On May 9–10, 2025, Burg Schwarzenstein once again hosted one of the most important industry events of the year: the AIMP Annual Forum 2025. Under the headline “Interim Management in a Time of Transformation,” interim managers, providers and industry representatives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland came together to discuss current challenges and new perspectives in the field.
HANSE Interim played an active role again this year: contributing with the workshop “Strategic Transformation – From Crisis Manager to Shaper”, nominating one of the award recipients, and through the involvement of our Managing Director Andreas Lau, who also serves as head of the AIMP Academy.
Workshop: Strategic Transformation – From Crisis Manager to Shaper
Together with our partner Bodo Blanke from AC Alphamanagement, our Managing Director Andreas Lau led one of the forum’s most well-attended workshops.
The goal: to work together with participants to explore how the role of interim managers is shifting from purely crisis resolution to actively shaping strategic transformation.
The central focus was on strategic transformation itself, including the continuous review and further development of corporate strategies.
Key insights from the workshop:
1. Culture is the key to success
Transformations often fail if they focus solely on structures or finances. Only when values, attitudes and behavior patterns are actively considered and shaped can real change succeed.
2. Strategy work is essential
Companies that neglect strategic thinking risk being forced into restructuring by external forces. The participants strongly affirmed the motto: “Those who don’t transform themselves will be restructured.”
3. Continuous strategic review instead of rigid five-year plans
Traditional strategy cycles are becoming less viable in the face of overlapping crises. The participants advocated for agile, ongoing strategy work to respond more quickly to changing market conditions.
Honoring Excellence: Silver for René Karrasch
A true highlight for us was the award for Interim Manager of the Year 2025. We are proud that René Karrasch, an interim manager from our network, was nominated by HANSE Interim and honored with the Silver Award.
This award recognized his exceptional leadership of a complex SAP S/4HANA transformation for one of the world’s leading auditing networks. René Karrasch managed the project from initial planning through to successful implementation.
Why we nominated him: for the way he led the project — with clarity, accountability and measurable added value for the client.
One of the biggest challenges: Migrating around 50 entities to SAP S/4HANA The scale of the project was exceptional. The client had to migrate from a fragmented system landscape to SAP S/4HANA.
This included:
- Secure transfer of all accounting data
- Harmonization and automation of processes
- Compliance with legal and tax requirements
- A smooth go-live without interruptions
René Karrasch assumed full project responsibility. He developed the migration strategy, managed testing, led the go-live, and ensured stable operations in the new system.
What impressed us most was not just his technical expertise, but also the way he worked: with calm, foresight and strong collaboration—with the client, the on-site teams and us as the provider.
A strong project – a well-deserved award – a true win for everyone involved.
We also warmly congratulate the other awardees: Dr. Bernd Kotschi (Gold), Bodo Antonic (Silver), and John Persch (Bronze).
AIMP Academy 2025: Sharing Experience, Deepening Knowledge
Parallel to the forum, the AIMP Academy 2025 took place once again. 15 aspiring interim managers used the opportunity to prepare intensively for their entry into the profession.
Didactically smart and delivered with great sensitivity.
One of many positive pieces of feedback from participants
Our Managing Director Andreas Lau opened the Academy with a comprehensive market overview, highlighting current trends and developments in interim management.
Together with experienced speakers from the AIMP network, all the key topics for a successful start in the field were covered:
- Working with providers and partnerships (Bernd Fischer & Heinz Handtrack)
- Legal pitfalls and contract design (Manuel Schulz)
- Insurance for interim managers (Corinna Weinfurtner)
- Personal branding and market presence (Malte Borchardt)
Outstanding feedback:
All speakers received excellent ratings from the participants — between 1.2 and 1.5 (on the German 1-to-6 scale, where 1 is best). This is a clear indicator of the high quality and practical relevance of the content.
Alongside the wealth of expertise, what stood out for many was the inspiration and exchange among peers.
The day offered a structured and compact insight into all the key aspects of interim management – delivered in a competent and pleasant atmosphere. Not just a benefit for newcomers!
Martin Wieland
The evaluation of the feedback forms also speaks for itself: with an average recommendation score of 9.4 out of 10, participants would recommend the AIMP Academy to others without reservation.
The speakers and content gave me valuable inspiration for my path as an interim manager – a solid foundation for anyone starting out.”
Friedhelm Best
Very interesting and concise presentations delivered by highly professional speakers. A real asset for new and future interim managers.
Marcus Kuhnert
We sincerely thank all participants, speakers, the AIMP team, and the staff of Burg Schwarzenstein for a truly successful day!
I was completely satisfied.
Axel Deilmann
AIMP Market Study 2025: A Stable Outlook in Uncertain Times
Another highlight of the forum was the presentation of the AIMP Market Study 2025. For the first time, it provides a complete 360-degree view of the industry – with input from around 70 client companies, 20 providers, and over 550 interim managers.
Key findings:
- Stable market volume of EUR 3.09 billion in the DACH region
- 75% of clients highly satisfied with interim managers
- Ongoing strong demand from medium-sized enterprises
- Rising day rates – now averaging EUR 1,338/day in Germany
- Growing importance of change and restructuring expertise
Our conclusion: Interim managers are part of the solution to today’s challenges – from restructuring to transformation.
Our conclusion
The AIMP Annual Forum 2025 was a great success:
- Inspiring peer exchange
- Practical, real-world insights
- Effective preparation for aspiring interim managers
- A well-deserved award for our nominated interim manager René Karrasch
We thank all participants, partners and the AIMP team for this excellent event.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration — in our network, on new projects, and in shaping the future of interim management.
Always with the goal of delivering measurable value to our clients.
Best regards
Your HANSE Interim Management
Andreas Lau
