision to join Batten & Company: firstly, my interest in working with a variety of different clients in the field of marketing; secondly, the opportunity to contribute to methodically challenging projects and thirdly, the positive impression the company and my colleagues gave me during their cooperation with my professorship in marketing.

What does a “normal” day look like for you? What kind of projects do you work on?

What happens on a 'normal' day basically depends on whether I am at the office or with a client. At the office, I'll spend much of the day working on the computer, speaking on the telephone with clients and in meetings with colleagues; it is my time at the client's office that is the most exciting. Normally I am at the train station or airport very early in the morning hoping that Die Bahn or Lufthansa won't let me or my schedule down. I use the journey either to work or as an opportunity for "active regeneration" before meeting with the client to gather information and discuss methods of negotiation and resolution. On the way to my hotel or back home I make notes of the most important things on my BlackBerry. My main focus is on the automotive and financial service industries, where I generally get involved with questions of brand management and CRM. I also support other projects concerning marketing methods and market research.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

Consultancy means "the principle of permanent, slightly excessive demands" and is therefore constantly challenging! This includes the ability to respond to exacting clients and new tasks and to learn the ropes fast in unfamiliar areas. This of course also provides the most enjoyment in my job: it is never boring and I feel constantly challenged to do the best I can.
However, there is one particularly big challenge that springs to mind: trying to tell a Chinese taxi driver, who could neither speak English nor read Chinese, that I needed to get to the airport fast and above all, how to get there in the first place. Those are highlights I'll be able to tell my grandchildren about.

What kind of adventures do you have outside of work?

The weekend gives me the opportunity to catch up with the things I don't have time for during the working week. My adventures are therefore limited to glorious events such as "Saturday close combat fighting" at the supermarket check-out and at furniture stores.

Education

Economic Studies at the Ruhr-Universität in Bochum; post graduate degree from the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and marketing professorship

Why did you found Batten & Company? What was the idea behind it?

My wish was always to work for myself and have my own company. One other thing was clear to me, however: I wanted to be playing in the Champions League right from the start. And I was of course aware how important and useful a strong brand and professional environment are in order to win clients for an agency that was a purely "greenfield" operation.

The opportunity to develop this idea further came to us in 1999: "us" being Dr. Olaf Goettgens, BBDO Germany and me. BBDO provided the brand and the environment; we brought strategy and entrepreneurship to the table.

The strategy became clear very quickly: there was a gap in the market for a focused consultancy concept that would concentrate on the growth of a business by means of an integrated approach to market-oriented business management. Furthermore, clients need support in converting strategies into manageable processes and systems for long-term implementation. This gap in the market and the perception of the BBDO brand were therefore a perfect match.

How would you describe Batten & Company’s business model?

We concentrate on areas that can be leveraged across different industries. Our business focuses on company growth and we often "brand" these areas in order to give our clients an initial, ready-to-use catchword. Employer branding, for example: the development of employer brands summarised in one expression. Ultimately the priority is always to improve one's position in all relevant markets in order to achieve a sustained improvement of the competitive environment. The marketplace seems to be saturated by management consultants. How does Batten & Company achieve sustainable growth? With our clear focus. We are the best in our field in Germany. Traditional consultancies only really touch on the subjects we deal with, using a small number of specialists to do so. Our growth is based on the development of our knowledge and areas of expertise. The internal development of partners is supported by our own "power partnering" programme. Our international plans continue to grow. We are simply in a very good position.

How does Batten & Company differ in relation to the competition?

We provide the best of both worlds: the professionalism and independence of the globally active, leading company that is BBDO and the start-up spirit of a small elite company. We are without doubt the Eldorado for marketing maniacs.

How do you stay so passionate about Batten & Company? How do you motivate yourself?

Interesting topics, great clients, brilliant colleagues who are eager and capable. It is "my" company. I just enjoy it. And every entrepreneur knows that feeling: motivation simply isn't an issue.

Why should job-seekers, in particular university graduates, apply to Batten & Company?

We offer a unique combination of clear marketing orientation, professionalism, unparalleled start-up spirit and a great brand - worldwide.

Where do you see Batten & Company in five years?

By then we will have at least doubled in size.

Education

Apprenticeship to industrial manager followed by study of business administration at the Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität in Münster.