Jens-Thomas Pietralla leads the firm’s Board & CEO Advisory Partners in Europe and serves as Global Head of the Industrial & Natural Resources Sector for Russell Reynolds Associates. In this capacity, he leads the firm’s business with clients in Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Capital & Electrical Goods, Chemicals, Energy, and Industrial Services.
Jens-Thomas helps companies build superior boards and advises his clients on leadership matters, succession planning, and strategy. He has established himself as a trusted voice of reason for companies around the world and conducted numerous high-profile CEO and Chairman searches for publicly listed, privately owned, and private equity-owned enterprises with revenues ranging from $500m to 150bn.
He joined us after four years as the President and CEO of Navico Holding, a PE-backed global market leader in marine electronics with 2,500 employees. He was responsible for establishing the company through multiple acquisitions, defining strategy, and creating a family of brands under the Navico umbrella, later acquired by Brunswick for $1.1bn. Earlier in his career, Jens-Thomas was the Chief Marketing Officer at Siemens, where he significantly increased global brand awareness. He began his career at McKinsey & Company, spending six years as a management consultant in New York and Munich.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit" - Aristotle