Leadership Decisions Require Operational Reality – Not PR

Blog by Jochen Riebensahm, PhD

Agribusiness, and particularly the livestock sector, is operating under increasing pressure. Regulation is tightening, markets are volatile, public scrutiny is rising and qualified leaders are becoming harder to find. In this environment, leadership decisions are no longer theoretical exercises – they are operational risk decisions.

Advisory that adds value in this context must be grounded in real responsibility. This is the premise on which Riebensahm Agribusiness Recruiting operates.

Why operational experience matters in leadership advisory

Recruiting for leadership roles in agribusiness cannot be reduced to CV matching or keyword searches. It requires an understanding of how decisions are made under pressure, how organisations function in practice and where leadership fails when theory collides with reality.

Moritz zu Dohna Schlodien; Source: Riebensahm AR

By adding Moritz zu Dohna-Schlodien as Partner, we deliberately strengthen this dimension. His background is not advisory by origin, but entrepreneurial. He brings decades of operational responsibility across the agricultural value chain, gained in managing director roles in agribusiness trading, animal nutrition and agricultural machinery.

Scope of responsibility, not abstract expertise

As Partner, Moritz zu Dohna-Schlodien leads mandates primarily in the livestock segment. This includes animal nutrition and feed, livestock production, genetics and breeding, animal health and hygiene, as well as adjacent areas such as housing, feeding and milking technologies. In addition, he advises on mandates in agricultural and commodity trading and on leadership and farm management roles in agricultural operations.

The relevance of this experience lies not in breadth, but in depth: it reflects sectors in which capital intensity, regulation and operational complexity intersect.

What this changes for our clients

For nearly 15 years, Moritz zu Dohna-Schlodien carried full executive responsibility for organisations with revenues of up to EUR 180 million and more than 170 employees. This experience shapes how roles are assessed, how leadership capability is evaluated and how cultural fit is judged.

He understands decision-making under real constraints: balancing profitability, compliance, investment cycles, biological processes and public expectations. His expertise spans strategic leadership, transformation processes, M&A and financial steering – always anchored in operational execution.

For our clients, this means fewer assumptions and clearer judgements. Roles are defined based on what they actually require, not on idealised profiles. Candidates are assessed on their ability to perform under real conditions, not on polished narratives.

Network as access, not as a promise

For nearly 15 years, Moritz zu Dohna-Schlodien carried full executive responsibility for organisations with revenues of up to EUR 180 million and more than 170 employees. This experience shapes how roles are assessed, how leadership capability is evaluated and how cultural fit is judged.

He understands decision-making under real constraints: balancing profitability, compliance, investment cycles, biological processes and public expectations. His expertise spans strategic leadership, transformation processes, M&A and financial steering – always anchored in operational execution.

For our clients, this means fewer assumptions and clearer judgements. Roles are defined based on what they actually require, not on idealised profiles. Candidates are assessed on their ability to perform under real conditions, not on polished narratives.

In specialised markets, access determines outcome. Through long-standing executive roles, Moritz zu Dohna-Schlodien has built a resilient network across industry, cooperatives, associations and policy-related institutions.

We use this network as a working instrument: to identify relevant decision-makers, to approach candidates discreetly and to reach individuals who are not visible through conventional search channels. This is where algorithm-based approaches reach their limits.

Statements on the partnership

Dr Jochen Riebensahm, Founder and Senior Partner:

“Moritz brings first-hand responsibility from agricultural trading, farming and the livestock industry. This strengthens our advisory quality where it matters most: in leadership roles that must deliver under regulatory pressure, market volatility and increasing societal expectations.”

Moritz zu Dohna-Schlodien:

“After many years in full operational responsibility, I value advisory work that is realistic and grounded. Sound decisions are made with an understanding of people, markets and operational constraints – not from a purely conceptual perspective.”

Our position

Executive Search has increasingly become a standardised product. Database-driven processes, keyword matching and uniform assessment models dominate large parts of the market. This approach may work for interchangeable roles – it fails where leadership decisions carry operational risk.

Our advisory model is deliberately different.

We do not sell search volume. We do not optimise for speed or scalability. We work selectively, with a limited number of mandates, because serious leadership advisory requires time, judgement and proximity to the business reality.

Our assessments are not built on templates, but on operational understanding: how a business actually runs, where complexity accumulates and which leadership behaviours make a measurable difference under pressure.

That is why our work cannot be industrialised. It is based on senior-level dialogue, sector-specific insight and personal responsibility for outcomes.

If you are looking for a standardised executive search process, there are many capable providers in the market.

If you are looking for a sparring partner who understands leadership decisions as entrepreneurial risk management, we are the right address.

Riebensahm Agribusiness Recruiting

Leadership decisions require more than search