Thomas has been building companies, brands and teams since the 1980s – from start-ups to European agency networks. He brings ideas to life and brings people together. His motivation: curiosity, impact and a firm belief that anything is possible.
Change only happens by playing with the issues – and believing that it can work.
Entrepreneur. Networker. Enabler.
Over the years, I have distilled five simple principles that guide me. It’s not rocket science. They are pure, practical application.
Firstly: curiosity.
I’ll jump in. I want to recognise the patterns behind the chaos. I want to understand what is really happening – not just what people believe or tell me.
Secondly: team spirit.
No one builds functioning systems alone. I need people who want responsibility, who communicate clearly and who implement quickly.
Thirdly: usefulness.
A solution only has value if it also has an impact: in everyday life, in the market and on the people who use it.
Fourthly: sustainability.
I don’t plan for quick results, I plan for continuity. Every project must be self-financing.
Fifthly: Return on investment.
For me, return on investment is not a goal in itself. It is feedback. It is the incorruptible indicator that shows us whether we are on the right track.
These five rules bring order to the game. And they are my compass when decisions become complex and difficult.
Milestones
1980: First agency in Essen (with Oliver Leisse).
Acquisition of major clients (Schossau; Kutel; Federal SPD).
1986: Change in shareholders:
Dieter Sawatzki joins the company; Oliver Leisse moves to Springer & Jakobi (managing director).
1995–2000: Expansion of NHS into a European network (~650 employees / 36 locations).
Shareholdings: thyssenkrupp > 30 %, Infoscreen > 35 %.
- Expansion of Topkapi (event, ~30 employees) and trade fair construction in Ratingen (~150 employees).
- Publishers: A4, Nordis.
- Modea (travel agencies in Hamburg, Kirkenes, Murmansk).
- 49% stake in packaging printing company in Romania (~500 employees).
Early 2000s: Founding of Q.One (with Carsten Puschmann).
- Interface systems;
- Lufthansa flight miles (predecessor to Miles & More);
- Focus on loyalty (Lufthansa, DB, Payback);
- Burda as a key customer.
2000s: eCommerce/platform trading (eBay/Amazon) via own brands;
Exit Swiss Master (watches).
2010: Logo Group: Aftermarket parts for classic cars (Porsche/VW).
2016–2020: Cloudbasket (central shopping basket across multiple shops);
Exit 2020; Agency size ~60 employees.
2022 onwards: HR fine app;
Ordering/orientation apps for clinics.
Today: Designing a global marketplace system (Next Venture).
NHS
Thomas started early. Immediately after graduating from secondary school, he founded his first advertising agency in Essen with Oliver Leisse in 1980.
Even while still studying, the team won major clients, including Schossau (Duisburg/Essen), Kutel (Essen) and the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). Oliver left in 1986; Dieter Sawatzki (Folkwang School) joined, and Oliver moved to Springer & Jakobi in Hamburg as managing director.
Over the next 14 years, this developed into NHS, a European agency network that had around 650 employees at 36 locations by the year 2000. The steel group thyssenkrupp held a stake of over 30%; at the same time, the agency
held a 35% stake in the company Infoscreen. The group also included the event agency Topkapi (approx. 30 employees) and the trade fair construction company Estarte AG in Ratingen (approx. 150 employees).
Publishing companies
In addition, Thomas established publishing activities (A4 Verlag, Nordis Zeitschriften Verlag) and Modea as an incoming tour operator for Red Prince Nature (Copenhagen) – with travel agencies in Hamburg, Kirkenes and Murmansk. He also held a 49% stake in a Romanian packaging printing company with around 500 employees.
Q.One
After leaving in the early 2000s, he founded the digital company Q.One with Carsten Puschmann.
Q.One developed interface systems for corporations and supported Lufthansa in digitising the ‘flight mile’ – which led to the creation of Miles & More.
Later, Q.One specialised in customer loyalty programmes (including Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn, Payback); Burda became an important publishing partner.
eCommerce
At the same time, Thomas established e-commerce on the then-new platforms eBay and Amazon, including after an exit at Maxtrader (Essen). He imported watches, flooring, lamps, and toys and scaled these via his own brands.
One highlight: the sale of the Swiss Master watch brand – a brand with rare permission to use ‘Swiss/Switzerland’ in its name.
In 2010, Thomas also established the Logo Group, an aftermarket business for classic car spare parts (focusing on Porsche and VW). Since 2022, he has been developing an HR fine app and ordering and orientation solutions for hospitals, among other things.
CloudBasket
The next platform innovation followed in 2016:
Cloudbasket – a central shopping basket that combines purchases from different shops and checks them out centrally. The exit came in 2020. At that time, the agency had around 60 employees in the north of Essen.
Trade fairs
One of his most successful exits in the 1990s was the youth fair ‘YOU’, which he conceived and implemented together with Volker Ebener; this was followed by further trade fair concepts with exits.
Today, Thomas is working on a novel marketplace – with the aim of fundamentally simplifying the sale of goods via trading platforms worldwide.
Why Thomas?
Skills & Competencies
Execution with receipt
Real network
Extensive contacts in digital, retail, industry and publishing (including Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn, Payback, Burda). He brings people together and gets projects off the ground.
Platform DNA
Systems that simplify transactions (e.g. central shopping basket across shop boundaries).
Team player
He structures projects in such a way that teams can quickly become operational – without ego-driven behaviour, with a clear focus on results.
Attitude & Sustainability
Ideas must solve problems and be sustainable – economically viable and socially acceptable.