Obsolescence 12 Steps – Step Three

Martin Riedel

Martin Riedel Consulting
Executive Advisor | Global Account Management Leader
Transforming Customer Relationships into Long-Term Strategic Partnerships

Martin Riedel is a seasoned expert in Global Account Management (GAM), consultative sales, business transformation, and relationship strategy. With over 25 years of international experience — from hands-on engineering projects to strategic leadership at Schneider Electric — Martin empowers organizations to unlock new growth by aligning people, processes, and customer value.

Martin began his career in international project management, leading automation and distribution projects in Europe and the Middle East. His curiosity for cross-cultural business and value-based selling led him into export leadership, where he built up entire markets and partner networks in Eastern Europe — increasing sales more than 15-fold in four years.

At Schneider Electric, Martin took on the challenge of building up and scaling Global Accounts in Switzerland, developing long-term relationships with global industry leaders. Himself, he supported the global leader in F&B for 20 years as Global Account Manager.

Martin’s approach combines strategic vision with deep relational intelligence. He implemented structured value quantification tools and a “Strategic Relationship Building Process” that increased alignment, trust, and customer engagement — while improving revenue and long-term service models. His learning programs, built for the global GAM community, helped shift the mindset toward co-creation, shared risk, and C-level collaboration.

Equipped with engineering and business management degrees, enriched by executive education and speaking at HSG, IMD, INSEAD, SAMA and AMC St. Gallen, Martin is a strong contributor to thought leadership in the field of B2B sales and GAM.

At the heart of Martin’s work is the belief that customer partnerships thrive when conversations become honest, expectations become shared visions, and both parties commit to mutual success. His passion lies in helping companies grow beyond the transaction — toward connection, clarity, and co-creation.

Biography of Christoph Horlebein
CEO & Founder. Horlebein Consulting
Bridging People, Culture, Process, and Technology to Build Resilient Product Strategies

Christoph Horlebein is a leading expert in implementing tailored, human-centered, and proactive product portfolio strategies enabled by strategic Obsolescence Management, Lifecycle Management, Supply Chain Risk Management, and Supply Chain Digitization​​.

From Germany’s leading MedTech company to Fortune 100:

Christoph’s enthusiasm for product management ignited in 2017 at Brainlab, where he led a R&D project of a robotic arm that achieved FDA clearance and CE approval, becoming the first fully robotic intraoperative imaging device on the market. Following this success, Christoph ensured its post-launch integrity and delivery capacity by leading a product risk management project.

secured a $1 billion product portfolio by establishing processes, communication, and responsibilities. He implemented systems for PCN, inventory, supply chain risk and obsolescence/lifecycle management, while further digitizing supply chains. Christoph successfully reduced redesign costs by up to $5 million and 5 FTEs and cut opportunity costs by up to $50 million per product per year, avoiding production stops.

Recognizing that companies in high-tech, highly regulated, and long-lifecycle industries face similar systemic challenges, Christoph now helps them overcome roadblocks by transforming risk into resilience and costs into opportunities.

Conscious, data-driven decision-making is the foundation of his strategies, which are backed by an AI and Big Data intelligence centered approach, equipping businesses with digital solutions ready for the future of Industry 4.0. He excels in human-centered change management, orchestrating cross-functional decision-making, managing product design changes within regulatory compliance, and facilitating Quality Management System audits.

At the core of Christoph’s work is a belief that long-term product sustainability starts with empowered, cross-functional teams that feel ownership of the system they shape.
Equipped with a Master’s in Electrical Engineering (TUM | ETH Zurich) and certifications in Project Management, Design Thinking, Quality Management, and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Christoph continuously strives for continuous improvement by mitigating obsolescence and supply chain risks.

Christoph is actively sought after and involved as speaker at international conferences of the International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM) and the Component Obsolescence Group Deutschland (COGD) as well as advising working groups, spreading awareness and collaborating on industry challenges.

Christoph’s mission is to future-proof businesses through intelligent product risk management strategies that blend people, culture, process, and technology.