Hendrik Geissler

Hendrik Geissler is a Partner at Stanton Chase and Global Subsector Leader for Retail, Wholesale, and Food Services. With more than 25 years of experience in executive search and extensive leadership advisory work, he advises boards, CEOs, investors, and senior leadership teams on appointments, succession, leadership assessment, and transformation.

His international work spans consumer, retail, wholesale, and food services; management consulting and professional services; energy and energy transition; defense; and other technology-driven businesses. He focuses on CEO and C-suite leadership in organizations facing AI disruption, changing business models, international growth, energy transition, or geopolitical change.

Before entering the profession, Hendrik held substantial international operating and consulting responsibilities.

As Managing Director, Central Europe at Dell, he led a 200-person business across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland through an ambitious growth phase. At Siemens Information & Communication, he was promoted within six months from Vice President, Market and Business Development to President, Marketing. In that role he led more than 800 employees internationally and managed a global marketing budget exceeding US$400 million. Earlier, as Vice President at Gemini Consulting, he advised retail and technology companies on growth, transformation, and innovative go-to-market strategies.

Hendrik subsequently served as CEO and Chairman of Search Partners AG. The firm focused on succession for mid-sized and family-owned businesses, CEO and Managing Director appointments, and advisory and supervisory board searches. He also worked for several years as a Partner in executive search.

Executive search, leadership advisory, strategy consulting, and his own years in executive leadership all inform how he works today. Beyond identifying candidates, the harder work is understanding the business context ahead, defining the leadership required, assessing future relevance, and helping clients make better leadership decisions.

His conviction is that access is becoming a commodity and judgment is not.