About Christoph Knacke

The business person

"Christoph Knacke is an experienced sales expert, an international entrepreneur, a specialist in negotiation and a leadership coach. This isn't just a brand statement, a nice slogan, or the start of a 30-second pitch. That's me - every day!" 

I work with international corporations and SMBs, their executives and managers, as well as solopreneurs, to maximize their individual and business results in complex and competitive environments. 

I have held various national and international sales and management functions for more than 30 years. My experience in the corporate world as well as in start-ups and in turn-around situations gives me the ability to respond to specific industry problems or client-specific issues, making training and coaching a personalized, fun and effective experience

The private person

"56 years, married, 2 kids, 2 cats!" This is the short presentation of the private person Christoph Knacke.

What else is there to say: Having grown up with entrepreneurial and Hanseatic traditions such as 

- reaching your goal quickly and efficiently 

- a handshake counts

- standing upright and being sincere

- Hanseatic understatement 

- and an international network 

I incorporate all of this into my work as a senior sales expert, trainer, coach and interim managers 

Many of my experiences and the importance of principles like  leadership, fair play, team building and sticking to the rules also come from high-level competitive sports, which I have also had the opportunity to experience internationally as a player, coach and referee.    

My qualifications

1995      Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business Studies
              International Management
              Degree: Diplom-Kaufmann (Masters in International Management)

1996      Grenoble Ecole de Management - Grenoble, Frankreich
              Technology Management
              Degree: Masters in Management

2010      Executive Coach Certification
              International Leadership & Intercultural Coaching Program    
2011       Sales & Negotiations Trainer Qualification
2017      Continued education in Agile Project Management

50+ years of experience 

Experience is not only counted in years of life. Rather, experience is the ability to learn from past situations and to put them together to form an overall picture, to bring them into the present and to apply them to address today's challenges. 

My personal experiences, which I carry over into the present, begin with leadership tasks in training and in sports. My "career" then began in 1987 as an export merchant in my hometown of Bremen. Through an international study program, I obtained two university degrees - in Bremen (Master in International Management) and in Grenoble (Master in Management), while at the same time building and running my own sporting goods business.

Other stations are: 

  • Global Marketing & Sales Manager at Michelin France in Clermont-Ferrand
  • Regional Sales Manager for Michelin Truck Tires in Southern Germany 
  • Sales Director Michelin Aircraft Tires DACH & Central Europe 
  • Independant Consultant, Trainer and Coach since 2004
  • various Interim and Consultancy projects in different B2B industries (Automotive, Aerospace, Sport & clothing, Mechanical Engineering, etc.)

International 

Most of my tasks and assignments had, and still have, an international aspect to them. Through my time spent in the USA and France, my global roles and responsibilities, and my work with business partners, employees and customers on 6 continents, I can easily communicate in German, English and French. 

However, it is not only the linguistic subtleties, but also the cultural and individual aspects that need to be taken into account when working with groups and individuals. 

I have worked with both junior and senior sales teams, sales managers and directors, as well as C-level executives to improve their sales, negotiation and managerial skills. 


Looking forward to also working with you and your team!


Impressions