Career Paths in the Otto Group: Marvin Mertens – from Chief of Staff to Head of Transformation Management

Marvin, what motivated you to change your career direction?
I spent more than five years in advisory and strategic roles at Otto Group Holding. This included three years as a consultant in what was then Otto Group Consulting and two and a half years as an Executive Assistant. After this period, I wanted to move to a group company and get closer to the operational business.

What prompted you to pursue your desire for change within the Otto Group?
On one hand, I strongly identify with the values of the Otto Group. They made the company very attractive to me then and continue to do so now. On the other hand, transferring within the Otto Group allowed me to leverage the network I had built as a consultant, particularly as a Chief of Staff.

How did the entire process unfold?
After about a year and a half in my role as Chief of Staff, I began to think about my next career step. I engaged in extensive discussions with my then-boss about potentially interesting Group companies and positions for me. I greatly benefited from his efforts, both in terms of advice and later networking with contacts in the subsidiaries. Through him, I also connected with Patrick Boos, who was about to transition to the CEO position at the Witt Group, where I would eventually work. Patrick and I were already familiar with each other from a joint project. The subsequent process involved several conversations with Patrick, the then-HR manager of the Witt Group, Susan Kröber, and Patrick's then-colleagues in the Witt management team. Susan, who now works as Division Manager Talent & Executive Management at Otto Group Holding, supported me throughout the entire process.

Is it an advantage that you had already worked elsewhere in the group?
My previous work at Otto Group Holding allows me to better assess developments at the group level and their implications for individual group companies – particularly in my case, the Witt Group. Someone without that experience would lack those comparative insights within the Otto Group. Additionally, what I learned in projects with various subsidiaries and in company-wide strategic initiatives significantly aids me now in my transformation management tasks at the Witt Group.

What was the biggest adjustment for you? Is there anything from your previous position you would like to have carried over?
The biggest adjustments were certainly moving from Hamburg to Nuremberg. I developed a deep connection to Hamburg during my time at the Otto Group, and I still feel strongly about the city. From Nuremberg, I commute by train three times a week to Weiden. Additionally, moving from the Otto Group and the Hamburg campus to the comparatively quiet environment of the Witt Group was a change. However, since I consciously chose this change in various aspects, I wouldn't have wanted to carry anything over from my previous position; otherwise, the experience would have been less authentic.

What do you wish for most in your personal development?
That I will continue to have leaders who care about my personal development as much as my previous ones have. And that exciting opportunities will continue to arise for me as they have so far.

How did your new team welcome you?
When I joined the Witt Group, I was not immediately part of a team. Similar to my time as an Advisor to the Board at the Otto Group, I initially worked as a "lone wolf" in a staff position. However, I can say that everyone I interacted with in the Witt Group during my early days welcomed me exceptionally well and made me feel at home. The openness and warmth with which my new colleagues greeted me have not diminished to this day. For this reason, I am also very pleased that my journey in the Witt Group will continue as a department head from July 1 after my parental leave.

Were there challenges?
Of course, my corporate and residential move came with certain "adjustment pains." For instance, I had to adapt to a different corporate culture. For my wife and me, it meant getting used to Nuremberg as our new home after more than five years together in Hamburg. However, these "pains" dissipated quickly, and I now feel at home at the Witt Group and in Nuremberg. I never had concerns about speaking with my "old" boss or my "old" colleagues. My then-boss had strongly advocated for my move to the Witt Group, and I received only positive feedback from my former colleagues.

What experiences would you like to share in conclusion?
Based on my own experiences, I can only recommend that everyone take on a challenge at the Otto Group and also consider making the leap to a group company outside of Hamburg. It took me some courage to move away from Hamburg, but the personal and professional experiences I've gained from this step outweighed the challenges in no time. We have now lived in Nuremberg for over three years and will continue to stay here for a long time—partly due to my new position at the Witt Group starting July 1. My path is not the only one available: shorter assignments can also be very valuable if the position at the receiving subsidiary fits well. Last but not least, maintaining contact with the "parent company" in Hamburg is also possible if you actively nurture those connections through regular virtual exchanges—I know this from personal experience.