I am applying for the position of COO.
Operations, sales and AI under one lead – so the managing director is free for what really matters.
I am Christian Niebisch, with more than 20 years in general management, sales and marketing – ten of them as managing director, most recently Chief Sales Officer. I organise operations so they can be steered by key figures, align sales and marketing, and bring AI to where it saves time in day-to-day business. My own systems Barina and Nepulus show what this looks like in practice.
- 20+ yearsgeneral management, sales and marketing
- 10 yearsmanaging director with 21 employees
- 30employees led in marketing and sales at the same time
- 5self-developed AI tools in use
I know leadership below the managing director from both sides.
Head of marketing, head of sales, managing director – I have been responsible for each of these roles myself. The COO brings exactly these areas together below the managing director. I know what takes work off a managing director – and what only adds to it.
- BROXUM GmbH, Wiesbaden2005 – 2015 · Managing director · 21 employees
Marketing and sales consulting for major clients such as Linde Hydraulics, SKF, Dresdner Bank, Thyssen, BRITA, BEK and Daimler – mandates of BROXUM GmbH. Sales activation as a multi-year consulting product: analysis, concept and implementation in ongoing operations, plus a dedicated training programme for sales staff.
What this means for you today: I think like a managing director – results, people and liquidity in view – and take responsibility for the entire day-to-day business.
- METRONOM, MainzManaging director, then COO · around 140 employees · Modern construction and industrial surveying
As managing director of METRONOM Dienstleistungszentrum für Modernes Bauen GmbH, I developed office management software for architects and civil engineers: led the development team, drew up requirement and functional specifications and organised the project in MS Project. Then COO of the considerably larger METRONOM Gesellschaft für Industrie-Vermessung mbH with around 140 employees – the number two behind the managing director.
What this means for you today: I have already held the COO role – as the number two who carries day-to-day operations and takes load off the managing director.
- RAPEX GmbH, Weißenthurm2021 – 2025 · Head of marketing, most recently Chief Sales Officer
Led marketing with six employees; as CSO, 14 field sales and 4 back-office employees. Won major orders myself, introduced REONIC for quotation management, integrated AI into sales processes.
What this means for you today: I lead departments that have to work closely together, and I introduce new tools in a way the team actually uses them.
- LEDKON GmbH, Limburg2018 – 2021 · Head of marketing, finally also sales
Built up the marketing department; in the last year additionally responsible for sales with 26 employees. Link between management, engineering, sales and partners; around 200 trade fairs and roadshows a year.
What this means for you today: I keep management, engineering, sales and partners connected – even at a high pace.
- Technical wholesale and TU DarmstadtSales · Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre Darmstadt, 2016
Learned tool monitoring, demand planning and supply chains first-hand in technical wholesale. In 2016 attended a series of events at the Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre at TU Darmstadt over about three months – including “Efficiency through Industry 4.0” at the learning factory “Effiziente Fabrik 4.0” and the workshop “Analysis methods for new business models” (participation confirmed): capturing data, determining demand, connecting processes.
What this means for you today: I know processes and supply chains not only from the office, but from practice.
The companies named were mandates or clients of my former employers and companies. They are not customers of Nepulus.
Processes I have built myself.
I implemented these projects myself – from the editorial system to the automatic hand-over to the CRM. Each of them replaces manual work with an orderly process.
- 01Automation and CRMWorkflows with n8n from the web form to HubSpot or Salesforce.
- 02Editorial systemThe AI newspaper is produced week after week from verified sources.
- 03Sales funnelFrom first contact to enquiry, built step by step.
- 04Business checkAn online tool prospects try out for themselves.
- 05WebsiteConcept, copy and implementation of this website – built myself.
- 06Before and afterWhat was there before and what the implementation changed.
Why COO – and why now.
Artificial intelligence is changing every part of a company – sales, marketing, HR, production and administration. Yet it only becomes a competitive advantage once it is embedded in the actual processes. That requires knowing those processes in detail – which is precisely the task of a COO.
The title COO is rare in German mid-sized companies – the role behind it is not. Here it is called operations management, commercial management, Prokura or second managing director. What is meant is always the same role: the person who is responsible for day-to-day operations and takes load off the managing director. What matters is less the title than clearly defined responsibilities. Whoever introduces AI across departments must be able to give binding direction to the heads of sales, marketing and production – otherwise such projects fail in practice because responsibilities are unclear.
Throughout my career I have taken on responsibility wherever things became demanding. At RAPEX, the management of sales was added to my role as head of marketing; at LEDKON, in my final year, sales with 26 employees. At METRONOM I was COO, the number two behind the managing director. I personally led the large photovoltaic installations in the Eifel as project manager after the client had made the project a matter for its own management board.
I do not shy away from hands-on work. I once installed the entire electrical system of a farm myself, without being a trained electrician. I also know that AI only takes effect when people come along. Convincing employees and bringing them on board is one of my greatest strengths.
With Barina and Nepulus I have shown what AI can achieve in day-to-day operations. It reaches its full potential, however, only in a company with larger processes, a broader data base and an IT landscape that is developed with purpose. I would very much like to take this step together with you.
A future for every department – from HR and production to sales and marketing.
That is exactly why COO: I do not rebuild a single department, I bring every key area of a company into the future – with clear processes and AI where it saves time. At the same time I take day-to-day operations off the managing director, and the departments work as one process, not as separate units.
A business run on key figures
A few clear figures per department show early where things get stuck – not just the number at the end of the month.
Sales and marketing as one
Enquiries, quotations and campaigns mesh with each other instead of passing the blame back and forth.
AI where it saves time
Research, preparation and routine are done by the machine. Decisions and approvals are made by people with names.
Processes without duplicate work
Data is captured once and ends up where the team works – with hand-over to HubSpot or Salesforce.
Managers who grow
Department heads get clear goals and the tools to reach them. I lead by results, not by control.
Marketing, sales, office, HR, management: where is the benefit?
A COO is responsible for all departments at once. The film uses real screens to show what AI means for each of them in everyday work – no expert knowledge needed, in plain words.
Barina and Nepulus 9: one cockpit for the whole business.
Nepulus 9 brings sales, marketing, HR, administration and management together in one cockpit on your own network. Barina shows how a complete process runs automatically, from research to follow-up. Nothing goes out unless a person has approved it.
- Runs on the company’s own network, not in the cloud. Your company keeps control over its data and how it is processed – a key advantage for protecting confidential information.
- Relevant EU requirements as well as ISO and DIN standards were taken into account during development. This does not imply certification.
- Approvals with names. Nepulus delivers drafts; nothing goes out unless a person has approved it. Everyone sees what they need for their task.
- More than a year of development. In my experience, a comparable in-house development would take at least six months.
All screens come from the running demo system with test data. The connection to accounting, bank and machines is set up when the system is installed in your company.
Responsibility I have carried.
Major clients, teams and processes were my direct responsibility in my most recent positions – in close coordination with management. Three examples from recent years:
- €2.2mSix photovoltaic systems for an abrasives manufacturer in the Eifel – my largest single project at RAPEX: won, negotiated and supported through to acceptance myself.Order 2025
- 18employees led as Chief Sales Officer: 14 in field sales, 4 in the back office – plus the introduction of REONIC for quotation management.RAPEX, 2021 – 2025
- 21employees as managing director of BROXUM GmbH: consulting, staff, finance and client relationships in one hand.BROXUM, 2005 – 2015
Organising processes
Mapping processes, simplifying them and making them steerable by key figures.
Connecting departments
Sales, marketing, back office and engineering as one process.
Introducing AI
Built my own tools and guided their introduction in the team.
CRM and systems
Used HubSpot and Salesforce, introduced REONIC, built n8n workflows.
Leadership
Up to 30 employees at the same time, workshops and training on the job.
Entrepreneurial thinking
Ten years as managing director: results, people and liquidity.
Listen first, then organise, then accelerate.
A suggestion for the first steps. The exact scope is up to you and your management.
- Step 1
Walk through all departments
Talks with sales, marketing, back office and administration: where is time being lost?
- Step 2
Define key figures
A few figures per department that show early where things get stuck.
- Step 3
Organise processes
Hand-overs between departments without duplicate work.
- Step 4
Use the right tools
AI for research, preparation and routine, approval in the team.
- Step 5
Strengthen managers
Clear goals for department heads, regular coordination with management.
Everything important to download.
CV, references and the Nepulus 9 and Barina 6 brochures as PDF (in German). Further documents and work samples are on the downloads page.
Let’s talk about your business.
I would be glad to show you in a personal conversation how I organise processes and lead departments – and where Barina and Nepulus give your team time back.