Interim-Lotse for transformation

Interim management at C-level for mid-sized companies and corporate groups.

Some projects decide the next few years of a company. A transformation that has been approved but does not turn into action. A change of leadership that must not paralyse the organisation. An integration in which the shareholders expect synergies before the teams have found each other. A sales organisation that can no longer keep pace with growth.

For projects like these, business owners, shareholders, advisory boards, investment firms and group executive boards bring me on board. I do not fill a post. I take responsibility and deliver the result you want.

Interim-Lotse, not a conventional interim manager

A conventional interim manager bridges a vacancy and is measured on continuity. I am measured on what ends up in the books and on what remains after I have left. 

That is why I work as an Interim-Lotse: independent of the hierarchy, with the management and through the management. I provide direction, rhythm and pace. The senior managers run their business and are accountable for their figures. If the situation calls for personally accountable leadership, I take the formal board position as Managing Director or board member. Whether CEO, CRO or CSO, the role follows the task.

The difference

Line interim manager or Interim-Lotse?

Criterion
ConventionalInterim manager in the line
Tobias BobkaInterim-Lotse
Occasion
A vacancy
A task
Role
Runs the line until the successor arrives
Takes the task to a result, with and through the existing management
Yardstick
Continuity
The result in the books and what remains afterwards
Position
Within the hierarchy
Independent; formal board position on request
End of the engagement
When the post is filled
When structures and routines hold without him

A line interim manager is measured on continuity. An Interim-Lotse is measured on the result and on what remains after he has left.

Facts
and insights

What I am brought in for

  • Transformation and strategy implementation

    An approved strategy becomes a programme with a few priorities, clear accountability and measurable progress.

  • Sales and service transformation

    Sales, service and client management are realigned across sites, legal entities and countries.

  • Leadership change and succession

    From owner to external management, for vacant C‑level positions, with the successor inducted until the handover is complete.

  • Post-merger integration and carve‑out

    Two organisations become one, synergies are realised and the people stay on board.

  • Growth and scaling

    Structures, processes and leadership grow with the business instead of holding it back.

  • Restructuring and turnaround

    When earnings, liquidity or the confidence of financing partners are at stake.

    More on the Restructuring page ›

What
my clients gain

Pace. Within a few weeks there is a shared picture of the situation, based on documented findings rather than opinions, and the first measures are under way.

People who go along. Senior managers and teams become part of the solution from the start. Change is supported because it is understood.

Concepts that get implemented. Every recommendation comes with an owner, a deadline and an expected impact. I stay until the result is in place.

Relief without loss of control. The management is relieved of the programme and keeps control. Decisions are prepared so that they can be taken within the week.

Capabilities that remain. Routines, steering and standards are designed to work without me. The success remains after I have left.

How
I work

Understand. Conversations with everyone in charge, a look at figures, processes and client relationships. The result is a clear picture: where is the potential, and what is holding it back?

Align. A few goals, unambiguous accountability, a fixed rhythm. Every team knows what matters this week.

Implement. Measures with owners and deadlines. I work where it makes the difference; the result you want sets the framework.

Follow through. Progress is measured, blockers are removed, decisions are prepared. Until the result is in place.

Hand over. The permanent successor is involved early and supported until the handover is complete.

My
understanding of the role

I do not see my role as simply taking over a leadership position for a limited period. I am engaged to move a specific business task forward.

Anyone working with me can expect a fast cadence and plain speaking. I raise what others avoid, respectfully and unambiguously. I am empathetic with people and consistent on substance. I decide even under uncertainty, and I do not tolerate tensions but resolve them before they escalate. And I bring energy and humour, even when the situation is serious.

My strength lies in winning people over to change in a short time and guiding them through implementation so that the agreed goals are reached reliably. This shows in every engagement and in the sales and leadership teams I have supported through change for years.

Experience
that knows your situation

Anyone bringing an Interim-Lotse on board wants to know one thing above all: does he understand our situation without us having to explain everything to him?

Business challenges differ by business model, market and company size.

At the same time, my engagements repeatedly show how valuable cross-industry experience can be.

Over the last 20 years I have supported owner-managed companies as well as subsidiaries and business units of international corporate groups.

For you, this means two things. I do not need a long run-in, because I know the questions that shareholders, management and teams ask themselves in your situation. And I bring solutions that have proved themselves in other industries and that nobody in yours has applied yet. Steering global sales regions in mechanical engineering, managing trade partners in the consumer goods industry and sales-floor productivity in retail follow the same mechanism: a few goals, clear accountability, a fixed rhythm.

Ten industries in which I have carried responsibility or supported decision-makers in situations of upheaval. The value lies in the transfer: what was sales steering across sites in a mechanical engineering group is key account steering in the consumer goods business and sales-floor productivity in retail. The mechanism behind it is the same: a few goals, one rhythm, clear ownership, consistent follow-through.

  • Mechanical engineering and industrial technology: machinery and plant engineering for the steel industry, weighing, packaging and processing technology, industrial coating solutions, fastening technology, building automation
  • Energy and environmental technology: energy supply, photovoltaic systems in B2C and B2B business, digital sales
  • Consumer goods, home & living, textiles and sleep systems (B2B/D2C): private-label cosmetics, care and OTC products, beds, mattresses and bedding
  • Consumer electronics and retail: specialist electronics retail and buying groups, POS digitalisation, DIY and home improvement stores, food retail
  • Trade and distribution (wholesale, B2B): C-parts supply, packaging wholesale, building hardware, tools and fastening technology, fuels and lubricants, IT and e-commerce wholesale, buying groups
  • Printing, packaging and media: electrostatics for the printing and packaging industry, corrugated board, food packaging, premium label printing, publishers and book retail, media houses
  • Technology and software: facility management software, ID media and access systems, IoT and AI platforms, e-learning, IT system integrators and IT service providers
  • Construction and real estate: construction and residential building companies, real estate project development, specialist building supplies trade, electrical planning and installation
  • Consulting and professional services: procurement, strategy and restructuring consultancies, investment firms, recruitment consulting, property management, facility services
  • Food and hospitality: food trailers, hotels and catering

My experience ranges from mid-sized companies with long-established ownership structures to larger corporate groups with international sites and complex leadership and sales organisations.

I use this transfer of experience to identify new ways forward without losing sight of what is specific to your company.

I am happy to explain suitable project examples for your situation, industry and company size in a personal conversation.

Engagement
models

Every company and every business task has its own requirements.

That is why I shape my role to fit your leadership structure, your decision-making situation and the agreed goals.

Interim-Lotse alongside the management: The management stays in office; I take on the task with responsibility for the result.

Taskforce or programme lead: with a direct reporting line to the management, the executive board or the shareholders.

Formal board position as CEO, CRO or CSO: when the situation calls for personally accountable leadership.

We clarify which model fits in the first conversation, based on your governance and the speed your project requires.

Let us talk in confidence about your project: the situation, the goal and the first steps. You will get an honest assessment of whether I am the right person for it.

I look forward to meeting you.

Tobias Bobka

Managing Partner | BOBKA Mittelstandsberatung

Photo of Tobias Bobka
Photo of Tobias Bobka

Arrange a personal conversation now

Client
testimonials in German

Tobias Bobka as an interview guest

Interviews

Safely through stormy times! An »Interim-Lotse« explains what to do now

Is a change of course needed? This question is on the minds of many business owners at present. After all, AI, the pandemic and geopolitical crisis spots have set major challenges for Germany's Mittelstand – owner-managed mid-sized companies – in recent years. Now the task is to steer safely through rough seas. But how? Tobias Bobka knows.


Interim manager Tobias Bobka loves a challenge: “Whoever hires me wants the Umsetzungsprofi.”

Tobias Bobka is a consultant and sparring partner to many Managing Directors and board members, and a recognised Interim-Lotse in the Mittelstand. Many C-level decision-makers have him on speed dial. As a Certified Restructuring and Turnaround Expert (Zertifizierter Restrukturierungs- und Sanierungsexperte, RWS), he has also been familiar with demanding situations of upheaval for many years. In the following interview, Mr Bobka talks about his experience and BOBKA Mittelstandsberatung.

Frequently
asked questions (FAQ)