António Freiherr von Strachwitz
Founder of Strachwitz Ventures. Sales strategist, interim operator, and now operating investor. Based at Castell, Wüstenfelden 3, 97355 Castell. When you speak with Strachwitz Ventures, you speak with me.
A Portuguese in Germany, a German in Portugal
I was born in Portugal and shaped in Germany, and that tension sits inside the way I work. On one side: warmth, story, and the willingness to walk close to the edge. On the other: structure, logic, and the discipline to build an argument that cannot be waved away. Seventeen years in sales, export and retail, from running Lidl stores in Lisbon to building export into 18 countries across Africa and the Middle East, taught me that you do not copy markets, you understand them. Ignore that, and you build beautiful plans for the wrong reality.
The table below does not list what I sold. It lists what each step brings you if we work together. I do not name current mandates.
Career
Retail, the food industry and a start in corporate banking. Focus areas: sales leadership in grocery retail and discount, key account management, export through distributors and agents, leading sales teams.
Education: Licenciatura in business administration (Administração e Gestão de Empresas), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon. Erasmus exchange at TU München, 2006 to 2007.
- Period
- since 2024
- Role · company
- Self-employed · entrepreneurial projects, today Strachwitz Consulting
- What it means for you
- I built sales at my own risk and without a corporate machine behind me. I know what it feels like when every decision costs your own money.
- Period
- 2023
- Role · company
- Head of Sales · Luise Händlmaier GmbH
- What it means for you
- A strong, traditional brand whose sales function had stood still: I rebuilt it without damaging the brand.
- Period
- 2018 to 2022
- Role · company
- Head of Export · GOLDSTEIG Käsereien Bayerwald
- What it means for you
- Export through distributors and agents, pricing per market. The lever for companies whose home market is maxed out.
- Period
- 2015 to 2018
- Role · company
- Key Account Manager EMEA · frischli Milchwerke
- What it means for you
- Opened markets from zero in 18 countries across Africa and the Middle East. I know how differently markets work and where plans made in Germany fail.
- Period
- 2013 to 2015
- Role · company
- Freelance consultant · Lisbon and Hamburg
- What it means for you
- EU funding and sales for smaller companies. An eye for how financing and growth connect.
- Period
- 2009 to 2013
- Role · company
- Sales Manager · Lidl Portugal
- What it means for you
- Ran discount retail from the inside. I know how a retailer thinks and plans, which helps on the other side of the negotiating table.
- Period
- 2007 to 2009
- Role · company
- Credit Analyst · BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking
- What it means for you
- Reading companies with a lender’s eyes. It matters as soon as capital and ownership are involved.
| Period | Role · company | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| since 2024 | Self-employed · entrepreneurial projects, today Strachwitz Consulting | I built sales at my own risk and without a corporate machine behind me. I know what it feels like when every decision costs your own money. |
| 2023 | Head of Sales · Luise Händlmaier GmbH | A strong, traditional brand whose sales function had stood still: I rebuilt it without damaging the brand. |
| 2018 to 2022 | Head of Export · GOLDSTEIG Käsereien Bayerwald | Export through distributors and agents, pricing per market. The lever for companies whose home market is maxed out. |
| 2015 to 2018 | Key Account Manager EMEA · frischli Milchwerke | Opened markets from zero in 18 countries across Africa and the Middle East. I know how differently markets work and where plans made in Germany fail. |
| 2013 to 2015 | Freelance consultant · Lisbon and Hamburg | EU funding and sales for smaller companies. An eye for how financing and growth connect. |
| 2009 to 2013 | Sales Manager · Lidl Portugal | Ran discount retail from the inside. I know how a retailer thinks and plans, which helps on the other side of the negotiating table. |
| 2007 to 2009 | Credit Analyst · BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking | Reading companies with a lender’s eyes. It matters as soon as capital and ownership are involved. |
Languages and stance
Languages: Portuguese (native), German, English and Spanish at business level, basic French.
What drives me: independence, professionalism, hard work and fairness. What I do not accept: mediocrity, dependence and injustice. Analytical depth, structured communication, international sales and a practical use of AI should show up in how I work, not as a bragging list.
A former boss gave me a line I still take seriously: we only work with intelligent people, and if they did not understand, I did not explain it well enough. That applies to customers, teams and this website.
What I am. What I am not.
What I am
- An operator in the room, not a banker behind a slide deck.
- One person with clear accountability.
- A partner for owners who want involvement.
What I am not
- A fund with dozens of partners.
- A success-fee broker.
- A substitute for your tax advisor, lawyer or auditor.
Strachwitz Consulting
Interim management and AI projects live at strachwitzconsulting.com. Strachwitz Ventures remains the investment and partnership side. Two doors, one clear name on each.
Which decision in your company are you delaying because the right partner is still missing?
Intro call: 30 minutes, free, confidential.
Tell me where the company stands and what you actually need. I will tell you whether I can help, what a partnership would look like, and where I clearly say no.
Choose a timeor write to kontakt@strachwitzventures.com