Jochen A. Rotthaus is one of the most prominent experts on leadership, brand development, and strategic transformation in the German-speaking world.
With over 25 years of experience in top positions—including at VfB Stuttgart, TSG Hoffenheim, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and the Bavaria Film Group—he has proven how visionary leadership and excellent sales and marketing management can take companies to the top.
Rotthaus became particularly well known for his influential role in the spectacular rise of TSG Hoffenheim. Working alongside SAP founder Dietmar Hopp, he transformed the club from an amateur club into one of the most modern soccer companies in Europe. This phase of his life was documented in the ZDF documentary “Das Leben ist kein Heimspiel” (Life is not a home game), among others.
Today, Rotthaus shares his experience as a consultant, mentor, and keynote speaker. His lectures highlight the essential success factors for leadership, entrepreneurship, and transformation. With a mixture of humor, passion, and practical insights, he not only offers exciting anecdotes, but above all inspiration that has a lasting effect.
In this interview, Jochen A. Rotthaus talks about his lecture topics, his career experiences, and how visions become reality.
Jochen A. Rotthaus in an interview:
1. What are the core subjects of your keynote speeches?
My lectures are aimed at executives, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers who are facing change, shaping growth, or want to realign organizations. The focus is on topics such as leadership and leadership culture, transformation, sales competence, and entrepreneurial resilience—always practical, in-depth, and on an equal footing.
I show how an idea can be turned into a functioning organization, how to inspire teams, build loyalty, and effectively shape change. The structure and professionalization of organizations, emotional selling and customer loyalty, network building and strategic partnerships, digital transformation, crisis-proof leadership, personality development through resilience, and the power of a clear vision are central themes of my keynotes.
I draw on my more than 25 years of experience in the Bundesliga, the media world, and the start-up scene to show how sustainable success is achieved—not through theoretical models, but through lived reality at the top of high-performance organizations.
With inspiring examples, real business cases, and direct practical transfer, I offer ideas that take effect immediately – whether in top management, in the sales team, or in shaping corporate culture. Because what drives me is the question: How can we lead people to peak performance while creating an environment in which motivation, responsibility, and enthusiasm arise naturally?
2. Which audiance or which branch do you reach with your speech?
My keynotes are aimed at leaders, entrepreneurs, board members, sales managers, and decision-makers who want to actively shape change rather than just manage it. I appeal to people who understand leadership as an attitude—regardless of hierarchy or industry.
I regularly work with traditional companies from the business world, but also with associations, family businesses, consulting firms, banks, insurance companies, and service providers that are undergoing transformation processes or want to redefine their market position. The participants in my lectures are predominantly executives from middle management upwards – often with high creative standards and responsibility for teams, results, and strategic direction.
What unites my audience is a central question:
How can I lead effectively, provide guidance, and generate sustainable performance in a complex environment—with clarity, persuasiveness, and enthusiasm?
My listeners benefit not only from theory, but also from real-world experience: I have experienced what it is like to build something from scratch – to turn a green field into a thriving landscape. As managing director of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, I had the opportunity to work with SAP founder Dietmar Hopp to transform a small amateur club into one of the most modern soccer companies in Europe. This experience of realizing things hands-on, developing structures, shaping brands, and inspiring people with a vision flows into every one of my speeches.
3. Are you a PREMIUM SPEAKER? Where do you get your insights from?
I am a premium speaker because I talk about what I have experienced, been responsible for, and helped build myself. My lectures are based on over 25 years of leadership experience in key positions—in professional sports, the media industry, entertainment, start-ups, and traditional medium-sized businesses. I was not a consultant on the sidelines, but right in the thick of things—in the engine room of some of the most dynamic organizations of our time.
My role in the spectacular rise of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim was particularly formative. As the face of this unique project, I was commissioned by SAP founder Dietmar Hopp to build an internationally renowned soccer company from an amateur club – with a clear vision, a bold strategy, and consistent implementation. I hired over 150 people, inspired young talent, created structures, and lived a leadership culture. What we achieved there remains unique to this day – and was even documented by ZDF under the title “Das Leben ist kein Heimspiel” (Life is not a home game).
Today, I pass on this extraordinary experience – authentically, inspiringly, and practically. I know how to turn a green field into a thriving landscape, how to build organizations, inspire people, and bring about real change. My ideas are aimed at managers, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers who want more than just pretty slides: namely, real implementation power and leadership with attitude.
My lectures are moving because they are based on experiential knowledge—with depth, energy, and a willingness to take responsibility. That’s what makes me a premium speaker.
4. What will be in the future? Does «time» play an important role in your work?
The future brings one thing above all else: constant change. Speed, uncertainty, and complexity continue to increase—and this is precisely where the greatest challenge lies, but also the greatest opportunity for managers and organizations. Time is now a decisive competitive factor: those who analyze for too long will be left behind. Those who do not act quickly will lose touch.
At the same time, consistency is needed – but not in the sense of stagnation, rather as a clear stance, inner stability, and a reliable foundation of values. Especially in times of change, people seek orientation, commitment, and credibility. This applies to companies as well as to sports and society.
I myself have experienced how powerful it is when a vision is pursued consistently – even over many years. Hoffenheim’s rise was no coincidence, but the result of clear objectives, courageous decisions, and continuous implementation. The future belongs to those who combine both: the ability to adapt quickly and the courage to take a long-term perspective.
My lectures focus precisely on this balance:
- How can companies act agilely without losing their identity?
- How can sustainable structures be built at a rapid pace?
- And what does true leadership mean in a world where time is a scarce commodity?
I am convinced that those who want to shape the future must be prepared to take responsibility today—quickly, clearly, and with conviction.
5. Tell us your life motto? What do you want to give your listeners to take with them?
“A green field can become a blossoming landscape—if you are brave enough to get started.”
I want to encourage people to think big, recognize opportunities, and take responsibility. It’s not about waiting for perfect conditions—it’s about taking the first step. I myself have experienced how a vague idea can become reality, how great things can be achieved with courage, clarity, and passion. The rise of TSG Hoffenheim is symbolic of this path: from nothing to a showcase project, from vision to reality.
My understanding of leadership is based on genuine participation, trust, and the joy of shared success. I believe in motivating people through responsibility and letting them share in success—not as spectators, but as co-creators. For me, good leadership means allowing others to shine – and being happy about it.
I have been very fortunate to always have entrepreneurs and partners at my side who have given me a high degree of freedom, trust, and creative leeway. This has motivated me to the utmost – and that is exactly what I want to pass on.
My motto at work: Business & Fun.
Work hard, be consistent, but never lose sight of the joy – in the tasks, the people, and the successes. Because those who lead with enthusiasm move not only numbers, but hearts.