Heidrick & Struggles Appoints Leaders of Interim Management Business in Germany
March 4, 2026 – Heidrick & Struggles has appointed Christian Frank and Mike Schwanke as managing directors of its interim management business in Germany, Atreus. They will immediately assume responsibility for Atreus’ in-country operations and strategy. Founders Harald Linné and Rainer Nagel will remain part of the management team through the end 2026 to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
“Germany represents a core market for our executive interim strategy, reflecting both its significance to our clients and its role within our global interim management leadership platform,” said Sunny Ackerman, global managing partner, on-demand talent at Heidrick. “Christian and Mike bring extensive experience in leadership and transformation and are well placed to lead the next phase of growth in the German market as part of our global interim offerings.”
Since Heidrick acquired Atreus in 2023, Atreus has contributed to expanding the firm’s interim management footprint across Germany and Europe, reinforcing its leading position in the executive interim segment. Heidrick noted that this leadership transition marks the next step in integrating and scaling interim management in one of Europe’s largest economies.
“Organizations today are navigating increasing complexity and change, and they need experienced leadership that can create stability and deliver results,” said Mr. Schwanke. “Demand for executive-level interim and transformational leadership solutions continues to grow across Germany, Europe, and beyond.”
“The past few years have reinforced how critical seasoned leadership is during periods of disruption,” said Dr. Frank. “We partner closely with our clients as trusted advisors, combining practical expertise with hands-on support to drive meaningful, measurable outcomes. That client focus continues to fuel our momentum and our growth.”
“Over the past three years, our business across the DACH region has grown strongly in all our solution areas – executive search, interim management, and consulting. With this new leadership team in place, we are even better positioned to support our clients through complex leadership transformations,” said Nicolas von Rosty, managing partner of Heidrick & Struggles, Germany and cluster leader, DACH.
Mr. Schwanke led the consumer goods & retail industry practice prior to his current appointment. He brings more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning general management, marketing, commercial digitalization, sales, and digital transformation.
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Dr. Frank has been a long-standing partner and member of the executive board of Atreus. He brings more than 30 years of management experience across restructuring, change management, operations, and sales. He previously led the industrial machinery & plant engineering industry practice.
Take-Private Transaction
Valued at approximately $1.3 billion, the transaction creates a foundation for Heidrick & Struggles to execute an ambitious multi-year growth strategy. The move marks one of the most consequential transformations in the firm’s 70-year history, positioning it to further scale and accelerate its ability to develop differentiated, deep and durable global client relationships. “Heidrick & Struggles will continue to operate under its current brand and remains deeply committed to helping organizations build thriving leadership teams,” the firm said in a statement.
“This marks a pivotal milestone for Heidrick & Struggles,” said Tom Monahan, CEO of Heidrick. “With the support of Advent International, Corvex Private Equity, a distinguished network of long-term investors, and substantial investment from Heidrick & Struggles partners and leaders, we will be positioned to create even more value for our clients and our colleagues. This new platform will allow us to strengthen our world-class search business and the critical advisory and talent solutions our clients rely on. I’m grateful to our outgoing board for their leadership and for positioning us for long-term success. For our clients and our people, our commitment and day-to-day operations remain unchanged.”
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
