Markus Pertl

Visionary and entrepreneur in both the business and the non-profit world

Markus is a trusted advisor to leaders of blue chip companies and large family-owned businesses. He has bought out the firm from the founders in 2003 and established Stern Stewart & Co. in its current form. He is acting managing partner of the Stern Stewart & Co.

He is trustee at a major offshore oil and gas service company and board member of a Silicon Valley biotech firm.

With a desire to connect leaders in business, politics and technology and to debate controversial ideas, Markus has founded the Stern Stewart Institute.

To create impact beyond the business world, he is personally involved in several projects in Sub-Sahara Africa, most recently our first university BIT - The Burkina Institute of Technology.

Gerhard Nenning

Out-of-the-box strategy advisor and facilitator of organizational change

Gerhard focuses for 20 years on M&A and strategy development, typically followed by organizational transformation. His creative and rigorously independent thinking has impacted strategic decisions in growing as well as contracting businesses.

Often going against the grain, Gerhard has advised large international corporates and mid-sized companies in ambitious growth strategies outside of the client’s initial comfort zone. Conversely, he has helped prevent multi-billion investments which in hindsight would have been crippling. Gerhard is a non-executive director of an entrepreneurial and growing Canadian tech-service company.

Gerhard has co-founded The Stern Stewart Institute and shapes the Institute’s yearly agenda of dialogue with leaders in business, politics, and science.

Stefan Heppelmann

Creative disruptor and re-thinker of organizations in challenging times

Stefan is an independent thinker and senior advisor mainly in transformation/ turnaround situations. Combining deep corporate finance know-how as a CFA charterholder with two decades of consulting experience, he often has the one inspirational idea.

Discussing key themes of the executive agenda, he shows his entrepreneurial spirit with great personal involvement. Stefan’s track record includes big transformations of multinationals as well as sensitive restructurings of multi-billion private held companies.

Stefan is a true entrepreneur outside the office as well, managing his own vineyard in the South of France with heartblood. Moreover he is the chairman of Wend Puiré, the Stern Stewart Institute’s apiculture non-profit organization in Burkina Faso.

Ashley Joffe

Transaction facilitator with true (ad)venturousness

Financial expertise meets operational savvy – this is Ashley, our NY based leader with 20+ years of experience in building, restructuring and advising companies on 6 continents. He has an extensive track record of transaction and M&A projects, making him the perfect match for all acquisition, partnering and disposal situations.

Ashley started his career at Stern Stewart as CFO, building on a rock-solid financial background. Today, Ashley is the Director of Stern Stewart Capital, the investment arm of our boutique. And as if that wasn’t enough, he is also CEO of Premier Commission, one of the investment cases of Stern Stewart Capital.

Dr. Wulf Rendtorff

Legitimate Transformation Ace

Wulf is a real asset in all transaction and transformation challenges. Holding a PhD in Law, he combines sharp business sense with thourough legal expertise.

With 15+ years of managing key growth initiatives, developing portfolio management solutions and optimizing business models, Wulf is the one to talk to before jumping shortsighted into big transformations. He has advised on complex corporate finance solutions and deals including their organizational integration throughout all industries, making him an in-depth expert in M&A transactions and negotiation support worldwide.

As a passionate golfer, Wulf definitely knows that it is all about strategy, mindset and picking the right spot – skills that come in handy in his project work, too.

Carlo Paoloni

Facilitator of M&A transactions and portfolio strategist

When it comes to deals, Carlo much benefits from his M&A track record across Europe and US. Born and raised in investment banking he is a vivid personality and experienced advisor for transactions and portfolio strategy.

Being a true global citizen of Italian origin, he thrives with excitement in the momentous times when a transaction needs to be closed. Moreover, he is also the senior advisor, when it comes to making the deal work: he is a master in managing large scale PMIs to integrate businesses and realize synergies.

Carlo proves also to be a true entrepreneur in his private life, running a mid-sized winery in his home country.