MAWW People – Christoph Katz
We spoke to our Member Christoph Katz from S&P Mergers and Acquisitions in Germany in order to get to know him a bit better. In the interview, we spoke about his work history, likes and dislikes in business and some fun facts.
How did you get into the M&A Business?
Christoph explained that his first deal was in 1999 in Australia, where he helped acquire a local company in Sydney. M&A was always part of his business model. Christoph ran several global businesses for 25 years. He built up M&A and Integration for a multinational company. A lot of international travel has been associated with these roles. The last 4 years have been very focused on M&A. In his past career, he was also the President of Industry associations in Plastics and Food ingredients.
What are your likes and dislikes in the M&A business?
Christoph stated that what he likes the most is the interaction with people that M&A involves, and also that there is always something new to learn. No deal is ever the same, size, complexity challenges. This means that work is never dull.
Bad behaviour and tricks are the biggest dislikes. He prefers to work on a handshake basis, your word is your bond. He also stated that value selling is also key, the work done should be valued and not undersold. Christoph recently invested 500 hours into a deal. This is a benefit, for the client and should not be undervalued, it stops a lot of headaches and leads to a smoother process, sometimes communication breaks down but building relationships helps to seal the deal. He values integrity and honesty above all in business.
How do you achieve a Work-life balance?
Christoph considers that it should be the other way around – life-work balance. Although he really enjoys his job he recognizes that in Consultancy work you are either working at 60% or 160%, it is difficult to control but you have to be prepared for that.
He manages to relax and disconnect; he likes to travel and makes time for that. Christoph loves Sports and Nature, including canoeing in Alaska, has had up-close contact with Bears, Lions, and whales amongst other animals. He particularly enjoys being outdoors. He also has 2 children who are 21 and 18 that are also key to life-work balance.
Do you have any fun facts about yourself?
Christoph is on the board of a Brussels-based Advisory and Advocacy company (eppa.com), which gives an interesting perspective, they advise on regulatory matters. He was also leading a case that resulted in the highest ever anti-dumping duties in Europe.
He has travelled to over 100 countries including northern Pakistan and Bangladesh, and travelled to South Korea this summer with his daughter. He will spend four weeks in Asia again later this year.
He has working capabilities in 6 languages – German, English, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch.
His motto is Change it, Love it or Leave it
Christoph began doing Pro Bono work and volunteering in the 90s and continues to this day. He feels that he has been very fortunate in life and that it’s important to give back.
For personal reasons, Christoph has decided to leave S&P Mergers and Acquisitions by the end of 2023 to join ACTIVE M&A Experts as a partner. He will contribute his engagement and expertise in several areas to further strengthen ACTIVE’s team.