For both sides.
With dignity. With substance.
Accompanied generational transitions in family businesses and the mid-market across the DACH region.
A handover is more than a notary appointment. It is a question of identity — for the one who is leaving and for the one who is taking over. We accompany both sides in parallel and together — methodically deep, confidential, over months and years. The result: handovers that carry the company, protect the family and honor both generations.
Discreet · Values-based · Limited capacity · Both sides understood
What is really at stake in handovers.
More than law and balance sheet.
THE COMPANY
Structures, employees, customers, brand, strategy. What was built over decades can suffer damage in months under a poorly managed handover. Methodical guidance protects the economic substance.
THE FAMILY
Father–son, mother–daughter, sibling dynamics, in-laws, stakeholders without a formal role. The family is the system in which the handover takes place — and it often has the most to lose. Family architecture is mandatory.
THE IDENTITY
The senior is not just handing over a company — they are handing over an identity. The successor is not just taking on a role — they are taking on an identity. Those who ignore this layer fail in most cases — even with perfect contracts.
Handovers are a chronic theme in DACH family businesses. The statistic is unambiguous: more than 60% of planned handovers are not completed smoothly. The reasons rarely lie in the balance sheet or the law — but in the human architecture that no one has consciously built.
We accompany handovers methodically deep and systemically broad. Methodically deep, because we work on four levels at the same time: identity (who was I, who will I be?), relational system (how does the family change?), operational handover (powers of attorney, responsibility, communication), strategy (how does the successor lead the company forward?).
Systemically broad, because we take all stakeholders into account — senior, successor, other family members, management, advisory board, key employees. Everyone in the system is part of the architecture.
We work on the basis of Stiftler, Simon, Wimmer (systemic family-business consulting), Bridges (Transitions), Schein (career anchors), Bowen (family systems theory). We combine methodical depth with pragmatic DACH practice — family charter, wealth architecture, handover timeline, communication to workforce and stakeholders.
Format: Build (8 weeks for clarification), Retainer (3–12 months for structured guidance), often long-term over 12–24 months. Discretion absolute.
The result: a handover that carries the company, protects the family and honors both generations.
For whom — both sides.
We accompany senior and successor, individually and together.
- ✓Patriarchs and matrons before or in the handover phase
- ✓Designated successors in family businesses
- ✓Sibling constellations with succession topics
- ✓Buyers and sellers in M&A-driven handovers
- ✓Management buy-out constellations
- ✓Foundation and family-office structuring
- ✕Those seeking purely legal or tax advice (that is what attorneys and tax advisors do)
- ✕Those who want to keep the family system out of the picture
- ✕Those who want to avoid deep topics and only handle "the operational" side
- ✕Those who want to force the other party (coaching only with mutual willingness)
- ✕Those who treat values-fit as negotiable
Handovers only succeed when both sides come along. We bring law and tax into the system — but we do the deep work no lawyer can do. Both belong together.
Six typical handover constellations.
The most common settings in our practice.
FATHER–SON / MOTHER–DAUGHTER
Classic generational handover. High emotional complexity, often decades of history. We work in parallel with both generations — individually and together. Identity release, honoring, new role distribution.
SIBLING SUCCESSION
Several siblings, one takes over operationally, others as shareholders, sometimes on the advisory board. Sibling dynamics are a complexity level of their own. Family charter, role clarification, conflict architecture.
NON-FAMILY SUCCESSOR
External management, MBO or sale to managers. Often with the family as shareholder in the background. We work on the relational architecture between family and operations.
SALE TO STRATEGIC OR PE BUYERS
External takeover. We accompany the senior through the release phase and the successor through integration. Often with earn-out structures that require trust.
FOUNDATION / FAMILY OFFICE
Complex structuring with foundation, family office, generational governance. We work on the values architecture that must carry these structures.
PARTIAL / GRADUAL HANDOVER
Senior remains on the advisory or supervisory board, successor takes over operationally. Common model — works only with clear architecture. We build the clarity this phase requires.
Six pillars, one architecture.
The levels on which we accompany handovers.
IDENTITY RELEASE (SENIOR)
Who is the senior when they are no longer the managing director? What identity are they handing over? What new life phase awaits? Deep work on the most important level — because a senior who cannot let go sabotages every handover.
IDENTITY BUILDING (SUCCESSOR)
Who is the successor when they are no longer the son / daughter / manager under the senior? What identity of their own emerges? We build the inner stability the new managing director needs.
FAMILY SYSTEM
Which family dynamics are at work in the background? Sibling rivalries, unresolved themes, unspoken expectations. We work systemically — sometimes in individual sessions, sometimes in moderated family meetings.
OPERATIONAL HANDOVER
Power of attorney, clarification of responsibility, handover timeline, communication to the workforce. We accompany the operational level alongside the human one — both belong together.
WEALTH ARCHITECTURE
Family charter, shareholder structures, foundation solutions, retirement architecture for the senior. We bring values clarity in — legal implementation is done by attorneys and tax advisors.
STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP ARCHITECTURE
How does the successor lead the company forward? What stays, what changes? We work on the strategic clarity the new managing director needs — and on the pace the surrounding system can absorb.
Three examples from real handover guidance.
Anonymized. No logos. With substance.
“My father wanted to let go. But he could not. I wanted to lead. But I did not dare.”
Six months of guidance, in parallel with both, jointly twice. Today the senior speaks only when asked. The CEO leads with the quiet he had always wished for. Revenue +14% in the following year — not the goal, but the symptom.
“I did not want to be the father who cannot let go. But I also did not know who I am without the company.”
65 years old, three children, designated successor. 12 months of guidance — patriarch individually, successor individually, three family sessions. Today chairman of the supervisory board, six months in the south, writing his book.
“Three siblings, three opinions, one company. I thought it could not work. Today it carries.”
Three siblings, one takes over operationally, two become shareholders. 9 months of guidance — family charter, role clarification, advisory-board build-up. Today clear structures, regular family conferences, business profitable, sibling relationship stable.
The sources we build on.
Method meets practice. Systemic depth is mandatory.
Handover guidance without systemic depth is single-level coaching — and it fails in most family businesses. We work on a different level.
From family-business research: Fritz Simon, Arist von Schlippe, Rudolf Wimmer (systemic family-business consulting), Hermann Simon (Hidden Champions), Peter May (family businesses).
From family systems theory: Murray Bowen (Family Systems Theory), Bert Hellinger (family constellations used critically), Helm Stierlin (systemic family therapy).
From transition psychology: William Bridges (Transitions, Managing Transitions), Edgar Schein (career anchors), Daniel Levinson (life phases).
From inheritance research: Bo Burlingham (Finish Big), James Hughes (Family Wealth), Dennis Jaffe (Cross-Cultures).
From DACH practice: Practical experience with family businesses across mid-market, hospitality, manufacturing and real estate. Understanding of DACH-specific structures — foundations, holdings, family-charter practice, wealth architecture.
From coaching depth: Polyvagal theory according to Stephen Porges for the bodily level, systemic consulting for relational architecture, embodiment research for identity work.
We combine these sources pragmatically and translate them into the specific reality of your family and your company.
Where we work.
Salzburg · Munich · Zurich · Innsbruck + 150 km.
Salzburg, Munich, Zurich and Innsbruck as the corner points of the magical DACH triangle, a radius of around 150 kilometres. Beyond the triangle worldwide as a retainer — securely remote or with targeted on-site phases. Values-fit remains standard, discretion remains absolute, the impact region remains focused.
SALZBURG
Home hub. Salzkammergut. Meeting space.
MUNICH
Bavaria’s economic powerhouse. Tech, manufacturing, finance.
ZURICH
DACH financial and family-office centre.
INNSBRUCK
Centre of the impact triangle. Tyrolean depth, alpine clarity.
Investment levels.
Three levels. One architecture.
First clarity. First steps. Acute handover phase.
Structured handover architecture. Family-charter preparation.
Deep guidance throughout the entire handover phase. Both sides, individually and together.
GOLD+ — Invite Only. Long-term guidance over 12–24 months. Complex family-business handovers. In confidential conversation.
Related deep topics.
If succession & handover is your lever, these areas may also be relevant.
Hub: Business Coaching DACH
The complete overview of all 25 topic clusters.
Learn more →Executive Coaching
Clarity at C-level. State, identity, behavior, impact.
Learn more →Burnout Prevention
Structural stability before the system breaks down.
Learn more →CEO & Founder Mentoring
Deep, long-term guidance for founders and solo CEOs.
Learn more →Career Realignment
From top level to the next path — cleanly accompanied.
Learn more →Negotiation Leadership
Preparation, posture, closing — at executive level.
Learn more →Team Coaching
High-performance teams in growth, change or crisis.
Learn more →Excellence Architecture
Fine-tuning for the top 0.1% — diamond class.
Learn more →Ready for a handover with dignity?
No pressure. No sales pitch. A confidential first conversation — to see whether and how we can accompany your handover.
→ Confidential first conversation on gottwald.worldValues-fit required · Discretion standard · Limited capacity