Media & Press
FocusFirst GmbH
- Founded: June 2016
- Team-size: ~35 former executives and organizational psychologists dedicated to accelerating business goals.
- Clients: Senior leaders in International companies e.g. GSK, BASF, E.ON, Merck, Novartis, etc.
- Typical Projects: Group Functions Re-organizations, Must-win Projects, and further, complex corporate situations where failure is not an option.
- Global: Projects in Europe, Americas, & Asia.
René Esteban
- Strategic Advisor for Accelerating Transformation & AI: Specialist in guiding global organizations through complex organizational change and AI implementation (e.g., E.ON, Merck, BASF, & other Fortune500s).
- Founder & CEO, FocusFirst GmbH: Leading a specialized boutique consultancy of ~35 former executives and organizational psychologists dedicated to accelerating business goals.
- Thought Leader & Author: Keynote speaker and author of The Focused AI Captain, Energized Transformation, and other leadership books.
- Executive Background: Former Head of Global E-Commerce at DAX40 Merck KGaA, with extensive experience in building digital business units from scratch.
- Awards: Entrepreneur of the Year 2025/2024 (DUP, chair woman Brigitte Zypries, former Federal Minister of Economics, Germany), 4x Top 100 Innovator
- Podcast: Host of Transformation Leaders, a podcast for executives leading change.
- Personal: Based in the Frankfurt, Germany area; married and father of two teenage daughters. Italy-Lover, Global Traveller, Frank Sinatra Singer
Press Overview
- Handelsblatt Changement: No transformation is like the other
- Spiegel: Deutschland einfach zu langsam
- Manager Magazin: Inside Artikel
- FAZ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: On good leadership (German)
- Handelsblatt Changement: Clear focus on the goal
- W&V: Wie wir unser Team in der Krise motivieren.
- Frankfurt School of Finance: Innovatives Change Management zur Realisierung strategischer Entscheidungen
- Computerwoche: Werden Sie zum Shaolin
- Campus.de – Press release on the publication of Do Epic Stuff!
- Blinkist: Do Epic Stuff from René Esteban ist Blink of the day 2022
- Fachbuchjournal Prof.Dr. Hartmut Werner: Frischer Wind in Führungsetagen
- Founders Magazine: Auf den Fokus kommt es an
- Startup Valley Magazine: Wertschätzung ermöglicht Wertschöpfung
- Business Media Worldwide: FocusFirst: Achieving impossible goals, together
- E.ON: Combining inspiration & focus
- Management Journal: Führung nach dem Ende des Change Managements
- Energie & Management Transformationstreiber in der Energiewirtschaft
- Top100 – Schnelle Transformation
- Company News: FocusFirst awarded as innovation champion (TOP 100)
- Die Deutsche Wirtschaft:Exzellenzbetrieb deutscher Mittelstand
- School for Life: Autor René Esteban Jiménez unterstützt die School for Life
Contact
media@focusfirst.com
Fon +49 69 870 078 740
Podcast
- Host of Transformation Leaders, a podcast for executives leading change.
- Spotify: Top 30% of all Podcasts worldwide
Book Publications
- FocusFirst: The Focused AI Captain (2026)
- Campus: Energized Transformation (Co-author) (2025)
- Frankfurt School Verlag: Strategisches Management (Co-author) (2022)
- Campus: Corporate Rockstars (Co-author) (2021)
- Campus: Do Epic Stuff – Führen nach dem Ende des Change Managements (2020)
- FocusFirst: The FocusFirst Strategy (Co-author) (2016)
- Windsor: Sie haben das Ziel erreicht (2015)
Selected keynotes
- Kienbaum Search Summit 2026: Energized Transformation
- BASF (internal, leadership event): Keynote on “Agile Leaders focus better” – ca. 300 participants – Language: English
- E.ON Energy Innovation Days (public, virtual fair): Keynote on “Inspirational Leadership – How to successfully accelerate transformations” – ca. 2500 participants – Language: English
- E.ON (internal, brand and marketing community): Keynote on “Staying focused. Despite the crisis” – ca. 60 participants – Language: English
- LANXESS (internal, employee impulse): Keynote on “Staying focused – in crisis times and beyond” – ca. 150 participants – Language: English
- Merck (internal, global Life Science Leaders): Keynote on “Achieving goals in tough times” – ca. 400 participants – Language: Englisch
- W&V (public, conference #machenwirdasbestedraus): Keynote on “How to motivate my team (and myself) in times of cirsis” – ca. 100 participants – Language: German
- WACKER (internal, after work event): Keynote on “Digital in times of crisis” – ca. 130 participants – Language: German
Frankfurt
Neue Mainzer Straße 66-68
6th Floor, Eurotheum
60311 Frankfurt
Germany
Fon +49 69 870 078 740
hello@focusfirst.com
London
Golden Cross House,
8 Duncannon Street, London,
Greater London, WC2N 4JF
United Kingdom
Fon +44 20 3928 8285
hello@focusfirst.co.uk
Transformation success by design... not by chance.
