Strategic Visionary. Global Leader. Growth Agent.
Petra Ahlert | Executive advisor. Board experienced with formal board governance education. 25+ years across Cisco, Siemens, strategy, AI, and growth.
Strategic clarity, commercial depth, and hands-on leadership across Europe, US, Asia, and South America.
"A leader with heart, and very smart." Strategic, structured, relentlessly seeking better solutions.
At a glance
25+ years international leadership
Cisco | Senior Director Marketing EMEA
Siemens | senior roles across EMEA and APAC
Board governance | formal education
Master Business Economics, Double Degree: Münster Germany & Bordeaux France
Swiss and German | based in Switzerland | working internationally
Languages: German, English, French
Operating experience: Europe, US, Asia, South America
Industries served
Tech and Software
Telco
Cloud and SaaS
AI Startups
Professional Services
Career Highlights
2025 – Present
Ahlert Advisory | Executive Advisor
- Advising clients on growth strategy, business development, and AI-enabled sales & marketing transformation.
- Led a test-and-learn approach in an e-commerce context, achieving 6x CTR (+500%) through structured experimentation and automated optimisation.
- Executive sparring on prioritisation, investment decisions, and operating-model improvements across growth and commercial excellence
2008–2024
Cisco | Senior Marketing Director EMEA & Executive Board Member, Germany
- Led marketing strategy for $5B+ revenue portfolio, managing 40+ staff.
- Architected AI-driven commercial transformation, delivering 66% productivity gains,
5x customer engagement and 10% pipeline growth. - Initiated and scaled ABM to generate 65% of marketing-sourced pipeline in EMEA.
- Built EMEA-wide SMB growth strategy; 75% of budget shifted to digital, delivering +25% net new customers.
1998–2007
Siemens | Senior Roles EMEA, APAC, & South America
- Led Global Marketing Communications for Gigaset, improving budget efficiency by 25%.
- Built Singapore regional HQ and led GTM strategy, resulting in 120% revenue growth.
- Directed international product management and localisation across UK, Spain, Portugal and LATAM.
1991–1994
Deutsche Bank | Banking Apprenticeship & Investment Advisor
- Three-year German apprenticeship in retail banking and securities, followed by client-facing work as an Investment Advisor. Early commercial grounding.
2025 - Present
How Petra works
Clarity
Clarity and directness in strategic communication.
Bridge-builder
Bridging functional silos to drive tangible growth.
Data-Driven
Commercial viability cross-checked with data insights.
Integrity
High integrity and cultural intelligence across borders.
Heart-led
Unwavering focus on ethical leadership and heart.
Depending on the type of mandate or engagement, Petra works in a flexible format: personal one-to-one meetings, virtual sessions, live team meetings,
or active workshop facilitation.
Governance credentials
- Best Board Practice | Verwaltungsrat Management AG (2025–26)
- Member of the Executive Board, Cisco Germany (2015 - 2024)
- Strategic Advisor | Board of Trustees, German Marketing Association (2019–25)
- Board Management & Development | Swiss Board School, St. Gallen (2018)
- Cybersecurity governance at Cisco | experienced and educated on board-level risk framing.
Coaching, leadership and consciousness credentials
- ORSC | Organizational and Relationship Systems Coaching | London (2017)
- Conscious Leader | Cisco leadership development programme | London (2015)
- Certified Master Coach | INLPTA | Munich, Germany (2015)
These credentials sharpen the work as a sparring partner for CEOs, founders and executive teams; they foster presence, deep listening, and the ability to navigate complex group dynamics with calm authority, the human side of advisory.
Personal
"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." Deepak Chopra
Outside of work, Petra spends time in the Swiss and French countryside with her partner and dog Milow. Hiker. Skier. Committed reader. Her shelves return to two strands: leadership thinking (Drucker, Peters) and consciousness writing (Tolle, Chopra, Joe Dispenza). She takes a quietly spiritual view of work and life: every situation arrives with its own purpose, and the small things compound. Marginal gains. Daily practice. Choices made minute by minute.
Two lines she keeps close to:
"Neue Wege entstehen dadurch, dass man sie geht." Franz Kafka.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi.
Let's apply this experience to your situation.
A confidential, no-obligation first conversation — to understand where you stand, clarify what matters most, and explore whether there is a good fit.
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