Victoria Englert

Victoria Englert

Business Systems & Marketing
Operator · Entrepreneur

Business Systems & Marketing
Operator · Entrepreneur

Business Systems & Marketing
Operator · Entrepreneur

I build the systems, workflows and operating rhythms that turn strategy into reliable execution.

14 years of experience across fast-moving, cross-functional organisations, from global agencies to early-stage, founder-led companies.

I build the systems, workflows and operating rhythms that turn strategy into reliable execution.

14 years of experience across fast-moving, cross-functional organisations, from global agencies to early-stage, founder-led companies.

My Story

I've been a structure nerd since kindergarten. My mum showed me the letters that I wrote as a kid — and they were bulleted. Looking back, it is no surprise that I ended up building a career out of implementing structures for teams.

What is surprising, however, is my journey to get here.

I started out in top marketing agencies, helping some of the world's biggest brands hold their market dominance. But as the campaigns got bigger, running them felt more like managing a supply chain than the creative work most people picture. So many moving parts to align — Strategy, Creative, Media, Publishers, Product, Channel — and for the multi-million-euro international campaigns I specialised in, the complexity multiplied.

That's how I became obsessed with the art of orchestration. I studied how knowledge moves through a team, why some groups seem to run effortlessly while others grind to a halt, and how to get good work done without getting on people's nerves. What soon became clear was this: organisations are like living ecosystems; strategy, people, tools, and process are all connected — and the magic is in how well they align.

Marketing was still interesting, but my curiosity around the management of people, task and knowledge has pushed me to pursue an alternative path.

I now focus on helping service-based businesses design and implement the systems that keep their work organised, predictable, and calm. I don't know where the path leads next, and I like it that way. Either way, my five-year-old self — the one who bulleted her letters — would be pleased.

Core Competencies

Operations & systems design

Designing the operating system a team actually runs on — spaces, workflows, task standards, and clear ownership, built around how the business really works. Operating-system design

(Google · Microsoft · ClickUp · Notion · Jira) · Process architecture & SOPs · Execution rhythms & sprint cadences · Ways of working & ownership · Change management & adoption

Cross-functional delivery & programme leadership

Turning complex, multi-stakeholder objectives into plans, owners, and timelines that hold — across markets, disciplines, and senior stakeholders.

Multi-market programme delivery · Strategy-to-execution translation · Delivery predictability under constraint · Stakeholder alignment · Budget ownership · Escalation & decision-making

Marketing & growth

Fourteen years of marketing depth, from global brand campaigns to founder-led B2B growth.

Brand marketing · Ad Campaign Strategy · Programmatic advertising · B2B GTM & ABM · SEO · Product & UX execution · Positioning & messaging · Copywriting

AI, automation & data

The automation and visibility layer that keeps execution light — AI-enabled workflows, no-code tooling, and dashboards leadership can trust.

AI-enabled workflows · No-code development · Dashboards & reporting · Data visibility

Experience

2026 — present

Founder & Principal — Systemique

Independent business systems consulting. I help founder-led teams turn operational chaos into systems that run — diagnosis, operating-system design, and hands-on implementation.

2025

Marketing & Operations Lead — Battery Associates

Brought in by the founder to lead marketing and install execution structure during a growth phase. Built the company’s operating system in ClickUp, defined ways of working, and led a full brand relaunch.

2023 — 2025

Chief Marketing Officer & Co-Founder — Qurator.com Sustainability Tech Scouting

Co-founded a B2B climate-tech platform, operating as the systems-and-execution lead across the whole company: internal operating system, remote-team rhythms, AI and no-code automation, product and UX, and a major Webflow migration.

2022 — 2023

Digital Director — Spark Foundry (Publicis)

Senior leadership role in a global media network for Disney Germany. Built centralized reporting and dashboards, streamlined delivery across a 30-person team, and acted as the escalation-and-decision point that unblocked execution.

2018 — 2021

International Account Director — Mindshare (WPP)

Led global programmes for enterprise clients across 60+ markets — Lufthansa, Sanofi, Deutsche Telekom, and BASF — translating complex objectives into structured plans, timelines, and ownership models.

2012 — 2018

Earlier agency & in-house roles

European Digital Campaigning Lead at Havas Media Group; Senior Digital Account Manager & Strategist at deepblue networks; Project Manager at Razorfish; and Corporate Brand & Digital Marketing at Deutsche Post DHL — spanning cross-market campaigns, digital transformation, and stakeholder-led delivery.

Credentials

Bachelor of Business Management

Dual major in Marketing and Corporate Communications (Dean's List)

Agile Certified Practitioner

Project Management Institute

Languages

English (native)
Chinese (native)
German (Telc C1)

Ideas I Live By

Systems beat individual effort

Systems eat individual effort for breakfast. When something’s broken, I look at the structure before I look at the person. Burnout, bad hires, chaos in a company — these are design failures, not moral ones. Outcomes are rarely about character; they’re about design.

Don’t take people’s word for it

Truth lives where the work happens. I won’t recommend changing a process I haven’t done myself, even the low-status Excel report. Interviews are weak evidence on their own, because people shade the truth to protect their self-image and have real blind spots about their own work. So I participate first, then advise. Management is not a hands-off job.

Humane and profitable is not a trade-off

You can build a workplace that helps people reach their potential and is both profitable and non-exploitative. Exploitation is usually a design failure, not a business necessity. I don’t accept the false choice between “humane” and “profitable” — profit and dignity aren’t opposites; bad design just makes them look that way.

Work should mean something

I think of organisations as ecosystems, not machines. The E-Myth says a founder should build a business that serves their life; I extend the same to everyone inside the company. People don’t only burn out from having too much on their plate — they burn out from doing meaningless work. Do the work well, take real satisfaction in it, and lead by serving the people who do it.

Radical honesty

I believe in radical honesty — with others and with myself. It’s how I learn and grow, and it’s the only honest basis for fixing anything. Honesty is a form of kindness, even when it’s hard to give or hear.

No bullshit bingo

I have zero tolerance for bullshit bingo, and I don’t hide behind sophisticated language to feel superior. If I can’t say it plainly, I don’t understand it well enough yet.

My Projects

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My YouTube Channel

I make videos to share the practical systems I’ve learnt over the years that small business can deploy to help tame their chaos.

The BeaverStack

The BeaverStack is my home on Substack — it’s where I share ideas and observations about the art and science of getting sh*t done, scalable systems and unglamorous operations. I also enjoy interacting with other Substackers, so come say hello!

AI CRM (local-first) for solopreneurs

A fully local, file-based CRM I built to run my own outreach — AI-assisted, no cloud, no subscription, and the data never leaves your machine. I walk through how it works on YouTube.

Media

The Responsible Edge Podcast

A conversation on why climate tech stalls between the lab and the market — and what actually drives adoption.

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Outside of the Office

I am an alpinist — which is basically a snobbish way to say that my climbs are technical and dangerous and don't confuse me with casual hikers 😆

I also spend my spare time volunteering for animal welfare, including being a pigeon foster. I've nursed and released 17 pigeons to date. You can read more here.

Since the pandemic, I've also started growing vegetables on my balcony. You gotta learn how to grow food because you never know when the zombie apocalypse is going to hit! (Kidding, I enjoy nurturing a small private oasis for the insects)

Last but not least, I used to be the lead singer of a rock band. But nowadays I only sing in select weddings.

Let's get in touch

If you have interesting ideas on how we could work together, I'd be happy to be in touch.

You can reach me via email, use the contact form below, LinkedIn message, or book a short meeting here.