Thorsten Helbig and Sven Krämer to succeed Markus Thiesmeyer at zeb
German management consultancy zeb is moving to a dual leadership model, with Thorsten Helbig and Sven Krämer set to succeed Markus Thiesmeyer by the end of the year.
With more than 1,000 employees across offices in Frankfurt, Zurich, London, Amsterdam, and other locations, zeb is one of Europe’s leading management consulting firms dedicated to the financial services sector.
At its latest shareholders’ meeting, the partner team voted to change the firm’s top leadership structure from a single chief to a dual leadership model, electing Thorsten Helbig (52) and Sven Krämer (49) as the new managing directors. The current managing director, Markus Thiesmeyer, will hand over responsibilities at the end of 2025. The new leadership duo will serve a three-year term.
Helbig has been with zeb since 2002 and was appointed partner in 2016. He brings nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, with a focus on the banking segment, specialising in strategy, mergers & acquisitions, organisation, and restructuring.
Similarly, Krämer has also been with zeb since 2002 and became a partner in 2013. He specialises in topics such as IT advisory, digitalisation, data management, and artificial intelligence. He is also one of the initiators of zeb’s RegulatoryHub and its FinTech platform.
“With Thorsten and Sven, we have chosen two strong, team-oriented leaders who will guide zeb into the future. They will continue our successful course, with a clear focus on client needs and our growth ambitions,” said Bernd Rolfes, majority shareholder and founding partner of zeb.
For Thiesmeyer, the transition will mark the conclusion of two terms in office, having served as managing director since 2019. Under his leadership, zeb accelerated its growth to €250 million in revenue in the 2024 financial year and expanded its presence with new offices in several major European financial centres.
