Partners in charge.

Dr. Oliver Kempkens

Founder & Managing Partner

Oliver has been the youngest executive hire at Russell Reynolds Associates Germany, where he co-founded the digital practice. Before that, he served as VP at SAP in Palo Alto and Walldorf, playing a pivotal role in the firm’s intellectual renewal…

Sebastian Kohler

Founder & Managing Partner

At just 22, Sebastian embarked on his career as an Analyst in Zurich, Switzerland, joining a renowned international Management and Technology Consulting Firm. He became an advisor to numerous global clients, providing expertise in transformational and organizational strategy, as well as process improvement and restructuring….

Dr. Joachim Kappel

Senior Partner

Before embarking on his consulting career, Joachim began his professional journey in the legal field, serving as a court clerk in Innsbruck and later as an associate at a law firm in Munich. He then transitioned to the corporate sector by joining Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies….

We work differently.

Very high adaptability:

We adapt to our partners‘ working habits, ensuring a seamless alignment. This can be in terms of communication during the project, process design and any other adjustments along the way. Each project is individually set up according to our partner’s needs.

Traction and Speed:

By handling the entire search project ourselves (without back-office involvement), we are able to reduce our internal coordination effort to an utmost minimum. This enables us to rapidly deliver results and build a high momentum.

Hands-On - Research:

Our Managing Partners, Oliver Kempkens and Sebastian Kohler, are both involved in the entire search process, handling the research by themselves. This means both partners are engaged from the beginning to the closure of each project.

Significance of Cultural Sensing:

We understand the importance of culturally aligned high-performance teams. Therefore, it is important to us to understand our partner’s culture, by spending time onsite and ideally talking to different people across various teams.

Our partners.

Start Ups & Scale Ups

Corporates

Kempkens x Kohler represents a new generation of Executive Search.
Entrepreneurial. Adaptive. Fast.

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Dr. Oliver Kempkens

Founder & Managing Partner

Oliver has been the youngest executive hire at Russell Reynolds Associates Germany, where he co-founded the digital practice. Before that, he served as VP at SAP in Palo Alto and Walldorf, playing a pivotal role in the firm’s intellectual renewal.

Venturing beyond Russell Reynolds, Oliver led the scaling of ITMP, a St. Gallen-based Strategy Consultancy. Subsequently, he held a significant role as Managing Director/Acting VP for Digital Platform Strategy (965 FTE) at Europe’s largest bank, Sberbank, in Moscow from 2019 to February 2022.

Educationally accomplished, Oliver holds degrees in Law (BA, MA), Mediation (MA), and a Sociology PhD. He was also awarded a PhD hc at the University of Southampton, England.

In addition to his career, Oliver has shared his expertise through teaching Management & Leadership at prestigious universities like Stanford University, Hasso-Plattner Institute, University of St. Gallen, University of Vienna, and Johannes Kepler University Linz.

His outstanding contributions in the industry have earned him the title of Best Headhunter of the Year (2019) and the second-place award for providing the best candidate experience.

Throughout his journey, Oliver has successfully placed well over 100 executives across diverse industries.

Sebastian Kohler

Founder & Managing Partner

At just 22, Sebastian embarked on his career as an Analyst in Zurich, Switzerland, joining a renowned international Management and Technology Consulting Firm. He became an advisor to numerous global clients, providing expertise in transformational and organizational strategy, as well as process improvement and restructuring.

His academic journey took him to Cologne, Germany, and Guadalajara, Mexico, where he studied International Business with a focus on Management Consulting and Leadership Theories. In 2019, Sebastian joined Munich’s prestigious TSBC, a globally active boutique CEO-Advisory Firm, to deepen his knowledge in Leadership Advisory.

Since 2020, Sebastian has honed his skills in Executive Search, earning recognition as one of the youngest C-Level Executive Headhunters in the DACH-Region. He specializes in assembling world-class, culturally aligned teams that deliver exceptional performance.

Beyond his professional achievements, Sebastian invests in and advises various startups, including SPRK.Global. Throughout his career, he has successfully placed over 50 Executives across diverse industries.

Dr. Joachim Kappel

Senior Partner

Before embarking on his consulting career, Joachim began his professional journey in the legal field, serving as a court clerk in Innsbruck and later as an associate at a law firm in Munich. He then transitioned to the corporate sector by joining Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies. Over the course of six years (1985–1991), he followed a classic marketing path in product management, working first in Vienna and later in Athens, where he was responsible for a significant portion of the Health & Beauty Care business.


In 1991, Joachim moved into executive search by joining Egon Zehnder International, Europe’s market leader at the time. During his tenure, he held a variety of senior roles, including establishing and leading the firm’s offices in Vienna and Athens. He also oversaw operations in Budapest and Prague, acted as a mentor for the Moscow office, and eventually assumed regional responsibility for Central and Eastern Europe, including Istanbul.

Building on his experience, Joachim later joined Korn Ferry International—the global leader in leadership advisory—as Managing Director of Leadership Development Solutions for EMEA, based in London. With a wealth of expertise in executive search and leadership consulting, he founded his own boutique firm in Vienna in 2008, offering clients tailored solutions by integrating the best practices of the industry’s top firms.

In addition, Joachim launched a second consulting company in Vienna, focused on advising non-EU citizens on private and business-related matters in Vienna, Southeast Europe, and beyond.

Academically, Joachim holds two law degrees (MA, PhD) from the University of Innsbruck and an LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School. He has also shared his knowledge as a lecturer in Emotional Intelligence and Leadership at the University of Innsbruck, the Ronald Lauder Business School, and IMADEC University in Vienna. His broader engagements include various supervisory board roles and appointments to prestigious institutions such as the Austrian Scientific Council and the Austrian National Library.

As a consultant, Joachim has conducted approximately 500 executive search assignments and over 2,800 individual leadership assessments. In February 2025, he joined Kempkens x Kohler as a Senior Partner.