We interviewed Holger Wagner, an international CEO and the Founder of Wagner & Partners. He is a well-experienced professional, especially in the retail industry with a successful track record of more than 30 years. Apart from that, Holger also has exceptional business advisory skills. He started his company to improve the business performance of companies in the retail and wholesale sectors.
Holger’s company has a social media presence on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Explain your background and that of your company in detail.
As an international CEO, my portfolio included the turnaround of two companies and of an Asian conglomerate, the establishment of a multi-format business, the international expansion of two companies, strategy development and implementation, heading management set-ups and leading start-up ventures.
The success attained with these projects let me establish my own strategy consultancy along with trusted partners that I met and worked with during my career to support corporations in overcoming various business lifecycle challenges in today’s market.
What are your goals?
Based on our passion for identifying and implementing specific solutions to satisfy the needs of the new customer generation, the goal is to create with our clients the next level of successful retail companies and achieve new sustainable financial results.
What do you feel is your biggest strength and that of your company right now?
My personal strength is patience and target orientation. As a company, our unique strength is focusing solely on retail and wholesale businesses. Using our global experience in that specific market segment, we have come together to attain the highest possible profitable growth for our clients.
What was the path you/your company took to get to where you are today?
As we know, teamwork is key to any business’s success. During my international assignments, I was able to create a network of innovative entrepreneurs who share a similar philosophy about the modern and future retail space. We are thus able to accomplish our success through trusted, open communication and the exchange of ideas.
Why did you start (or want to be the head of) this company?
To be at the top of any business, you have to be focused. After seeing a gap in the matured, traditional consultancy market, I decided to take the step forward to establish the Retail Consultancy Wagner & Partners.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To align the future views between the various stakeholders in our clients’ companies.
Give us one word that describes you the best.
Trustworthy.
What makes you excited about Mondays?
To hear the satisfaction of my clients for whose companies we have created profitable growth.
What do you value most about your culture and vision?
The most valuable attribute in any partnership to achieve the desired vision is the culture of open communication and the ability to see upcoming changes.
‘When you can see what’s next, you can be what’s next.’
Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
The most recent project, an assignment I received from Azerbaijan’s leading family, was to set up a supermarket organization from scratch. I had to be innovative and creative to establish a new brand and multi-store format that was unique in the market but could simultaneously cater to most of society.
Connect with Holger Wagner on LinkedIn.