Five years of Riebensahm Agribusiness Recruiting – founded on experience, focused on continuity

Five years ago, I founded Riebensahm Agribusiness Recruiting after eight intensive and formative years in specialized HR consulting for the agribusiness sector. During this time, I learned what really matters in our industry: in-depth market knowledge, robust networks, discretion, and entrepreneurial thinking.

The decision to found the company was strategically motivated. My goal was to build a network of recruitment consultants that would specialize exclusively in agribusiness, initially focusing on crops, livestock, pets, agricultural technology, agricultural trade, and renewable energies—in order to support companies and candidates as a sparring partner on equal footing.

Our range of services deliberately goes beyond executive search: we fill specialist and management positions across the entire career spectrum—from graduates to company directors. It is not the title that matters, but the fit: professionally, culturally, and strategically.

What makes me particularly happy is the long-term loyalty of many clients and candidates. Some of our clients continue to place their trust in me long after their companies have been founded. We also support numerous candidates throughout several stages of their careers. This mutual trust is an expression of established partnerships, reliability, and sustainable cooperation.

Internally, we also focused on stability and quality from the outset: Michael Witt (focus: plants, banking, and insurance) joined us in the month the company was founded—a recruitment consultant whom I knew from working together and whom I hold in high regard both professionally and personally. At the end of 2021, Stefano Pettinella (focus: pets, horses, and apiculture) joined us. Together with Lars Armstroff (focus: agricultural technology), who joined our team at the end of 2024, we have consistently developed Riebensahm Agribusiness Recruiting and established it as one of the leading specialized personnel consultancies in agribusiness in Europe, with a focus on German-speaking countries.

Continuity has been the guiding principle behind our actions from the very beginning. In 2025, we systematically expanded this approach and further strengthened our team of consultants. With Moritz zu Dohna-Schlodien, we have expanded our personnel in the strategically important livestock sector in particular. In doing so, we are consciously investing in specialization, quality, and long-term stability.

In times of consolidation, internationalization, regulatory pressure, and structural change, selecting the right personalities is of crucial importance—at all levels. Our standards remain unchanged: clear positioning, a high degree of discretion, and sustainable recruitment quality.

I would like to thank all our clients, candidates, and partners for their trust over the past five years. We look forward to continuing on this path in the future with clarity, specialization, and entrepreneurial ambition.

Jochen Riebensahm. PhD