Ulf-Brün Drechsel

Executive Director, EMEA, Leadership, based in Hamburg

Ulf-Brün’s childhood ambition was to win the Nobel Prize in Biochemicals—and the hand and heart of the prettiest girls in class. (He’s still working on the prize part.) It’s that combination of drive, optimism and heart-on-his-sleeve enthusiasm that makes him a brilliant brand-builder. A proponent of the “disruptive” approach, Ulf-Brün leads our European practice by challenging preconceived notions to create unexpected work that succeeds—in part—because it’s unique.

Ulf-Brün draws from a deep well of experience in all aspects of the industry, including advertising, marketing, brand identity and design, and management consulting. At Siegel+Gale, he’s led engagements for clients such as Panasonic Europe, Roche Diagnostics and Penske Logistics Europe. Earlier brand engagements include Austrian Airlines, UNIQA, Dr. Oetker foods, DM retail stores, RIU Hotels, EMTEC Magnetics, and Kraft Foods’ Milka and Philadelphia brands.

Before joining us, Ulf-Brün founded his own professional service firm and established The Disruption Consultancy for TBWA Germany. While there, he worked with Qatar Telecom, Coca-Cola, Roche, Merck, SAP and BP.

From 1997–2003 he was a founding managing director of Landor Associates in Hamburg, where he helped grow the office into a top-five position among German corporate branding and design companies. As an executive brand consultant, he maintained an impressive roster of European clients, including Kraft Foods, Phillip Morris and P&G as well as German brands like Siemens, Telekom, RWE, Merck, Daimler Benz and Lufthansa.

Early in his career Ulf-Brün worked as an advertising executive for BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT, and Scholz & Friends, where his clients included Apple, Wrigley, Microsoft, Nestlé, Jaguar and Dunhill.

A true citizen of the world, Ulf-Brün has lived and worked in Caracas, Chicago and Vienna, and has now returned home to the German North Sea coast with his wife and four daughters, where he indulges his enthusiasm for real Wienerschnitzel.