About me

26 years of IT leadership, 35 mandates, 10+ industries — and an entrepreneurial perspective you only earn through your own P&L responsibility.

Frank Hilderts

An interim CIO who also thinks like an entrepreneur

I take on IT responsibility in special situations — carve-out, post-merger, turnaround, transformation. What sets me apart from many: I ran my own company for seven years, four of them as CEO with full P&L responsibility. I know how it feels to be a management team that depends on IT — and I speak plainly accordingly.

My benchmark is impact: stable IT, protected investments, a capable team and a successor ready to take over. Extending the mandate is not the goal — the outcome is.

Frank Hilderts
What sets me apart

Compared with other interim CIOs

1

Exceptional breadth and depth

35 mandates, 10+ industries, experience across DACH, Europe and Southeast Asia. I have seen the patterns — and the exceptions.

2

Entrepreneurial perspective

7 years running my own company, 4 years as CEO, full P&L responsibility. IT decisions from the perspective of the business, not the technology.

3

Specialised in complex transformations

Moving IT organisations into globally agile structures — where standard consulting reaches its limits.

4

Expertise in value creation

Investment protection, complexity reduction, measurable ROI — return on interim management of up to 50×.

vs. interim providers

Direct access without the provider share of 25–35% of the daily rate (DDIM). Maximising impact, not time. The fractional model as the economically smarter alternative.

vs. Big 4 advisory

No teams of junior consultants — one experienced C-level executive with implementation responsibility. Lower overhead.

Roles

Available in these roles

Interim CIO, full-time

Interim CIO, fractional

Interim IT manager, operations

Sparring partner

Companion for change

Supervisory board member

Advisory board member

Stance

What I stand for

I take responsibility.

As a full member of the top leadership team — not as an external adviser on the sidelines.

I say what is.

Even when it is uncomfortable. No career agenda, no internal alliances.

I measure myself by results.

Not by presence, not by mandate length. Impact is the only criterion of success.

I make myself dispensable.

Knowledge transfer and a capable successor are a fixed part of every mandate.

Career

Career stages at a glance

since 2016Interim management

Interim CIO / IT management consultant

Special situations in the upper mid-market: carve-out, PMI, turnaround, transformation. 8 PE mandates delivered.

beforeManagement

CEO & entrepreneur

7 years running my own company, 4 of them as CEO with full P&L responsibility.

since 2004IT management & consulting

15+ further mandates

IT management, consulting and general management across DACH, Europe and Southeast Asia.

Let’s talk

In a short conversation we’ll find out whether I’m the right sparring partner for your situation.

Get in touch

Member of VOICE — German Federal Association of IT Users and the ELEPHANTS CLUB e.V.

Contact

Let’s talk.

The simplest route to a conversation is the best one. A call, an email or a meeting — and in 20 minutes we’ll know whether and how I can help.