Executive Coaching · Advisory · Leadership Teams · Supervisory Boards
Leadership, seen from the inside.
I help leaders, leadership teams and boards navigate the moments that change everything — good, hard, and everything in between — as a partner who helps you work through the doubt and find clarity in what's next. Over 25 years running HR at the highest level — most recently as SVP People Solutions for Zalando, one of Europe's largest DAX-listed companies — I've sat at the executive table through growth, restructuring, M&A, works council negotiations and building organizations from the ground up. That's the experience I bring to every conversation, whatever seat you're sitting in.
Executive Coaching
Clarity and confidence for senior leaders navigating a transition — coaching grounded in having done it, not just studied it.
Advisory & Consultancy
A senior, experienced perspective on your hardest HR and organization questions — without hiring a full-time executive.
Leadership Team Work
Leadership teams that build the deep trust it takes to navigate complexity and perform together — not just a group of strong individuals working in parallel.
Supervisory Board Work
A board member who has actually run a major HR function at scale — genuine operational expertise, not just a governance or finance lens.
What clients say
"When I was the board member leading Europe for Beiersdorf, Steph was our HR Vice President — and one of the most impactful people leaders I worked with. She rebuilt the leadership team in Northern Europe from the ground up, putting the right talent in every seat and ensuring our values were genuinely lived, not just stated. In doing so, she built a culture of real engagement, high performance and people-centricity that showed directly in our results. She also coached our General Manager directly, sharpening his leadership and helping him execute our strategy and operational plans with far greater confidence. Any organisation bringing Steph in today — as coach, advisor or board member — is getting someone who combines strategic rigour with a genuine gift for developing people and leaders."
Thomas Ingelfinger, Chairman, Tengelmann Group
"Steph has an incredible ability to create a space where you feel genuinely heard while gently challenging you to see what's possible. At a time when I was rebuilding both my confidence and my career after a major life transition, she helped me rediscover my strengths, be kinder to myself, and believe in a future I couldn't yet imagine. Looking back, I would never have predicted the fulfilling career I have today in deep tech. Steph wasn't just my coach—she was a trusted thinking partner, and I'm incredibly grateful for the role she played in helping me find my way."
Lizzy Harmstorf, Senior Program Manager, Impossible Founders (Hamburg)
"Steph is a rare leader who effortlessly bridges high-level business strategy with genuine human connection. Steph and I worked closely together in the Zalando leadership team, and her business acumen and strategic instincts made her an indispensable advisor across the entire executive team. She approaches complex organisational challenges, and wider business discussions with authentic emotion, strong conviction and a clear vision. Steph is a transformative coach because she balances poise and vulnerability. Her executive presence naturally earns trust, while her deep empathy and emotional authenticity create a safe, courageous space for real growth. She challenges you to think bigger, act with conviction, and lead with heart. Any executive fortunate enough to work with her will see immediate, elevated results in their leadership. Steph played a major role in bringing me to Zalando and setting me up for success."
James Rothwell, SVP Marketing, Zalando
"I had the privilege and the pleasure to work with Steph over many years side by side. With her closeness to the business and her deep understanding of how effective leadership teams operate, she has made the difference to many teams and individuals along her career. I know many senior leaders (including myself) who have benefitted from the coaching and advice that Steph has provided, and leadership teams who have grown under her guidance to be more collaborative, more complementary and more impactful. With her open and embracing mind she listens deeply, seeks to understand the context, and coaches based on the strength that every individual and the team as a whole can bring to the table to maximize their impact both personally and professionally."
Nicola Lafrentz, CHRO, Beiersdorf