Thorsten Giersch has a special passion: inspiring people to ask themselves the right questions – questions that open up new perspectives and enable personal or entrepreneurial development.
After 25 years of experience as a business editor, he has come to an important realization: He does not see his job as a journalist as knowing more than his audience and instructively informing them “from the top down”. Instead, he sees himself as a bridge builder and mediator.
This attitude also characterizes his passion for moderation – from intimate fireside chats with CEOs to large business events. With around 1,500 hours of experience on stage, on the radio and in podcasts, he has built up an impressive expertise that has its roots in his journalistic career.
Since 2022, he has been editor-in-chief of Markt und Mittelstand, Germany’s third-largest business magazine. On stage, he combines his journalistic expertise with his management experience – a rare mix. Whether six years at n-tv, 13 years at Handelsblatt or as deputy editor-in-chief and later co-managing director of a publishing subsidiary: Thorsten Giersch knows change processes and management topics not only from an observer’s perspective, but first-hand as a designer. This is precisely what makes him a unique presenter who not only informs his audience, but also inspires them in the long term.
Thorsten Giersch – the presenter and event host for business, politics, innovation & society
At the age of 18, Thorsten had to make a decision: journalism or a professional football career? The former goalkeeper left his Bundesliga club and began studying journalism in Dortmund. He gained his first experiences at the age of 14 with the local newspaper.
With his first earnings, he bought a professional camera to document sports events and traditional festivals – a useful tool for the football club and school newspapers he founded and managed. Later, as university radio editor-in-chief, he gained his first moderation experiences, which he has since expanded to over 1,500 hours on stages and channels – from CEO fireside chats to major events like Digital X.
Alongside his studies, Thorsten worked in radio and completed a traineeship at n-tv, where he spent six years as a stock market reporter and film director. There, he regularly interviewed DAX executives and ECB presidents.
In 2008, he moved to Handelsblatt, initially as head of the corporate department and later as deputy online editor-in-chief. During this time, he discovered his passion for business books – leading to over 1,000 reviews and numerous interviews with international figures.
From 2013 onwards, he took on key interface roles as Business Editor-in-Chief of the Handelsblatt Media Group and drove digital transformation. This included moderations, events, and a co-managing director role of a publishing subsidiary.
With the birth of his daughter in 2020, his focus shifted: Thorsten lives by the values of diversity and shares family responsibilities equally with his wife. After taking parental leave and working in the C-Office of HR and management consultancy Kienbaum, he returned to journalism in 2022 as Editor-in-Chief of Markt und Mittelstand.
Today, Thorsten hosts several podcasts and moderates major events such as the Ludwig Erhard Summit or events for trade fair companies and corporations. As an experienced business journalist and former managing director, he understands the challenges decision-makers face from firsthand experience.