#2 | Curious and self-propelled: Lessons from the unique story of Jens Pippig - company-builder, head-hunter, ExCo member, and intensive care volunteer

Today I am speaking with Jens Pippig who is currently an Executive Committee member and the SVP Services and Innovation at Fressnapf-Maxizoo, a leading pet care provider in Europe. I invited Jens to the show for 3 reasons: 

First, DWFF is about people’s biggest goals in work and life, and Jens has achieved some of the professional goals that many of us set: 

He’s had the chance to join big-name organizations in senior leadership roles. He’s set strategy and deployed capital to build businesses. He scaled startups and diversified income streams for established corporates. His story contains lessons, especially for those of us in the early- and mid-stages of our careers, looking to get ahead. 

Secondly, Jens’ story is interesting not just for “what” he did and does, but “how”: he is one of the most resourceful and self-propelled people I know: Jens does not wait around for directions: he comes up with a career fair to generate employment leads; he shapes his own strategy roles to include operational components that allow him to stay close to execution, and he enrolls as an intensive care-taker during the early phase of COVID when he seeks an opportunity to make a difference. He’s a self-starter, and there’s something empowering and inspiring about the way he’s in the driver’s seat. 

I also invited Jens because although we were never particularly close, we’ve known each other since the mid-90s, and our paths were somewhat similar. It’s a chance for both of us to reflect on our various stations and how we ended up there. 

In our far-ranging conversion, we cover: 

• What high-impact strategy roles look like, and what to avoid
• How in-house venture investing works and why a company would pursue it
• The differences between early and later stage investing, incl. but not limited to tech companies
• How exactly executive search works, as a two-sided business serving companies and candidates, and 
• The things that make a headhunter go “wow!”

Jens's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenspippig/