Skip to content
Who we are, what we represent and where we come from.

Our company

paul und collegen specialises in organising and supervising change processes within companies (along with associations, interest groups, etc.). Nowadays, the requirement for companies to constantly transform is simply part for the course.

However, change isn’t always welcome. Particularly when instigated not by free will, but as a result of economic necessity. That’s where we come in. We guide companies through the restructuring process.

We work closely with our clients to develop basic concepts for business continuity and find solutions for conflicts among or with stakeholders. During this process, we take on the role of interim managers (including on the board as CRO, independent managing directors/board members and other roles) or as advisors to the management team and/or owners.

We also guide insolvency administrators through the reorganisation and restructuring process, particularly during preliminary proceedings, to help the company get back on its feet and make sure nothing stands in the way of a bright new future.

Successful restructuring projects always incorporate five key aspects:

  • Strategy
  • Organisation
  • Operation
  • Finances
  • Culture

A viable new structure can only be found if all factors are impartially considered to the extent relevant for the case at hand. The end goal is always the same: A return to normal business operations as quickly as possible. After all, a patient can only survive for so long during open heart surgery.

Our ethos

Upheaval is a natural part of every company's story, regardless of whether we’re talking about NPOs, public enterprises, federations, or associations, etc.

Crises that involve an entire company or large sections thereof, changes in management, succession planning, technological changes – we can all list at least one specific example.

Planned change and unplanned difficulties share one uniting factor: The key to navigating them lies in having the right capacities, both in terms of quantity and quality.

This is something we know to be true. In the past, we’ve come to learn that the best solutions aren’t always found by looking within.

As an external partner, we offer guidance to companies. Our presence may be temporary, but the long-term financial implications of our work are anything but. Our clients benefit from our critical distance paired with an unwavering commitment to their company and managers. We base our work on a clear agenda, which is also communicated in the affected areas.

Following the mantra of contemporary, agile leadership, we pursue partnerships in the literal sense of the word. Success can only be achieved when managers and employees work in tandem with external consultants to overcome the issues at hand.

Our approach draws heavily on experience from comparable cases, similar business models and our methodical expertise.

We always look forward to getting to know people at other companies. We are eager to hear about individual concerns, plans, expectations and hopes.

paul und collegen was brought to life on the basis of our strong commitment to this concept.

Our approach

To start with, successfully advising companies relies on the composition of the team. With this in mind, we have worked according to our colleagues model since 2001. All managers that work on paul und collegen projects are entrepreneurs in their own right, not employed by us. They benefit from their particular insight into how to influence and deal with challenging situations from their own business experience. Their own projects enable them to keep acquiring new experience from the perspective of a company owner.

The work we do concentrates on forms of support covered by our in-house expertise. For all other matters, we work with our trusted partners, many of whom we have collaborated with for many years.

This flexibility in our approach paired with our in-house expertise ensures our work is compatible for both our in-house team and external partners.

History

paul und collegen consulting is a network of service providers in Germany and Austria.

Both companies were founded in Vienna and Berlin in 2002. Founders Katharina Kohlmaier, Thomas Paul and Michael Paul have remained at the helm to this day. Each of the founders have previously led and guided companies in an operational and advisory capacity. Even in its early days, the team at paul und collegen were exploring an alternative approach to business advisory services:

  • Companies need to be able to rely on thorough support with key issues, particularly during tough times. Being thorough also means taking responsibility in executive roles, if desired by the client.
  • Our multidisciplinary team of C-level executives ensures the services we offer are backed up by experience and state of the art methods.