The questions that come up most often. Commercial and contractual details are in the Headhunter FAQ further down.
When a connected-product business has the technology but stalls in enterprise selling. When an Industrial AI roadmap needs a 12-month operator view rather than a strategy deck. When a board or supervisory board needs an independent practitioner read before a capital decision. In all three cases: a 30-minute scoping call — no charge, under NDA.
I establish whether the move is worth it and whether to build or buy. I write the spec, select the implementation partner, govern the work and sign it off against the spec — EU-compliant (AI Act, CRA, NIS2). I never bid on the build. Entry via the free maturity check or an executive workshop.
On a 4-week audit: five to seven customer or stakeholder interviews, pipeline and architecture review, operations walkthrough. By week four, a written memo with current-state assessment and three to five concrete leverage recommendations. On interim mandates, the same first two weeks, followed by a plan, handovers and owner definitions before execution starts.
Directly. No associates, no junior layer in between. On mandates that need specialised depth, I draw on a small trusted network of senior freelancers from the last 25 years (tech, product, security) — by exception with clear rationale, not by default.
A written memo (typically 10–15 pages) with current-state assessment, three to five concrete leverage recommendations, and a 12-month roadmap. Plus kickoff and closing workshops. Optionally a briefing for the board or investors. Fixed price set after a 60-minute scoping call — you know in advance exactly what you get for the fee.
Audits run at a fixed price, set after a 60-minute scoping call, so you know what you get and what for before anything starts. Interim and advisory mandates run on a day rate or a monthly budget, in the range that is standard for senior interim work in industry. There are deliberately no numbers here, and the reason is simple: an audit for a 200-person mid-cap and one for a division of a group are not the same piece of work. You get the number on the scoping call, before you commit to anything.
EU-wide, with a base in Germany and Athens. Across Europe I know the buyer landscape, the regulatory frameworks (NIS2, EU AI Act, CRA, UNECE R156), and the industrial standards ecosystem best from 25 years of operating practice. Outside Europe selectively, typically through existing OEM or platform-vendor relationships.
So you don’t need a twenty-email back-and-forth. Standard terms that get a mandate moving.