Rising Star starts new adventure

Former Mazda Europe executive and 2017 Rising Star Christian Ohm is starting a new adventure this month.

After nearly 12 years in a wide array of brand management and marketing roles with the Japanese automaker, Ohm has joined Nordic-based marketing consultancy Avaus.

He will be the company’s CEO and general manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The switch to a startup following more than a decade at a highly structured Japanese brand has re-energized Ohm, the 42-year-old German told me. He enjoys the entrepreneurial spirit that the new job provides, he added.

Ohm, who is based on Munich, will be tasked with providing customers strategic advice and implementation support for their marketing needs.

He brings a vast amount of experience in analytics, data science and technology. His strong ties to the automotive industry also made him very attractive to Avaus.

“With Chris onboard, I am confident that we will get a firm grip of the German-speaking European markets. We already work with German customers in manufacturing and financial services, and obviously, the automotive industry is highly interesting as well,” Avaus Group CEO Emma Storbacka said in a statement.

Avaus says its strength is combining its experience in marketing technology, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence with the ability to design engaging customer experiences, develop brands and support marketing transformation on both a strategic and hands-on level.