Sascha Pudenz: 'At Marktlink, you never stop learning'

Sascha Pudenz joined Marktlink around six months ago in its German team. He reflects on his first months and projects at the pan-European dealmaker, and how the world of mergers & acquisitions and Marktlink is providing him with a steep but rewarding learning curve.

Marktlink is a consulting firm focused on deal advisory work, specialising in mid-market businesses. After initially growing out of the Benelux region, the firm launched a wing in Germany in 2020 – since adding hubs in Denmark and England to its growing network.

In Germany, Marktlink has grown quickly, adding several team members over the course of 2021 to meet surging demand for M&A services, with Sascha Pudenz as one of the new joiners in the fourth quarter.

Aiming for “quick personal development and to take on further responsibility in the M&A sector”, he has found the steep learning curve of the work ideal for his future ambitions.

“Already within a few weeks of joining, it quickly became clear to me that this was the company that would offer me the opportunities I wanted. Marktlink is a relatively young company in Germany with a proven track record and a strong growth ambition.”

Since touching down, Pudenz has never stopped learning – insisting that “you learn new things” and “bring back valuable learnings” from every project.

At Marktlink, the projects the consultants work on centre around transactions. The firm works for both buyers eyeing inorganic growth opportunities and sellers seeking a partner or an exit. “We also work for private equity firms”, added Pudenz. The company’s mandate focuses on “generating the match” and “making sure that match is made in heaven.”

The fast pace of M&A environments and the fact that he gets the opportunity to work for different companies means that Pudenz learns “a lot about different industries, products, and visions.” While some of his peer consultants in other segments spend most of their time serving their superiors, Pudenz already works with “leaders of businesses”, something which adds to the job being “very inspiring and exciting.”

Meanwhile, Pudenz’s work mostly (in some cases, deals never close) leads to an impact for firms and their people. “It’s great to see that the hours you’ve put in actually materializes into something tangible.”

One deal Pudenz worked on is helping a Dutch company (PS. food & lifestyle) acquire German cosmetics brand Dr. Rimpler. While the world of healthy foods and cosmetics was new to Pudenz, he enjoyed being part of a cross-border deal team that brought the two together.

Not much later, Pudenz found himself helping to match two companies in the consumer appliances segment. The buyer was Dutch, the financial backer came from Belgium, and the seller was German. As a team, Marktlink guided the buyer through the end-to-end transaction process, with Pudenz supporting the senior dealmakers across the project’s key activities.

“I am handed much responsibility on projects from day one. I work very independently and have a lot of freedom, but always can fall back on the support of senior members. Co-operation with colleagues in different countries is easy and approachable from day one. Helpful, supportive and open are just some of the great attributes within Marktlink.”

“Marktlink is a great place to learn, and it feels like a second family. The firm invests in the professional development of its employees, and in addition, the partners keep an eye on giving back to employees (beyond the financial aspect).”

All in all, “I would definitively recommend joining Marktlink to those looking to get into the M&A industry,” concluded Pudenz.