Owner
For 13 years I ran Portfolio Consult AG as board member and managing director, built from scratch and responsible for every area. Plus a second board mandate with commercial steering. I know decisions that carry your own name.
Interim chief restructuring officer When every week counts.
As interim chief restructuring officer I take charge of the restructuring when cash runs short and banks want to see a plan. With an owner's view, the language of lenders and the calm a team needs right now.
Reply within 24 hours. Every request stays confidential.
4.95 out of 5 on ProvenExpert from 48 reviews, as of 19/07/2026
- years of leadership in mid-sized companies
- 20+years of leadership in mid-sized companies
- years as board member and managing director
- 13years as board member and managing director
- years in banking, including lending at SEB
- 7years in banking, including lending at SEB
- business plans with three-year financial planning
- 150+business plans with three-year financial planning
The situation
Crises announce themselves.
In 2025 German local courts registered 24,064 corporate insolvencies, 10.3 % more than the year before and the highest figure since 2014. The warning signs often show early: shrinking margins, a bank asking questions, a customer paying late.
Since 2021, section 1 of the German restructuring act (StaRUG) obliges management to monitor developments that could threaten the company's survival and to act in time. Acting early leaves more options.
| Kategorie | Corporate insolvencies in Germany per year, in thousands |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 18.7 |
| 2020 | 15.8 |
| 2021 | 14 |
| 2022 | 14.6 |
| 2023 | 17.8 |
| 2024 | 21.8 |
| 2025 | 24.1 |
- Corporate insolvencies in Germany per year, in thousands
13-week preview
Your next 13 weeks.
Four numbers are enough for a first look. The calculation runs only in your browser, nothing is sent.
Without measures, cash runs short from week 12.
With the selected measures, it stays covered for 13 weeks.
Without measures: -55,000 €. With measures: 349,400 €.
| Kategorie | Without measures | With measures |
|---|---|---|
| W1 | 365 | 365 |
| W2 | 330 | 347 |
| W3 | 295 | 347 |
| W4 | 260 | 348 |
| W5 | 225 | 348 |
| W6 | 190 | 348 |
| W7 | 155 | 348 |
| W8 | 120 | 348 |
| W9 | 85 | 349 |
| W10 | 50 | 349 |
| W11 | 15 | 349 |
| W12 | -20 | 349 |
| W13 | -55 | 349 |
| Credit line used up | 0 | |
- Without measures
- With measures
- Credit line used up0
Simplified calculation with constant weekly values. It replaces neither a real 13-week plan nor a going-concern forecast.
Triggers
When a CRO comes in.
Cash is running short
The forecast shows a gap in the coming months. A reliable weekly plan and measures that work fast are needed.
Banks ask for a plan
Lenders expect a concept and an accountable person who delivers it and reports regularly.
Costs and revenue no longer match
Someone has to decide what stays, what changes and what goes, within a few weeks.
A major contract falls away
A key customer drops out or a market turns. Yesterday's plan no longer holds.
Decisions stall
Shareholders, management and banks read the situation differently. Someone is needed to sort the facts and propose the way forward.
Management needs relief
Day-to-day business carries on while the restructuring needs full attention. One person cannot carry both at once.
Why me
Three viewpoints in one person.
Bank
At SEB AG in Stuttgart I worked as a financial planner and headed a profit centre with lending business. I know which questions a credit department asks before they are asked, and how a plan has to be built to convince.
Delivery
As interim CIO of Telelift GmbH I cut IT operating costs by 28 % and led the move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 with more than 200 employees. What decides a restructuring is delivery on the shop floor.
Approach
The first 100 days.
Every situation is different, yet the rhythm of the first weeks is much the same.
- Arrive: Agree mandate and roles in writing. Access to accounts, open items and contracts. A first full cash review.
- Cash: 13-week plan from real payment flows. Immediate measures on receivables, inventory and spending. First open talks with banks and credit insurers.
- Concept: Clarify causes, assess measures, integrated planning over three years. Where a restructuring opinion is needed, together with auditors or specialist lawyers.
- Delivery: Carry out measures with the managers. Weekly reporting to shareholders and banks. Clear communication with the workforce.
- Handover: Stable liquidity, steering back in the line, an orderly handover to management.
Communication
Who sits at the table.
| Party | needs | gets from the CRO |
|---|---|---|
| Shareholders | clarity on the situation, options and capital needs | decision papers with scenarios |
| Banks | a reliable plan and an accountable person | 13-week cash flow, planning, regular reporting |
| Credit insurers and suppliers | confidence that invoices will be paid | open information and agreed payment plans |
| Workforce and works council | orientation and honest information | clear messages and fixed contacts |
| Customers | reliable delivery | prioritised orders and stable operations |
| Lawyers and auditors | reliable figures and delivery | a sound data basis and measures carried out |
Formats
Three ways to work with me.
Cash review
10 working days
For managing directors who want to know where they stand.
- 13-week cash flow plan from real payment flows
- Immediate measures with their effect in euros
- An assessment of whether further steps are needed
- A paper for the next bank meeting
Restructuring in eight weeks
6 to 8 weeks
For companies that need a sound plan.
- Root cause analysis based on the real figures
- Action plan with owners and dates
- Integrated planning over three years
- Support in talks with banks and shareholders
Interim CRO
3 to 9 months, 3–5 days a week
For situations where someone has to take responsibility.
- Responsibility for the restructuring with power of attorney or a board seat
- Steering and delivery inside the company
- Reporting to shareholders, banks and credit insurers
- An orderly handover to management
Fees depend on scope and are set out clearly in the offer after the first call.
Clear boundaries build trust.
I am not an insolvency administrator, a lawyer or an auditor. Legal reviews, filing duties and opinions such as a restructuring concept under the IDW S 6 standard belong with the specialists. I work with them and make sure their findings turn into decisions and delivery.
What this is based on.
- 13 years as board member and managing director of Portfolio Consult AG, responsible for all business units
- Second board mandate at dreiplus Unternehmensgruppe AG with commercial steering
- Financial planner and head of a profit centre with lending business at SEB AG in Stuttgart
- Banking diploma (Fachwirt BankColleg) from GENO Akademie Stuttgart
- Guided more than 150 business plans with three-year financial planning, including preparation for bank meetings
- Business Transformation Expert and Change Management Specialist, both certified by the German chambers of commerce (IHK)
- Consultant listed with BAFA, the German federal office that funds SME consulting (ID 193982)
Frequently asked questions.
What does a chief restructuring officer do?
For a fixed term the CRO owns the restructuring: securing liquidity, deciding and delivering measures, communicating with banks and shareholders. Management can keep running the day-to-day business.
Does a CRO replace management?
No. The CRO works alongside management, with general power of attorney, statutory proxy or a board seat for the restructuring. The roles are set out in writing at the start.
When is the right time?
Earlier than most think. At the latest when the cash forecast shows a gap in the coming months or lenders ask for a plan. The earlier, the more options remain open.
How quickly can you start?
You get a reply within 24 hours. The start is agreed in the first call; availability depends on the project.
Who appoints a chief restructuring officer?
The company itself, often at the request of banks or shareholders. The contract is with the company, tasks and powers are set out in writing.
Do you also work in StaRUG or insolvency proceedings?
In debtor-in-possession or protective shield proceedings a CRO can strengthen management. Legal support comes from specialist lawyers I work with.
What does a chief restructuring officer cost?
Billing is by day rate, the cash review is also available as a package. I set out scope and fees in the offer after the first call.
Will my request stay confidential?
Yes. Only I see requests and documents. On request I sign a confidentiality agreement before the first call.
Where do you work?
I am based in Bietigheim-Bissingen near Stuttgart. I reach companies in Baden-Württemberg without a hotel and take on mandates across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
One conversation clarifies more than any analysis.
Confidential and free of charge, with a reply within 24 hours.
Last updated: 01/11/2026