Team

Rainer is the founder and still a bit driving force behind maconda. In his more than thirty years as a consultant, he has helped countless companies and led many projects to success. Rainer studied business administration at the University of Mannheim and also completed his doctorate there, which included a scholarship of the Studienstiftung Baden-Württemberg. He has worked for Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the Treuhandanstalt Berlin, and spent some time in New York. In his private life he loves a wide range of activities: he plays the saxophone and clarinet and (reasonably) the Lithuanian birbyne. He has three daughters and is a carnival enthusiast. As a Palatine native, his passion naturally belongs to wine; Whisky came along after trips to Scotland. Languages: Palatine dialect, German, English and a little Dutch (even if conversation partners usually switch to English – it’s the attempt that counts).

Matthias has been a management consultant for over 20 years, with an increasing focus on transaction advisory since the mid-2000s. In over 200 projects, he has successfully supported demanding clients with commercial due diligence, M&A strategy projects, transaction preparation and other topics. He did this, among other things, as a director in the Financial Advisory division at Deloitte, as a senior consultant in the CDD boutique AMR International and as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. Matthias began his career in central corporate strategy at Siemens. He gained his academic experience in England, at the London School of Economics and Henley Business School. Matthias enjoys spending his free time with his family and in the mountains – hiking or skiing. He speaks fluent German, Viennese and English, and French (if absolutely necessary).

Bertram has been a consultant – with passion – for over 20 years and has accompanied and managed a large number of analysis, strategy and M&A projects. This has enabled him to acquire his versatile expertise in a wide range of industries. He likes sophisticated methods and enjoys creating clear structures in order to get to the bottom of things and convince and inspire customers. Bertram studied geography in Bonn and still harbours an enthusiasm for the big picture and thinking outside the box. In his free time, he enjoys indulging in music with his wife or, as a contrasting programme, being productive as a DIY enthusiast. He is eloquent in German and also speaks very good English.

Sylvia has more than 25 years of international leadership experience across the beauty, luxury, and consumer goods sectors. She has a strong track record in growth transformation, strategic repositioning, and value creation, including successfully guiding three private equity-backed companies through transformational phases and exits. She held CEO, CMO, and CSO roles for leading companies such as Klapp Group, ADA Cosmetics International, JK Group, and P&G, and has worked with numerous renowned beauty brands. Sylvia combines strategic marketing expertise, operational leadership, and extensive international experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. With her German-British background, she brings a strong intercultural mindset and passion for innovation-driven growth. Based in the UK, she enjoys spending time with her family in the Yorkshire countryside.

Ümit Esrefoglu is a specialist in commercial due diligence and growth strategies for private equity investors and their portfolio companies. With over seven years of consulting experience – including at Deloitte and as an independent CDD consultant – he has successfully supported more than 40 projects, primarily in the software and construction business and for manufacturing companies. His focus is on in-depth market and competition analysis and practical strategic advice. Ümit studied general management at EBS University for Business and Law in Oestrich-Winkel. In addition to German, he is fluent in English and Turkish and speaks some Spanish. In his free time, he enjoys fitness, music, politics and history.

Sinan Haciibrahimoglu enjoys an excellent academic background with a Bachelor’s degree cum laude in International Business, specialising in Finance, and a Master’s degree in Financial Economics, both from Maastricht University / School of Business and Economics. Already during his studies, in which he ranked in the top 10% of his class, Sinan tutored students in statistics and maths as a teaching assistant. He gained his first professional experience at a ‘Big Four’ company, where he was able to demonstrate his analytical understanding and practical expertise in restructuring projects. Due to his strong affinity for numbers, he particularly enjoys data-based analyses and other complex tasks. In his private life, Sinan enjoys football and chess.

Lukas Dedy joined maconda in 2025 – and quickly demonstrated why he is such a great fit for our boutique consultancy, which values precision, attitude and genuine team spirit. After earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Cologne, he went on to complete a finance-focused master’s degree in international business at Maastricht University. He applies his experience in market, competition and company analysis to our commercial due diligence and performance projects. His eye for numbers, his energetic approach and his straightforward manner of working together to find solutions are particularly valued. He is fluent in German, English and Spanish. In his private life, he enjoys travelling, especially to less frequented, ‘special’ places, is an ambitious cook – and cheers on 1. FC Köln, no matter how exciting the season is.

Isabelle Mayer-Holtmann puts her heart and soul into her work. She leads our HR activities and, as a certified business coach, is actively involved in transformation projects; thanks to her language skills and intercultural expertise, she is particularly well suited to projects relating to the Netherlands, Belgium and France. She has Dutch roots, with a large family in the east of the country and in Belgian Flanders. In addition, Isabelle works as a independent coach, supporting people on a wide range of issues. Previously, she organised events for the renowned International Club La Redoute in Bad Godesberg, where well-known politicians and business representatives frequently give talks. She studied psychology in Nijmegen and Amsterdam and subsequently graduated in Business Administration from the Cologne Business School. Afterwards, Isabelle raised three daughters, who are now all studying in the Netherlands. In addition to German and English, Isabelle speaks fluent French and Dutch, and some Spanish.

Lisa Lopatowski joined maconda in September 2025. She studied Strategic Management and Consulting and successfully completed her master’s degree. During her studies, she gained practical experience in consulting projects, where she conducted strategic analyses and developed conceptual solutions. At maconda, she wants to deepen her knowledge and gain insights into the diverse tasks of management consulting. Lisa is fluent in German and English. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog, being outdoors and pursuing creative projects related to design, interior design and gardening.

The special expertise of our Polish colleague Piotr lies in data-based customer management. For more than 20 years, he has supported renowned brands in the development and implementation of customer-centric strategies and processes in marketing, sales and customer service and also leads the Polish activities of Envolved, a leading consultancy for loyalty, CRM and customer experience. Piotr is particularly passionate about cross-border projects (including Poland, Germany, Finland, Lithuania, Switzerland, Austria). He completed his business studies at the University of Cologne and the Stockholm School of Economics. After several years as a consultant at maconda in Cologne, Piotr moved to his Polish home in Krakow. His personal passion lies in classic cars. Besides Polish and German as his mother tongue, Piotr speaks English, French and a little Italian.

Markus Kristof is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at IU in Cologne. Alongside his studies, he is involved with MarcAurelConsult, the student consultancy at the University of Bonn. There, Markus supported a young start-up by conducting a competitive analysis to help it position itself effectively in the market. He also gained practical experience as a working student at Simon Kucher and during a consulting internship at Deutsche Telekom, where he was involved in strategic digitalisation projects in the defence, healthcare and food industries. He speaks fluent German, English and Romanian, as well as a little French. In his spare time, Markus enjoys sports, particularly football and fitness. He likes to travel to the mountains for skiing and snowboarding, and to the seaside.

Max is an expert for digital business models and works as an associated consultant for maconda. In addition to practical experience from various strategically and operationally supported digitalisation projects, he brings comprehensive due diligence expertise, particularly from the IT & software, e-commerce and FMCG sectors. His focus is on in-depth market and competition analysis as well as the identification of potentials in the digital marketing and sales funnel. Max completed his B.Sc. in Business Administration and Marketing at the Business School in Pforzheim and his M.Sc. in Marketing Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich. He spends most of his free time on the tennis court or in nature, either cycling or hiking.

Nils Neuenburg is studying International Business at Maastricht University’s School of Business and Economics, where he ranks among the top 5% of his year (cum laude) and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. Whilst still a student, he gained practical experience at International Consulting Maastricht, where his responsibilities included leading SEO analyses as a workstream lead. At the same time, he teaches fellow students Economics and Quantitative Methods as an academic tutor. At maconda, he supports the team in commercial due diligence from our Maastricht office, contributing his analytical skills and structured approach. In his spare time, Nils is a keen long-distance runner and has completed the Copenhagen and Amsterdam marathons in previous years.

Franz Kushnarev supports the maconda team as a dedicated working student based at our Maastricht office. He is studying International Business at Maastricht University and, based on his academic performance to date, ranks in the top 10% of his year group. He has a particular interest in finance-related topics, which he is specifically exploring in greater depth as part of his studies. Franz has already gained practical experience as a tutor, where he supports fellow students in economics-related subjects and has been able to develop his ability to explain complex concepts in an accessible way. He speaks fluent German and English. In his spare time, Franz is passionate about travelling and loves spending the winter months on the ski slopes.

Sara Baier has over 15 years’ experience in marketing and PR and is responsible for both external and internal marketing and communications at maconda. She studied Media Management at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, graduating with a diploma. Whilst working at PR agencies in Berlin and Cologne, she managed numerous national and international brands in the B2C and B2B sectors. She then switched to the corporate side and was involved, amongst other things, in the development of the marketing activities of a large tax consultancy. Her core competencies lie in cross-media content creation, storytelling and strategic communication. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in nature, on her yoga mat, attending further training courses or having a cosy coffee with friends and family.

Marion takes care of the office administration and ensures that the advisors have the freedom and peace they need to work in a concentrated manner. Since her training as a travel agent, she has gained a wide range of experience. Among other things, she managed the family travel agency for several years. In her free time, she likes to help friends and acquaintances prepare their tax returns. To recharge her batteries, Marion goes swimming and reads a lot. She sings in a choir, loves Kölsch beer and carnival and, of course, the Effzeh. Marion has diving training and a boating licence. Her languages are German and a good knowledge of English and French.