Nicola Wagener

Nicola Wagener is a Principal at ghSMART in Germany. She helps investors, boards and corporate clients hire and develop the right leadership teams so that they can execute their strategy with confidence.

Prior to joining ghSMART, Nicola was Head of Strategy & Portfolio at thyssenkrupp AG, driving the transformation from an integrated industrial conglomerate to a more flexible group of companies. In this role, she worked directly with the Board as well as three different CEOs. Before this, she was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company in their Dusseldorf and Munich offices, where she served leading corporate clients on large strategy and transformation programs.

She has worked in several countries across the world and led numerous multi-cultural teams. Throughout her career, she has also worked extensively on recruiting, mentorship, and firmwide diversity & inclusion initiatives.

Nicola studied business administration at the Universities of Passau and Madrid as well as Leipzig Graduate School of Management. She now lives in Essen, in the heart of Germany’s industrial Ruhr area. As a passionate triathlete and multiple Ironman finisher, she loves long rides on her road-bike, preferably on the Spanish islands of Lanzarote or Majorca.