— Executive Search · Family Businesses · DACH
Leaders who fit your company and your family.
Family businesses are not corporates with a different legal form. They have particular values, decision structures and leadership requirements. We understand that — and find candidates who fit.
— Industry-specific challenges
Why leadership search in family businesses is different
Corporate candidates fail in family businesses more often than you’d think. Not for lack of competence — but because of cultural incompatibility that only shows after months.
Family businesses have grown cultures, often over generations. A leader who succeeded in a DAX corporate can fail here — if the personal fit isn’t right.
Search processes in family businesses are often confidential — toward employees, suppliers and the market. We act accordingly.
The leader must not only run the operating business, but also navigate advisory board, shareholders and family interests.
Mid-market leadership requires hands-on mentality, decisiveness without committee culture and the ability to achieve big things with leaner structures.
Agile, personal, tailor-made and impressively fast — exactly the kind of partner a mid-sized company needs.
— Mandate scope
What makes the difference.
Many search firms serve family businesses with the same processes as corporates. We adapt — structurally and personally.
— Our approach
Partner-led. From the very first minute.
We don’t run database queries. Every search is led personally by Oliver Kempkens or Sebastian Kohler — from the briefing session to onboarding.
Together we define the search profile, your culture and the success criteria. We understand your business, ownership structure and strategic situation.
Systematic mapping of 200+ profiles in the relevant market — including candidates with no active job profile who are invisible to classic channels.
First profiles serve as the basis for jointly fine-tuning the search profile. We adjust parameters precisely to your feedback before going deep.
In-depth interviews, personality diagnostics and an explicit culture-fit check. You receive 3–5 excellent candidates — no long lists.
Contract negotiation, stakeholder alignment and active support through the first 90 days. We are only done once your leader is successfully on board.
Why our approach works differently
Entrepreneurial thinking
We understand roles in the context of growth, responsibility and strategic impact.
Partner-led, not delegated
Every mandate is led personally by the founding partners — no opaque research process.
Access to the hidden market
We identify leaders on competency and potential — including talent beyond the open candidate market.
Precision over volume
A clearly calibrated shortlist instead of long candidate lists.
— Client references & projects
Executive search for family businesses: what really counts
The German Mittelstand, with more than three million family businesses, is the backbone of the economy — and faces one of the largest generational leadership transitions in post-war history. Filling leadership positions here is a particular challenge: candidates must be technically excellent, but also culturally and personally compatible.
Kempkens & Kohler works exclusively partner-led — Oliver Kempkens and Sebastian Kohler are personally responsible for every mandate. We specialise in the DACH region and know the particular dynamics of family businesses from years of experience with exactly this company type.
As a FOCUS Top Executive Search Firm 2026 we are one of the few boutique providers in Germany that family-owned Mittelstand explicitly trusts — with references from RASTAL, Schörghuber, Marc Cain and Wirthwein SE.
— Free initial consultation
Let’s talk — in confidence.
Tell us about your company and the position you want to fill. We’ll get back to you personally within 24 hours — discreet, committed and as equals.
For companies with a hiring need. We work exclusively on a retained basis for companies looking to fill a leadership position. We are unable to consider unsolicited applications via this form.