Steffen Frischat

Steffen supports organizations on their journey toward self-organization and sustainability as an @Evolutionary Catalyst. His personal purpose is:

Creating spaces where people can make their best contribution.

A PhD physicist, he was a board member of a Tech DAX-listed company in the field of cybersecurity, embedded within a 150-year-old family business. He later took on responsibility at ENTEGA – then Germany's largest sustainable energy provider – for building new business areas and leading the agile transformation of product development. A recurring theme in his work is how genuine innovation and cultural change can succeed within the tension field of established structures.

In line with his purpose, he is also active as a social entrepreneur: as co-founder of Ashoka Impact Transfer, panelist of the Google Impact Challenge, and currently as the initiator of the Organizational Development Goals initiative.

Steffen has an 18-year-old daughter and lives in Munich, Basel, and Vienna – and, as a committed climate advocate: on the train.

What is the main focus of your work at dwarfs and Giants?

• Future-ready Organizations: Develop strategies, structures, and leadership that are fit for uncertain times – enabling more flexibility, room to maneuver, and proactive action.
• Regenerative Transformation: Deeply embed sustainability into structures, culture, and mindset – as an integral part, not an add-on.
• Rethinking Business: Develop entrepreneurial strategies that align economic success with planetary boundaries.
• Innovation: Focus on sustainability, AI integration, and product development – and how these unlock new potential for organizations.

What have been your most important learning experiences?

Working with social entrepreneurs has shown me how powerful purpose can be – especially when it is concrete and has real impact. When people know that their work contributes to something better, it gives them energy, direction, and perseverance.

My transition from traditional leadership to being an effective part of self-organized systems – along with a growing awareness of being an old white man – demands continuous unlearning: of inherited role models, unspoken privileges, and recognition logics…