Aventine Advisory GmbH is an executive-led operating partner to owners, investors and boards across travel technology, aviation distribution, digital marketplaces and e-commerce platforms. Independent counsel in transactions, transformation and value creation - grounded in direct P&L leadership, not advisory theory.
Three integrated disciplines. A single accountable partner at the table - from preventive structuring through operational execution to post-closing value capture.
M&A advisory, complex carve-outs and technology-enabled value creation in digital-analog environments. Strategic framing, bid architecture and due diligence leadership on both sides of the transaction. Reduction of transaction latency alongside private equity, family offices and strategic investors.
Post-merger integration, redesign of workflows and decision structures, and software-enabled complexity reduction. Scaling decision velocity and safeguarding EBITDA in international units with revenue responsibility in the three-digit million-euro range.
Interim mandates at executive level, strategic advisory and governance roles (supervisory board member candidate, in preparation), and operating partner engagements. Assumption of operational responsibility in succession scenarios, ownership transitions and the critical post-deal execution phase.
Executive leadership across global technology, travel and digital commerce platforms. Direct accountability for international P&Ls, cross-border integrations and investor returns.
Direct P&L accountability for the EMEA Business Travel Agencies portfolio at Amadeus, with annual revenue in the three-digit million-euro range, throughout the COVID-19 travel industry crisis. Executed proactive commercial course corrections, strict cost discipline and margin protection to secure regional retention targets and buffer bottom-line impact across international markets.
More than two decades of operating leadership at international technology and travel platforms - Amadeus, TravelTainment, Amazon (BuyVIP), eBay and HRS - with recurring end-to-end responsibility for global P&Ls, commercial performance, corporate strategy and the execution of large-scale transformation programs across decentralized international organizations.
Post-merger integrations and carve-outs delivered across multiple jurisdictions and business cultures, including the integration of Travel-IMS (Spain) and Pyton Travel (Netherlands) at TravelTainment - awarded the Netherlands Innovation Award 2020 - and the €77M exit of BuyVIP to the Amazon Group as Country Manager Germany.
Deutsche Börse / Steinbeis-Hochschule - Supervisory Board Member Candidate (in preparation, expected completion Q4 2026). No current supervisory board mandate is held. Prior governance experience includes concluded mandates on the Amadeus Corporate Investment Committee, the Amadeus Innovation Review Board and the Amadeus Finland Board.
I invest personally in outstanding intrapreneurs and founders who value operating experience and want to multiply capital through sparring. If you are leading a scalable B2B model with a clear go-to-market path and are looking for an experienced operator by your side, I invite you to a confidential discussion.
Employee Financial Wellbeing (EFW) for the DACH market. B2B-SaaS platform with an AI financial agent powered by banking data that reduces employee financial stress and delivers measurable outcomes for employers in productivity, retention and sick days.
End-to-end HR software for corporate workations. Automates workflows, billing and compliance for distributed and hybrid teams, turning workation into a scalable employee benefit that supports retention, productivity and legal certainty across European jurisdictions.
Aventine is led by Bernhard Steffens. More than two decades as Managing Director and Global Senior Vice President at Amadeus, TravelTainment, Amazon, eBay and HRS - with direct P&L responsibility for international portfolios in the three-digit million-euro range.
The work begins where presentations end: carve-outs that must close, integrations that must hold, P&Ls that must recover, teams that must deliver. Owners, investors and boards engage Aventine when accountability and execution carry equal weight with analysis.
The strategic discipline of global technology leaders, combined with the value-oriented, multi-generational perspective of the German Mittelstand - rooted personally in nine generations of family stewardship.
Mandates begin with a direct exchange between principals. Correspondence is received personally.