GET TO KNOW ME BETTER
Meet Dr. Kerstin
Hey, I’m Dr. Kerstin 👋🏼
My life has always been defined by high-stakes challenges and the pursuit of unrivaled efficiency.
At 31, I was probably Germany’s youngest board-certified cardiac surgeon, operating everything from transplants to congenital heart defects – often in operating rooms where I was the only woman. I trained alongside legends like Denton A. Cooley in Houston, at the place of the first heart transplant in Cape Town as well as in Sydney and led teams in Germany, China and Laos.
My path from wanting to be a surgeon at age 1.5 to becoming the first female cardiac surgeon at the University of Freiburg was fast, focused, and relentless. With my fair share of blood, sweat and tears.
My time in the O.R. taught me skills that proved indispensable in the corporate world:
Unflinching Diagnosis: Quickly identifying the root cause of failure.
Precision Execution: There is no room for error; the strategy must work.
Composure Under Pressure: Leading a team through life-or-death moments.
The Pivot: From Clinical Practice to Global Strategy
After reaching the pinnacle of my medical career, a senior consultant position at one of Europe’s largest congenital heart centers, I hit an unexpected wall: the challenge was gone. And left me with a longing for a greater scale of impact.
My ambition shifted: I decided to learn the language of business and finance to eventually become a hospital CEO. This naive, yet determined, goal led me from the O.R. to a boutique consultancy, and then to Deloitte’s Restructuring and Transformation practice as a Director.
Here, I felt alive again. I applied my diagnostic eye to complex organizational failures across healthcare, fashion, shipping, and automotive sectors. I found my true calling in strategy creation and implementation – a total transformation that required the same clinical discipline as an open-heart procedure. It was here, working at the nexus of technology and wellness, that I fell in love with Future of Health and Longevity.
Leading Across Continents and Cultures
My love for living and leading abroad led me to a Managing Director role at Fresenius VAMED. Hesitant about the biases I held regarding the Middle East, I nonetheless took the leap to Dubai. I was quickly proven wrong. I led a multinational team across three continents, developing future-proofed concepts for Greenfield hospital projects and overseeing hospital management operations. As one of very few female leaders throughout my entire career, this experience only deepened my commitment to female empowerment and gender equality.
The Leadership Clinic
When the business was strategically sold, it presented the perfect opportunity to launch the Leadership Clinic and apply my entire portfolio of experience – clinical, consulting, and executive – to a select group of clients.
Today, I help leaders and organizations in the same way I approached a failing heart: Diagnose precisely, strategize confidently, and execute flawlessly.
What challenge are you ready to solve with surgical precision?
Working with Dr. Kerstin is Fast Competent Solution-oriented
The Misconception
You can`t have it all.
The Reality
Success doesn’t have to come at the cost of your well-being. With the right strategies, you can achieve a thriving career while maintaining balance and health.
The Portfolio Career-Hype
The common misconception of you can't have it all.
The Reality
I am a firm believer in the Portfolio Career.
From writing a fashion blog as a cardiac surgeon to advising as a personal stylist while a Director at Deloitte, to my work at the Leadership Clinic, my life proves you don’t have to choose a single lane. You can, and you should, have it all.
As my parents once gifted me a metal plaque that read, “I can, I will,” I live by the philosophy that we are the creators of our own reality.