No man ever listened himself out of a job.

Calvin Coolidge

Zurich office consultants

Meet the team

Lucas Schellenberg

Global Practice Leader, Logistics and Transportation
Managing Partner
l.schellenberg@stantonchase.com

Lucas is Managing Partner at Stanton Chase Zurich, which he co-founded in 2001. In the international Stanton Chase network, he currently leads the Logistics and Transportation practice group and was previously in charge of the global Technology practice group.

Lucas began his executive search career in 1990 with the founding partners of Heidrick & Struggles International Switzerland. In 1992, he became general manager of Inplace, a subsidiary he acquired from the senior partners and subsequently developed. In 2000, Inplace also began supporting highly scaleable start-ups with speed search, consulting and fundraising under the Venturix name. Since 2002, Lucas has again focused exclusively on executive search.

Lucas is a technical as well as a business graduate; his first job was with Telekurs (now SIX Group), the IT subsidiary of Swiss banks. He speaks fluent German and English, and reasonable Italian.

Industry Practice Expertise:

  • Logistics and Transportation
  • Professional Services
  • Natural Resources and Energy

Dieter Hagmann

Vice Chairman Finance and Administration
Partner
d.hagmann@stantonchase.com

Dieter is a Partner at Stanton Chase Zurich developing the expertise in the industrial and technology sectors. Simultaneously he sits on the international board as a Vice-Chairman for Finance and Administration.

Dieter previously held a number of management positions in industry, commerce and consulting in Switzerland and the Middle and Far East. He has been the head of country organisations, finance and administration, as well as IT. Before he moved into executive search, Dieter spent a decade in charge of country and group level IT at a large, international building materials concern. Before that, he developed procurement in his position as COO of a leading trading group, and spent five years as CFO of a Swiss pharmaceutical company in the Middle East.

Dieter grew up in Basel and currently lives in central Switzerland. He holds a degree in business management from the University of Applied Sciences Basel and postgraduate diplomas from the University of St. Gallen and IMD Lausanne. His first job was as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Dieter is a keen marathon runner, speaks fluent German, English and French, and also participates as a specialist subject teacher at business weeks organised by the Ernst Schmidheiny Foundation.

Industry Practice Expertise

  • Industrial
  • Technology

Stefan W. Hofer

Partner
s.hofer@stantonchase.com

Stefan joined Stanton Chase Zurich in 2009 as a partner, thus contributing his longstanding human resource management experience gained as senior HR executive. He also strengthens the partnership’s sector expertise in consumer and luxury goods, as well as energy and raw materials.

Stefan founded his own management development and executive search company in 2006, having previously been a partner in a personnel consulting firm after leaving university. In between, he spent 14 years as an HR responsible at various major global companies: as the Human Resources Manager for Eastern Europe for an international luxury consumer group; as the global Head of HR at a leading commodity trading firm; and, from 2002, at the Swatch Group as Regional Executive Human Resources on group level and, additionally, as Head of Executives recruits responsible for filling key posts at country, brand and group level.

Stefan grew up in Berlin, New York and Bern, and lives in Zurich. He holds degrees in law, business management, political science and philosophy from the University of Bern and the FU Berlin, as well as a Master in HR Management from the International Business School Zurich, ZfU. Stefan speaks German, French and English.

Industry Practice Expertise

  • Consumer Products and Services
  • Government, Education and Non Profit

Willi Helbling

Partner
w.helbling@stantonchase.com

Willi is a Partner in the Zurich office of Stanton Chase International responsible for the important financial service sector in Switzerland.

Willi brings more than 15 years of experience in executive search focused on banks and insurance companies. During these years he created an important network of both customers and candidates in these particular industries.

Before he moved into executive search, Willi worked for a Swiss Bank in Zurich as a private banker. Prior to that he was responsible for area sales and was a key account manager for private and institutional customers of a well known insurance company. During his stay in St. Moritz, he was the Head Agency of the same insurance company.

Willi grew up in the Greater Zurich Area and currently lives just outside Zurich. He holds graduate and postgraduate level qualifications in Business Management from St. Gallen University. He is a keen swimmer and speaks German, English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Industry Practice Expertise

  • Financial Services
  • Consumer Products and Services

Robert P. Frei

EMEA Regional Practice Leader - Logistics and Transportation
Partner
r.frei@stantonchase.com

Robert became a partner at Stanton Chase Zurich to develop the Logistics & Transportation practice group. With more than 35 years experience, he has developed a very good understanding of the industry as well as customers’ and partners’ needs.

Before moving to executive search, Robert held various positions with one of the leading global logistics & transportation companies headquartered in Switzerland. His background on group level stretches from global procurement, general management, corporate development, M&A and COO positions. During his career, Robert has worked in England and Hong Kong and travelled extensively, helping him develop a very good understanding for different cultures and shaped his ability to communicate on all hierarchy levels.

Robert was born and lives in Zurich. He holds a degree in marketing and has attended senior executive education programs at Columbia University, New York, IMD, Lausanne, Cranfield University, Cranfield/U.K. He likes running and practices humiliation (i.e. playing golf). Robert is fluent in German and English.

Industry Practice Expertise

  • Logistics and Transportation
  • Industrial

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Zurich Office
Utoquai 39
8008 Zurich
Switzerland

Tel: +41 44 256 10 00
Fax: +41 44 256 10 09
E-mail: zurich@stantonchase.com