Global CEO partnering with private equity firms and founders to professionalise their SMEs to exit within 3-5 years.
When owners need an outside perspective around matters of strategy, transformation, turn arounds, raising capital, M&A as well as performance management. Key board expertise is needed in the areas of Operations, Product Commercialisation, Technology and Human Performance.
When PE investors need a CEO to move an SME from the low-growth phase into a more professional entity, drive profitability, and prepare for an exit within 3-5 years.
Nicholas has distinguished himself as a transformative leader adept at driving business growth and innovation. His acute understanding of customer needs and his ability to navigate complex situations have been pivotal in enhancing performance and driving growth.
At Klein Tools and Electrolux, Nicholas advanced through the ranks, gaining invaluable experience in product development and technology. As part of Electrolux’s Future Leaders program, he received exceptional mentorship and held influential roles in various international locations – USA, Australia, Italy, China and Poland.
His tenure at Vectrix was marked by significant scaling efforts, despite the challenges posed by the 2008 economic downturn. As a co-founder of GOVECS, Nicholas demonstrated his capacity as a visionary by introducing numerous successful products across Europe.
In 2019, Nicholas assumed the role of CEO at expondo, where his strategic leadership amplified annual sales from €47 million to €112 million within four years. His focus on outcome-driven strategies has repeatedly proven effective in multiplying bottom line profitability, solidifying his reputation for restructuring and growing eCommerce and technology companies.
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I have worked with Nicholas through a secondary share sale process for all of 2021 while he was the CEO of expondo Group GmbH. Participating with him in over 70+ investor meetings I have seen first-hand his professional approach and deep industrial knowledge. He thinks fast, never rattled, and has endless energy. We wouldn’t have closed the deal without him in the role of the CEO.
I worked with Nicholas over the last two years on the global forum committee for YPO. I’ve seen firsthand his ability to quickly synthesize board-level information into the key points to focus on, and even drive them into action himself where he was best suited to do so. He is one of those natural team players that everyone on the board is inspired to work with. He sets a high standard of professionalism in every aspect of the role and our board committee has made a step change since Nicholas has joined.
I’ve reported directly to Nicholas over the past 3 years and was always impressed by the way he was able to navigate through the board meetings with effectiveness and a 6th sense. He has an ability to simplify complex scenarios and always focusing on what’s most important to the enterprise. He was always transparent working with the organization and at the same time able to keep the board on track. Highly recommended and would embrace working with him again.
Mr Holdcraft is a unique talent, unlike anyone I have ever met. He had fierce passion, drive, and enthusiasm for building the vision of expondo as our CEO.
Nicholas is an active listener and easy to communicate with on a daily basis.
He has next-level presentation, interpersonal, and communication skills. He will always be open to providing feedback but is always advocating for employees and looking at how he can support them. Even at times with Nicholas and I did not see eye-to-eye, he would encourage those difficult conversations because that means progress as we come to a solution and create an action plan around that. One of my favourite things about working with Nicholas is how tactical he can be. He has the ability to know when to go hands-on founder mode, versus letting his teams do what they do best.
Getting to know and work with Nicholas has been a privilege and a pleasure. I know this won’t be the last he hears from me, and I am truly grateful for the friendship we’ve formed during my time at expondo.
As my direct manager, Nicholas was instrumental in clearing the way for my team to launch a new headless e-commerce platform in May of 2023. As a transformational project impacted every corner of the organization he was crucial in making the hard prioritising decisions that have led to successful overall company results. Nicholas has an exceptional ability to shift from calm strategic thinking to crisis management and back, if the situation requires it. He has an unlimited amount of positive energy to drive results and energize others. Always supportive and a guiding light for me and my team.
Nicholas is the most inspiring CEO I’ve had the privilege to work with.
He’s a next-level leader, mentor, and strategic thinker, bringing tremendous energy and drive to everything he does. What sets him apart is his ability to create an environment of growth while maximizing everyone’s efforts in a culture of inclusion and empowerment. Even during tough times, he guides the group with unwavering clarity and honesty, earning the respect of employees at all levels.
His balance of hard and soft skills, extraordinary empathy, and strong connection with others truly define what a modern leader should be.
Nicholas is one of the most professional direct managers I have had throughout my career. His ability to clarify extremely complicated topics and laser in on root causes is unparalleled. He is deeply focused on the people and their continuous development, and also has taught me a lot about being a Managing Director over the years. He balances business needs and people in a very special way that makes people go the extra mile. I highly recommend him to any investor or supervisory board.
I had a pleasure to work with Nicholas on an innovative product development program in automotive industry. At the same time we have entirely transformed portfolio, program and project management approach of the R&D organization he was leading. It led to dramatic increase in ability to serve B2B customers around Europe (40% in 18 months!). It’s a rare opportunity to work with such an inspirational leader as Nicholas. He is one of those leaders who constantly re-invent themselves, quickly becoming role models for their teams and business partners. His unstoppable drive to develop himself and people around, combined with laser focus on understanding the market and customer needs is highly contagious. No wonder he builds high performance teams that quickly lead to strong business performance. And he is simply a great person to work with.
I reported directly to Nicholas for over 5 years and since that period he has become a mentor to me providing career guideance through the challenging career transitions in my professional journey. He is motivational and a guiding light for me, creating an overall positive impact on my life. Everyone should have someone like him in their life.
I have worked with Nicholas over the past 6 years during various key inflection points in his businesses. Together we brought his senior management team closer together and fostered real team collaboration. He is one of the most people-cantered leaders that I have worked with in my career, delivering business results by leading with the heart. He quickly develops deep connection with colleagues and leads from a position of openness and vulnerability. Nicholas is a next-generation CEO,
