Daniela Nienstedt

Daniela Nienstedt advises boards and senior leaders on CFO succession and finance leadership across Europe. As Co-Head of the European Financial Officers Practice and Head of Financial Services Germany at Russell Reynolds Associates, she works with publicly listed companies and private capital-backed businesses to identify CFOs who can drive performance and transformation. She also advises private equity clients on senior investment and operating professional appointments.

She brings particular expertise in Germany, where governance structures and cultural expectations make CFO succession uniquely complex. Daniela supports clients through transformation, growth, and leadership transition, with a focus on roles where the CFO is a critical partner to the CEO and the board.

Daniela advises organisations in an increasingly constrained market for experienced CFOs, where talent scarcity and rising turnover are reshaping succession planning. She works with boards to build robust pipelines, assess internal talent, and define future-focused success profiles.

Before joining Russell Reynolds Associates, Daniela spent eight years at AlixPartners advising companies across industries on restructuring and operational transformation. This experience gives her a strong understanding of the capabilities CFOs need to lead through complexity and partner effectively with CEOs and stakeholders. She previously held consulting roles at L.E.K. Consulting and PA Consulting, and began her career in banking at Helaba.

Daniela is a recognised voice on CFO succession and finance leadership, contributing to Russell Reynolds Associates’ insights on the evolving role of the CFO, including recent perspectives on the challenges of CFO succession in Germany and across Europe.