From the ACHIEFERS Network:
Dr. Wendelin Müller Named “Interim Manager of the Year 2026”
Dr. Wendelin Müller was named Interim Manager of the Year 2026 at the AIMP Annual Forum in Bonn. The award recognizes his achievements in a challenging transformation assignment that was placed and supported by ACHIEFERS GmbH. For ACHIEFERS, this is a special honor: For the first time, an interim manager from our network has been named Interim Manager of the Year for a transformation assignment placed by ACHIEFERS.
Transformation with Clear Accountability for Results
The focus was on an assignment as Interim Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) at an internationally active company with approximately 1,000 employees, a global sales presence, and production sites in Europe and Asia. Following a change in ownership, the focus was on improving the EBITDA margin, cash management, and cash conversion cycle. Additionally, a specific mandate stemmed from an IDW S6
report, which called for professional management of the transformation and the consistent steering of a comprehensive program of measures.
Dr. Wendelin Müller took charge of designing the action plan, leading the transformation, and ensuring that the defined program objectives were met. A key success factor was establishing transparency across more than 40 improvement initiatives: project status, responsibilities, target contributions, and milestones.
As a result, a complex set of measures was transformed into a manageable transformation program with clearly defined responsibilities, a robust data foundation, and regular reporting to project management, executive management, and the company’s shareholders.
Measurable Impact on Results and Organization
The engagement achieved measurable results: Over 40 projects generating savings of several million euros were professionally managed, the PMO’s requirements were fully met, and EBITDA targets were exceeded in the first year. In addition, strategic and organizational foundations were established—including the development of a vision, mission, and values; a cultural integration program; and measures to reduce complexity, duplicate structures, and loss-generating activities.
Concrete contributions to earnings were also realized in sales: A “Quick Hits” program generated a significant impact on revenue. At the same time, redundant structures were reduced, the product portfolio was refined, and sales efforts were more strongly aligned with value-based selling.
Award for Effective Executive Interim Management
This assignment exemplifies what matters most in challenging transformation situations: providing direction, enabling decision-making, gaining buy-in from people, and bringing the ability to execute into the company. With this assignment, Dr. Wendelin Mueller embodies the combination of strategic clarity, operational management, and leadership experience.
For ACHIEFERS, this award confirms its own mission: not simply to place interim managers, but to deploy experienced leaders where impact, responsibility, and the ability to execute are critical.
Our Managing Director, Michael Lichtinger, emphasizes:
“Dr. Wendelin Mueller embodies exactly what we mean by excellent executive interim management: leadership in complex situations, clear decision-making, and consistent implementation. The fact that this award is based on a transformation assignment carried out by ACHIEFERS is, for us, a special affirmation of our commitment to quality.”
We warmly congratulate Dr. Wendelin Mueller on his well-deserved award as Interim Manager of the Year 2026 and thank him for the excellent and trusting collaboration."
