Delivering Transformation – since 1999
Marcus Podorf is an award-winning, independent director with 22 years of experience in leading the transformation and marketing of premium and luxury brands, products and services. B2B and B2C.
Key Facts
Born in Ahlen, North Rine-Westphalia, in July 1978 / Started his career on 01 September 1999
Youth: Founded several clubs as Youngster, e.g. the VFB ’94 Ahlen football club, founding member of a street soccer league and regular cup tournaments / Former active goalkeeper at Vorwärts Ahlen football club / Customised computer-games for friends (and myself) / First PR-stunts for the travel agency of my mother and the local LR Ahlen football club
Diploma in Marketing Communications (CCI/IHK) in 2002, acts according to the principles of the honourable businessman (CCI/IHK) / Trainer, Mentor and Certified Marketing Communications Instructor (CCI/IHK) since 2009
Today, top-notch Director, Strategist and Senior Advisor, including 22 years operational and strategic experience with brands, marketing and transformation strategies in the high-end, premium and luxury sector / Led several premium brand relaunches and highly complex premium and luxury brand transformation projects (incl. Design, Intelligence, CRM, UX, CX and Digitisation) / Operational experience in media production, direct marketing and communications planning, tactical and strategic
Set up and led various teams, accounts and business units / Led teams from 2 to 88 people in approx. 6,500-7,000 projects of all sizes
German: native / English: fluent
Attitude
Vison-driven, goal-focussed, with proven history of innovation and achievement / Achieves outstanding results and excellence through hard work, performance, and attention to the detail / Believes in taking the human approach to everything / Acts according to the principles of the honourable businessman (IHK/CCI) / Advises independently and objectively / Builds relationships based on trust, transparency and reliability
Career
Marcus Podorf | Brands. Transition. Marketing.
Founder, 2012
Professional Services, e.g.:
Senior Advisory Services / Brand, Business & Marketing Strategy Services / Premium Brand Identity & Brand Image / OKR, KPI & Business Modeling / Professional Relaunches & Redesigns / Rebrandings, Strategic Planning / Strategic & Tactical (Operational) Marketing / Strategic Communications & Implementation / Strategic Sales Narratives & Operations (CRM) / Direct Marketing / Digital Marketing / CRM, UX & CX / Integrated Brand & Marketing Excellence / and other marketing and sales services
Professional Functions – Interim Management Functions, e.g.:
Interim Manager – Interim CMO, COO & CEO / Project Lead – Head of Project / Senior Advisor / Senior Consultant / Interim Director / Interim Product Owner / Interim Director, Brand Strategy & Planning / Interim Lead Design & Intelligence / and other functions
The Berlin Strategy School℠
Project / Founder, 2019
Interim Management
thjnk, 2021-2022
Lead for the rebranding of ‘thyssenkrupp infrastructure’ – Design, Identity & Delivery Excellence
VORN Strategy Consulting / Hirschen Group, 2020
Interim Director – Delivered various projects for various accounts
Zalando / Zalando Outlet Stores, 2019
Interim Marketing Lead Zalando Outlet Stores
VORN Strategy Consulting, Berlin, 2019
Interim Director, Brand Strategy & Planning, for Zwiesel Glas
VORN Strategy Consulting, Hamburg/Berlin, 2018-2019
Interim Director, Brand Strategy & Planning (international)
DDB & Tribal, Hamburg, 2017-2018
Interim Head of Lufthansa Premium Brand Refresh and Lufthansa Group Airlines Rebranding
Freelance Gigs
Media.Monks Germany, 2021
Led various projects for the BMW Germany account – CRM, Design & Intelligence
Upljft, Hamburg, 2018-2019
Delivered various projects for national and international, industry-leading accounts
thjnk, Duesseldorf, 2013-2014
Strategic client leadership, various accounts, also innovation advisory services for Bobby & Carl, a start-up of thjnk and ThyssenKrupp
Philipp und Keuntje, Hamburg, 2012-2012
Digital strategist/UX strategist – platform strategy, branding and campaign experience system for T-Systems
Senior Advisory Services
tom logisch® / tomlogisch.com, Berlin-Brandenburg, since 2020
Senior Advisor – Brand & Integrated Marketing Excellence
kolula GmbH / kolula.com, Berlin-Brandenburg, 2020-2021
Senior Advisor – UX Strategy
Wantedly Inc., Berlin/Tokyo, 2018-2019
Senior Advisor – Brand & Integrated Marketing Excellence
Base Element, Nicosia, 2017-2018
Senior Advisor – Digital Transformation & Strategy
ValueChange, Geneva, 2016
Senior Advisor – Brand Identity, Brand Design, Website code and Content strategy
Home of the Wild, Marloth Park / South Africa, 2014
Senior Advisor – Brand Identity, Brand Design, Website code and Content strategy
Stefan Peter Götz / For the Change Leader in you, Herrsching am Ammersee, 2013-2014
Senior Advisor – Building identity and reputation
Frank Henry Frenz / Data, Trust & Safety, Bad Vilbel, 2013-2014
Senior Advisor – Building identity and reputation
Antonio Rubio / Ihr Unternehmen lebt, Hamburg, 2012-2013
Senior Advisor – Building identity and reputation
Pott & Harms Immobilien GmbH / Immobilien neu gedacht., Hamburg, 2012-2013
Senior Advisor – Brand Identity, Brand Design, Claim, CX, Website code & content strategy
Ann-Marlene Henning / Make Love Movement Strategy, Hamburg, 2012-2013
Senior Advisor – Planning & redesigning the digital ecosystem of website, vlog and social media, Business Change Strategy, Workshops & Communications Strategy in preparation of the “Make Love” TV series & Book publishings
And many more from the entrepreneurial and start-up sector
Permanent Positions
antoni, Berlin / start-up for Mercedes-Benz, 2016-2017
Account Director CRM, Mercedes-Benz
Foodspread, Hamburg/Cape Town, start-up, 2014-2015
Founder
The Wunderman Network, Hamburg/Frankfurt, Jul 2008 – Sept 2012Client Service Director & Instructor Marketing Communications (IHK/CCI)
Account Director & Instructor Marketing Communications (IHK/CCI)
weigertpirouzwolf, Hamburg, Apr 2006 – Jun 2008
Account Director
Senior Account Manager
KP&Z Werbeagentur, Minster (Westf.), Aug 1999 – Mar 2006
Key Account Manager
Marketing Consultant and Head of Production
Diploma in Marketing Communications (IHK/CCI)
Awards
Effie Austria, 2020 – Shortlist (Team Upljft) – Sky X Announcement
ADC Award, 2018 – 1x (Team) – Mercedes-Benz ‘Grow up’ campaign
Silver Effie, 2018 – 1x (Team) – Mercedes-Benz ‘Grow up’ campaign
Cannes Lions Gold, 2018 – 1x (Team) – Mercedes-Benz ‘Grow up’ campaign
RISE Conference 2015 Alpha Stage Nominee, 2015 – 1x – ‘Foodspread’ start-up
Grimme Online Award Nominee, 2014 – 1x (Team) – ‘Make Love Movement’ strategy
Agency of the Future Award Winner – 1x – Independent
red dot Award: Communication Design – 1x (Team) – Konica Minolta Europe
DDP Deutscher Dialogmarketing Preis – 3x (Team) – airtours luxury travel, Konica Minolta Europe
Golden Award of Montreux – 1x (Team) – airtours luxury travel
BoB Best of Business Award – 1x (Team) – airtours luxury travel
GWA Production Award (German Association of Communications Agencies) – 1x (Team) – Lufthansa Miles & More Credit Card
Mailing Award – 9x (Team) – greenpeace magazine, and others
CREA Credential Award – 1x (Team) – Wunderman Germany
Conventions
eCommerce expo 2020, Berlin
Future Affairs 2019, Berlin, Germany
Connections 2019 by LeBook, London, UK
Aviation Event 2019 Conference, Salzburg, Austria
Salesforce Basecamp 2019, Berlin, Germany
Wework Summer Camp 2018, Eridge Park, England
Connections ’18 by LeBook, Berlin, Germany
TOA 2018, Berlin, Germany
APG Grow 2017 Account Planning Group conference, Hamburg, Germany
Hillsong Conference 14, New York, USA
Web Summit 2014, Dublin, Ireland
re:publica 14, Berlin, Germany
dmexco 2013, Cologne, German
Campus Party Europe 12, Berlin, Germany
dmexco 2012, Cologne, Germany
Speaker at Mailing Tage 2009, Nuremberg, Germany
and others
Mentorings & Pro Bono
Berlin UX Mentor 2018 meetup with tinidad Labs, Berlin, June 2018
Mentor & expert for brand and user experience
antoni, Berlin / Start-up, February 2016 – May 2017
Mentor & expert for digital culture and culture change strategy
The DO School, Berlin, February 2016 – September 2016
Mentor & expert for various students, led branding workshop for NGOs
ADC Art Directors Club Germany, Berlin, 2014
Mentor & expert, led strategic planning workshop
The Wunderman Network, Hamburg / Frankfurt, July 2008 – August 2012
Instructor Marketing Communications (IHK/CCI)
Mentor Corporate Communications for the Wunderman Germany group
Education
Meisner Technique Workshops with Steven Ditmeyer, an alum of Sanford Meisner – 14 units/55 hours, 2019
B2B Marketing on LinkedIn, LinkedIn Academy, 2019
Advanced Google Analytics, Google Analytics for Beginners, Google Analytics Academy, 2019
Director UX – Designing UX with Willy Lai, former Director of User Experience at Apple/Samsung/Paypal & Macy’s, LA/New York, 2017
Mentoring & Coaching – We Change Integral Leadership, imu Augsburg – 512 hours, 2012-2013
Action from the Heart with Nobel Peace Prize nominee Scilla Elworthy, The Be(e) School, 2013
Business Model Canvas, Personas & Empathy Cards, Kreativ Gesellschaft, 2012
Digital Entrepreneurship, Campus Party Europe 12, 2012
Dragon Dreaming Innovative Project Management, Kreativ Gesellschaft, 2012
Trained in Cultural and Social Studies in South Africa, Israel, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, 2012-2019
Storytelling: The Journey of Heroes, Kreativ Gesellschaft, 2012Business Management B.A., HFH University of Applied Sciences – Two semesters, 2009-2010
Instructor Licence (IHK/CCI), 2009
Diploma in Marketing Communications (IHK/CCI), IHK Dortmund, 2001
Victim of Torture
2021, Berlin
2014, Hamburg
2013, Hamburg