Last week, Vienna, a city known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and world-class venues, played host to one of our most memorable conferences . The event brought together professionals, thought leaders, and innovators from various industries, showcasing our capability as a global advisory firm in leadership.
This, our 121st, conference attracted many of our Senior Partners and Senior Consultants from more than 20 countries, making it a truly global event. With a focus on 'Innovation and Growth in Challenging Times', the program was packed with insightful presentations, interactive workshops, and lively panel discussions.
Some of the key highlights included:
Keynote Speakers: Thought leaders contributed to a truly inspiriting debate on Innovation and Growth in Challenging Times:
We are hugely grateful for their participation.
Sabine Pirkner, who heads up our office in the heart of Vienna, ensured there were numerous opportunities for networking, with dedicated sessions for attendees to exchange ideas and make meaningful connections. These included informal meet-and-greet sessions, lunchtime roundtables, and a gala dinner offering a fantastic setting to wrap up the event.
Vienna’s well-known coffeehouse culture played a subtle role, with several breaks offering traditional Viennese coffee and pastries. This created a relaxed and social environment that fostered deeper conversations among participants.
No visit to Vienna is complete without experiencing its rich cultural heritage. Sabine curated a cultural program that allowed all our attendees to immerse themselves in the city’s artistic traditions. We all enjoyed an exclusive teambuilding afternoon at Kunsthistorisches Museum Kunstkammer with the unbelievably competitive and focused team of Zoltan Petho, Lorri Lowe, Alexander Matties, Leila Othieno, Thorsten Marquadt and Anna Pommersbach declared the clear winners!
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Many praised the seamless organization and the mix of high-level strategic and thought leadership content together with practical advice. The venue, the quality of speakers, and the opportunities for collaboration were all cited as standout features of the event.
"Vienna provided the perfect setting for our conference. The city’s charm, combined with the high quality of the sessions and the diversity of attendees, made this a truly exceptional experience," said Zoltan Petho, Chair of Friisberg.
This conference was a resounding success and the attendees returned to their respective countries with fresh insights and new connections. They also had a renewed confidence in Friisberg as a leading Management Consultancy firm with a world class specialism in Executive Search.
With close to 20 years of experience in international board, C-level and leadership team assessment and development, Sabine has worked with senior executives as a trusted coach and advisor. She has partnered with national and global organizations of all sizes, including publicly listed corporations, family-owned businesses and the public sector.
Sabine provides a breadth of insight and advice in talent management, CEO succession planning and executive development, leading advisory projects on cultural or organizational topics, as well as development audits, assessments for mergers, and executive search mandates. By supporting digital transformation processes, Sabine also helps drive comprehensive change initiatives, organizational design, people development and cultural audits.
Sabine was with a leading international executive search firm for five years, as a Senior Principal in Germany and Head of Leadership & Talent Consulting for Austria and worked more recently for Russell Reynolds in Germany. She also co-founded her own boutique management firm and has worked for leading multinationals, including Accenture and Aon Hewitt.
She holds a BA in human resource management from the University of Salzburg and a Master’s degree in organizational and economic psychology from the University of Vienna. She has also completed certifications in labour law and executive leadership for global organizations and is a licensed trainer and coach. Sabine speaks fluent English and German.
Zoltan Petho, Chair of Friisberg & Partners International, also extended his welcome, “We were delighted to meet Sabine at our recent conference in Madrid and it is fantastic that she is opening a new Friisberg office in Vienna. Her immense and impressive experience will be a huge asset to Friisberg globally.".
Sabine is thrilled to be joining Friisberg & Partners International in these exciting times and is looking forward to working closely with the firm’s clients across the globe.
