At the beginning of May, enomyc announced its partnership with Ufenau Capital Partners. The objective: to build a leading consulting platform for transformation and restructuring — initially across the German-speaking region, with a clear path toward international reach. In this interview, Julia Hammer, Managing Director of the enomyc Group Holding, explains why the market now requires new consulting models, the role Ufenau will play in the next phase of development, and how enomyc aims to combine growth, entrepreneurship, and platform capability.
Ms Hammer, over the past 23 years, enomyc has developed into one of the leading transformation and restructuring consultancies for the German Mittelstand. Why is now the right time for the next strategic step?
Because our market is changing structurally. Restructuring and transformation are no longer temporary crisis topics. Companies today are facing financial pressure, geopolitical uncertainty, technological disruption, rising costs, talent shortages, and the impact of artificial intelligence on business models and value creation — all at the same time.
In practice, these mandates typically touch several dimensions at once: restructuring, financing, operational performance, M&A options, stakeholder management, and execution. Companies do not need a specialist for one isolated issue. They need a partner who can manage complex corporate situations holistically and support them through implementation. This is creating a new market logic. Demand is shifting from selective advisory services toward integrated end-to-end solutions.
enomyc has grown very dynamically from a position of strength over the past few years. At the same time, it became clear that if we wanted to shape the next phase of development consistently, purely organic growth would not be enough. So we asked ourselves: Do we want to remain highly successful as we are — or do we want to seize the opportunity created by this market shift and initiate the next growth phase? We made a conscious decision to do the latter.
What do you mean by the “next growth phase”?
The consulting market is highly polarized today. On one side, there are large international consulting firms with scale, reach, and broad resources. On the other side, there are specialized advisory firms such as enomyc, combining deep expertise with strong client proximity.
Between these two models, there is a clear gap — and this is exactly where we want to position ourselves.
So your aim is to combine the advantages of both consulting worlds?
Exactly. Mid-cap and upper German Mittelstand companies increasingly expect both: entrepreneurial proximity, speed, and accountability — as well as the capability, specialization, and capacity of larger organizations. In this form, this combination has not yet been established in the German-speaking restructuring market. Our ambition is to create and occupy precisely this new category in the consulting market.
Why is a partner such as Ufenau Capital Partners critical for this?
Because a platform of this kind is not created by adding a few more consultants. Alongside capital, it requires experience in building scalable corporate groups: clear governance, integration capabilities, buy-and-build expertise, and an understanding of how to develop entrepreneurial organizations without diluting their DNA.
Ufenau brings exactly this experience — particularly in the services sector. For us, it was crucial not to find a purely financially driven partner, but a sparring partner for the next phase of development. Ufenau understands that the value of enomyc lies in the combination of a strong market position, robust structures, and entrepreneurial culture — and in the ability to execute demanding mandates with high quality and personal accountability.
What will change for your clients in concrete terms?
For our clients, the essentials remain unchanged: proximity to the company, personal responsibility within the mandate, and our strong execution orientation. At the same time, we are significantly expanding what we can deliver. Clients will benefit from greater capacity, deeper specialization, and a broader service offering.
Many transformation situations can no longer be viewed in isolation — from analysis to restructuring, financing, operational performance, M&A options, stakeholder management, and execution.
With the platform, we can address these topics in a more integrated way — without clients losing the personal accountability that defines enomyc. This increases speed, consistency, and impact. Banks, lenders, and investors will also gain a partner with greater delivery capacity, robust expertise, and direct access to entrepreneurial decision-makers who take responsibility.
What role does the German Mittelstand play in this platform strategy?
Our clear focus is on the upper end of the German Mittelstand. This is not a transitional positioning, but a deliberate strategic choice. We see the greatest need precisely in this segment: many companies are too complex for traditional single-issue advisory, yet not always the focus of large international consulting firms.
These companies need a partner who speaks their language, understands their decision-making logic, and at the same time has the capability to orchestrate demanding transformation and restructuring programs professionally. This is exactly where we are positioned.
You speak of a platform. Is this primarily about size?
No. Size alone does not create impact. Growth is not an end in itself for us. What matters is whether it increases strategic relevance, execution power, and international connectivity for our clients.
Our platform has a clear focus: restructuring and transformation consulting for the upper end of the German Mittelstand. It strengthens our existing value proposition in a targeted way — through shared quality standards, complementary capabilities, deeper sector expertise, broader regional coverage, attractive development opportunities for talent and partners, and the ability to lead more complex mandates through an integrated logic.
Scaling must not replace entrepreneurship. It must make entrepreneurship more effective, particularly in more complex mandates.
An important part of the strategy is the integration of additional teams and consulting firms. What do you look for?
Technical excellence and credible market access are prerequisites. In addition, we look for entrepreneurial thinking, cultural fit, high quality standards, and a willingness to build something bigger together. We do not want to grow at any cost. We are not assembling a collection of companies. We are building a common platform. Strong platforms connect excellence — they do not level it down.
There are also changes within the organization. Several partners have taken a stake in the holding company. What does this mean?
It is highly significant. We are broadening the entrepreneurial foundation of enomyc. Partners are not only responsible for mandates; they also participate directly in the long-term success of the entire platform. Operational responsibility becomes genuine entrepreneurial participation. This creates long-term orientation, strengthens identification, and makes the platform attractive for future partners as well.
Martin Hammer, Uwe Köstens, and Julia Hammer remain key entrepreneurial anchors of enomyc as Managing Partners. Martin Hammer and Uwe Köstens stand for continuity as founders; Julia Hammer, in her dual role as Managing Director of enomyc GmbH and Managing Director of the enomyc Group Holding, is responsible for the development and strategic evolution of the platform.
You are a member of the management of enomyc GmbH and, at the same time, Managing Director of the enomyc Group Holding, responsible for building the platform. How do you define this dual role — and what objectives do you derive from it?
For me, this is the consistent continuation of a vision we have been working on for many years: to build a consulting firm that is strong enough professionally, attractive enough culturally, and relevant enough strategically for other top talents and companies to want to become part of this development.
My role is changing significantly. Until now, the focus was primarily on developing enomyc as a company. Now it is about turning growth into a robust platform architecture: with clear governance, shared quality standards, scalable processes, integrable structures, and a culture that strengthens entrepreneurship and fosters team spirit.
My focus is on bringing growth, integration, and scalability together in such a way that the platform becomes stronger — without losing the qualities that have made enomyc so successful. This is a demanding task. But this is precisely where the major opportunity lies.
If we look five years ahead: how will you — and how will we — know that this growth phase has been successful?
Of course, we have ambitious growth targets. But for me, success is not defined by size alone. Success means that enomyc is perceived as the first choice for transformation and restructuring in the upper end of the German Mittelstand — in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and, perspectively, in further European markets where there is a clear need for restructuring and transformation services.
Success also means that clients, banks, investors, entrepreneurs, and employees say: when a demanding transformation situation arises, enomyc is the right partner — because we combine strategic clarity, financial confidence, and operational execution power.
And success means that we have created a consulting platform that does not yet exist in this form today: entrepreneurial in character, highly specialized in restructuring and transformation, scalable, and internationally connected.
If we achieve this, the partnership with Ufenau will not be remembered as a transaction — but as the moment when a successful consulting firm created a new model in the market.
Ms Hammer, thank you very much for the conversation.
