Industry Focus

Dr. Iordanis Savvopoulos: Chemistry insider and bridge builder between technical expertise and interim excellence.

With 36 years of international management experience in the chemical industry, Dr. Iordanis Savvopoulos joins the Atreus Advisor team. As former Senior Vice President at Evonik, he brings comprehensive expertise in specialty chemicals, polymers, global business development, transformation, sales, and marketing—combined with a deep understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities in the DACH region, Europe and Asia.

Throughout his career, he has worked closely with a wide range of companies – primarily with customers, but also through associations. He is familiar with the key corporate structures, from large corporations and family businesses to hidden champions, and has broad insight into related industries such as lightweight construction, composites, and advanced materials. Particularly noteworthy: Dr. Savvopoulos combines the language of the chemical industry with the logic of interim management, thus building a resilient bridge between expertise, leadership, and temporary excellence. His motto: “Success comes when you listen, understand, and then act purposefully—with experience, attitude, and a clear focus on impact.”

As Director of the Energy & Environment Solution Group at Atreus, Philipp Joas focuses on digital transformation, growth, and change programs at the intersection of technology, organization, and leadership.

With over 15 years of experience building and scaling software and technology ventures – from venture building to carve-outs, joint ventures, and restructuring – he combines entrepreneurial drive with corporate acumen. A serial founder, former Managing Director within BayWa r.e., and active investor, Philipp stands for agile product development, modern leadership, and psychologically safe high-performance teams. His mission: creating lasting value through clarity, speed, and human-centered execution in times of transformation.

Christian Gjørup is an internationally experienced leader with two decades of experience in the retail and consumer goods sectors across Europe and Asia. He brings a unique perspective by combining hands-on operational leadership with expertise from top-tier strategy consulting and executive search firms.

Christian began his career at a family-owned toy retailer, where he gained deep operational experience across the entire value chain, from sourcing in Asia to managing store networks in Germany and Norway. As a country manager, he held full P&L responsibility for two retail banners, including TOYS “R” US, and successfully prepared the Norwegian business for its sale to the private equity investor EQT. Subsequently, he broadened his expertise at McKinsey & Company as a member of the global marketing and sales practice, advising on transformation and strategy implementation.

Christian is fluent in Danish, English, and German.

Lothar Holder has extensive and long-standing management experience as a C-suite executive, interim manager and consultant within the international energy and mobility industry. 

He has held senior management positions at renowned companies in the commercial vehicle, special vehicle and off-highway industries. These include CEO of Goldhofer AG and Managing Director at Setra Omnibusse (EvoBus GmbH/Daimler), as well as at Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation in Japan. As COO of the Schulz Group, he played a pivotal role in Akasol GmbH’s development and market leadership in lithium-ion battery systems. 

An outstanding business developer with a strong focus on alternative drive technologies, he has played a crucial part in guiding the transition to e-mobility. He combines strategic foresight with a pragmatic, hands-on mentality, and his intercultural competence and broad experience in large corporations, medium-sized companies, and start-ups are highly valued. Since 2024, he has worked as an independent consultant and has been a member of the AAA Advisors network, as well as sitting on the advisory boards of various companies in the electric mobility sector. He is committed to sustainable, successful corporate development, high levels of innovation, and the consistent implementation of forward-looking transformations in the energy and mobility industry.

Axel Kühner ist Top-Manager mit 15 Jahren Automotive-OEM-Erfahrung. Von 2009 bis 2024 war er CEO der Greiner AG, einem österreichischen Milliarden-Konzern.

Nach 15 Jahren in der Vertriebsorganisation der Daimler AG wechselte er aus der Großkonzernwelt in einen mittelständischen Familienkonzern nach Österreich. In seiner Zeit, als erster familienfremder CEO der Greiner AG, entwickelte er den Kunststoffspezialisten von 1 auf etwa 2,5 Mrd. € Umsatz an 140 Standorten in über 30 Ländern. In seiner sowohl operativ als auch strategisch angelegten Rolle sammelte er Erfahrung in den Bereichen Packaging, Medizintechnik und Aerospace.

Heute ist er selbstständig und führt ein Beratungs- und Beteiligungsunternehmen in Österreich. Er ist Vizepräsident der Deutschen Handelskammer in Österreich und Mitglied der Aufsichtsräte der Teufelberger AG sowie der Lenzing Plastics.

Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Gottwald is Member of the Supervisory Board and major shareholder of the Ovesco Endoscopy AG, a company developing, producing and marketing cutting edge medical devices for endoscopy.

From 2009 until 2021 he was sharing the CEO position with the current CEO. Prior to these engagements Thomas Gottwald held a number of management positions at Fresenius SE where he was founding President and CEO of Fresenius Biotech GmbH, and also served as worldwide Medical Director and Managing Director of Fresenius HemoCare GmbH, as well as Global Medical Director at Fresenius Kabi AG and Managing Director of Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH.

He is a general and visceral surgeon by training with close to twenty years of clinical experience and scientific expertise. In addition to his current business angel, consulting and advisory activities for various companies at home and abroad (like Atmos GmbH, ICA InContAlert, HSP Kera GmbH, Ascenion GmbH and others), he continues his scientific work and teaching activities as an associate professor of surgery and member of the Medical Faculty of Tübingen University.  

Jens Strüwing is a manager with a long-standing career in mechanical/plant engineering, as well as in the automotive manufacturer and supplier industry, with over 25 years of experience in top management.

His expertise extends in particular to the areas of innovation, research/development, operations, supply chain management, aftermarket and the transformation/restructuring of companies.

From 2018 to 2024, Jens Strüwing was COO and CTO on the Group Management Board of conveyor technology manufacturer Interroll, where he was responsible for the listed company’s global activities. Prior to that, he spent a total of 15 years at automotive supplier Mahle, where he held various global management positions in operations and supply chain management in both the series and aftermarket business, including a lengthy assignment in the USA. Prior to this role, he worked for several years at Mercedes-Benz in management positions, including responsibility for the “Maybach Factory” project management.

During his career, he was active in various working groups of the VDA and was also a private lecturer in business administration at the Nürtingen University of Applied Sciences for several years.

Today, Jens Strüwing works as an independent management consultant, interim manager and advisor, where he can contribute his many years of experience and broad specialist knowledge.

Dr. Gunter Erfurt is a senior C-level executive and technology expert in the energy sector with over 20 years of international leadership experience in industry, research and industrial manufacturing in listed companies.

As Chief Executive Officer (2020–2024) and Chief Technology Officer (2017–2020) of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd. (2020–2024), he led the strategic transformation into an integrated solar group and the establishment of new production sites in Europe and the USA. He was responsible for investments of over one billion US-dollars and established customer contracts with a volume in the billions.

Erfurt combines deep technical understanding with economic implementation power – from technology development and industrial scaling to supply chain management, public affairs and capital market communication. Today, he is active in the DeepTech sector as an angel investor, start-up mentor, supervisory and advisory board member – with a focus on battery technology, hydrogen, solar and thermal technologies. He builds bridges between the corporate world and innovative young companies and serves as a member of the board of trustees and scientific advisory board of leading research institutes. Erfurt is an engineer and holds a doctorate in physics.

Dr. Tobias Endler is an accomplished bridge-builder between business, politics, the media, and civil society. A transatlantic expert, he has published several books and is a regular guest on radio and television.

As an experienced expert in international politics, especially the United States, he understands how to think across disciplines – and bridge the gap between analysis and action. He effectively translates his long-standing contacts with companies, associations, and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic for anyone with local as well as supra-regional ambitions.

As a Senior Advisor at Atreus, Dr. Tobias Endler, with over 20 years of experience as a moderator and consultant, specifically supports the networking of thought leaders, decision-makers, and influencers from business, politics, and society. He has taught at Yale University and Heidelberg University, among others, and combines a critical-constructive perspective with his trademark hands-on pragmatism.