Martin Küppers

Managing Partner / Member of the Board of Directors

«Paths are made by walking.»

(Franz Kafka – German Author, 1883-1924)

My international experience in distribution, negotiation strategy, leadership, and coaching is available to our clients, to further their careers.

Having grown up between Düsseldorf and Cologne in Neuss on the Rhine, I inherited the joy and openness for people, which is what the Rhineland is known for.

After graduating as a mechanical engineer, I began my career at Saurer. Ten years later, I joined the Karl Mayer Group, where I took on the responsibility for the textile machines distribution department of one of the business units. Prior to that, I had led several international teams and visited numerous textile machinery clients around the globe.

Now the time had come to broaden my knowledge in entrepreneurship, management, finance, and leadership. Hence, I enrolled for an Executive MBA at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne. After graduation, I started a new exciting chapter both career and family wise.

Saurer appointed me to the Executive Committee. An opportunity which enabled me to apply my newly acquired knowledge, resulting in the doubling of turnover and profitability for my area of responsibility. Through my work in the team and the fact that I was in charge of 1’200 employees, I continued to build my skills in leadership and coaching. Over time, I was appointed to the Board of Directors of the business units in India, Mexico, and Turkey. It was during this time, that Saurer asked me to move closer to its headquarters in Switzerland. Ever since, my wife, son and I, have been living in Arbon / TG, which is situated on the beautiful shores of Lake Constance.

Soon after our relocation, I had the honour of becoming a Rotary member. Having been blessed with success and happiness, it was essential to me to return some of my good fortune to people who are less fortunate. A project that is close to my heart.

All these experiences, led to an important step in my career. I became an entrepreneur. Together with a couple of business partners I founded a company called “Laketree Industrie AG”, which supports and invests in growth, financial restructuring, and succession planning.

As part of Grass & Partner AG’s succession planning, I together with two partners took over the company, which has been active in outplacement and career counselling for more than 25 years. Over these years a vast network has been built, which enables us to rapidly find exciting career opportunities and companies for our clients.

You are an HR Leader who is obliged of dismissing employees?                                                                                                                                                                                    We shall take care of them, as part of the process we shall develop a tailor-made programme which shall lead to a new professional activity for the candidate.

As an HR Leader you are looking to hire employees and wish to retain them?                                                                                                                                                             We shall accompany the onboarding process. Furthermore, we shall care for their spouse if the new job entails a relocation. Moreover, we are experts when it comes to “Late Careers” and in designing careers for clients who are over 50.

You would like more negotiation power in your role as an Executive? You want to become a Corporate Board Member? You wish to acquire a company and become an entrepreneur? Or are you simply planning on turning over a leaf in your career?

Please feel free to contact me and arrange for a non-binding appointment. It would be a pleasure to tread a common path for a short time in our lives. I look forward to meeting you.

Are you a client of ours? Or have you been one in the past?                                                                                                                                                                                       Then I look forward to meeting you at one of our upcoming network events.