About
For many years, Burkhard Leimbrock has been supporting companies in their setup and growth as a business angel and advisory board member. Over the past 25 years, he has served as a senior manager at Trustpilot, Amazon, Twitch, ReachLocal, Google, WPP and Vodafone, where he built new business units in the digital and media space.
In addition, he spent many years as a Vice President on the executive board of the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW) and as a member of the "next media" advisory board of the City of Hamburg. He supports the Rebuild initiative in Europe and is active in the Deep Tech Campus Circle.
Advisory Focus
How I Work With Companies
Angel Investment & Venture Building
Early-stage capital meets operational expertise.
From pre-seed to Series A: structuring rounds, validating business models, building go-to-market from day one. Not just capital, but a co-builder who has launched business units at Amazon and scaled platforms at Trustpilot. Hands-on involvement in product, hiring, and revenue architecture. Portfolio includes digital marketplaces, SaaS, and media-tech ventures across Europe.
Platform Scaling & Go-to-Market
Global playbooks for growth-stage companies.
Bringing operational blueprints from Amazon, Trustpilot, Google, and Twitch to companies ready to scale. Revenue architecture and pricing strategy. International market entry and localization. Marketplace dynamics, network effects, and user acquisition at scale. Performance marketing, conversion optimization, and channel strategy refined over two decades of building digital businesses globally.
Strategic Advisory & Board Mandates
Senior-level counsel for pivotal moments.
Active advisory board roles across digital, media, and technology sectors. Strategic sparring for CEOs and founders navigating transformation, M&A, competitive pivots, or international expansion. Deep network across European digital economy, investor landscape, and corporate innovation. Former VP of BVDW executive board, shaping digital policy at national level.
Interim C-Level & Turnarounds
Executive leadership when it matters most.
Stepping into CEO, COO, or CMO roles during critical transitions. Full P&L accountability. Restructuring underperforming units, building new organizations from scratch, and stabilizing operations in high-pressure environments. Experience across Vodafone, WPP, and ReachLocal in roles that required immediate impact and measurable results within quarters, not years.
Executive Positioning & Moderation
Pitch coaching and conference formats.
Preparing founders for investor pitches at the highest level. Structuring narratives that resonate with VCs, corporates, and strategic partners. Professional event and panel moderation for industry conferences, corporate summits, and executive roundtables. Deep understanding of what audiences at decision-maker level expect and respond to.
Executive Sparring & Career Strategy
Confidential counsel for senior leaders.
One-on-one sparring for C-level executives and senior leaders navigating career transitions, board opportunities, or the shift to portfolio careers. Interview preparation at executive level. CV and positioning strategy for leaders who operate in global markets. Decades of hiring and being hired at the top tier of digital companies inform every conversation.
Organizational Design & Talent
Building teams that build companies.
Designing high-performance organizations for digital-first companies. Hiring architecture: from employer branding to assessment frameworks. Leadership identification and development. Culture design that scales from 10 to 1,000. Learned at Google and Amazon, refined at Trustpilot and Twitch, and applied across dozens of ventures and advisory mandates.
Track Record
Global Digital Leadership
25+ years of building and scaling digital businesses across three continents. Senior executive roles at companies that define the digital economy.
Amazon
Senior Manager, New Business Development
Built new digital business units in one of the world's largest tech ecosystems.
Launched and scaled new business verticals within Amazon's European operations. Developed go-to-market strategies for emerging product categories. Navigated one of the most data-driven, customer-obsessed organizations on the planet. Applied Amazon's operational playbook: working backwards from the customer, two-pizza teams, and bar-raiser hiring.
Trustpilot
Senior Manager, Business Development
Scaled Europe's leading review platform in key growth markets.
Drove business development and market expansion for Trustpilot across European markets. Built commercial partnerships and enterprise sales pipelines. Worked at the intersection of trust, transparency, and digital commerce. Helped shape the platform strategy that made Trustpilot a household name for online reviews.
Twitch
Senior Manager
Expanded the world's largest live-streaming platform in DACH.
Part of the team that brought Twitch to the German-speaking market. Developed advertiser and brand partnerships in a rapidly growing creator economy. Bridged gaming culture and enterprise marketing. Operated at the cutting edge of live content, community building, and digital media.
Google
Senior Manager, Media & Advertising
Shaped digital advertising strategy at the world's most influential tech company.
Worked across Google's media and advertising ecosystem. Developed strategies for large-scale advertiser acquisition and retention. Deep immersion in data-driven marketing, programmatic advertising, and the economics of attention. Gained first-hand understanding of how global platforms create and capture value.
WPP
Senior Manager, Digital Transformation
Led digital initiatives at the world's largest advertising group.
Drove digital transformation within WPP's network of agencies. Bridged traditional media buying with digital-first strategies. Worked with Fortune 500 clients on integrated marketing and media planning. Navigated the shift from analog to digital at enterprise scale.
Vodafone
Senior Manager, Digital & New Business
Built new digital business models at Europe's leading telco.
Developed and launched new digital products and services within Vodafone's innovation division. Worked at the intersection of telecommunications, media, and digital services. Managed P&L for new business units. Gained deep experience in regulatory environments, large-scale operations, and corporate innovation.
ReachLocal
Senior Manager, Market Development
Scaled local digital marketing solutions in European markets.
Led market development and growth for ReachLocal's European expansion. Built sales and partner ecosystems for SMB-focused digital marketing solutions. Operated in a fast-growth, VC-backed environment focused on democratizing digital advertising for local businesses.
Industry Engagements
VP Executive Board, BVDW
Vice President on the executive board of the German Association for the Digital Economy (Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft). Shaped digital policy at national level and represented the interests of Germany's digital industry.
Advisory Board, next media Hamburg
Member of the advisory board for the City of Hamburg's media and digital content initiative. Contributed to Hamburg's positioning as a leading European media and technology hub.
Deep Tech Campus Circle
Active member of Hamburg's exclusive DeepTech community. Curated network for AI, quantum technology, and dual-use innovation at the intersection of research and enterprise.
Rebuild Initiative Europe
Supporter of the Rebuild initiative, fostering entrepreneurship and digital ecosystem development across European markets.
Contact
Start a Conversation
c/o Deep Tech Campus, Heimhuder Str. 56, 20148 Hamburg
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