Peter Witke

Client: Peter Witke was head of international sales at a medical supply company in northern Europe. He was responsible for international expansion efforts through a global network of distributors and direct export customers.

Industry: Medical Devices

Function: Sales & Marketing

Challenge: After nine years at the company, Peter disagreed with the new management and found himself without a job. Having spent nearly two decades in the medical devices industry, he decided it was time for a new start.

Process: Peter found the Career Plan segment to be an „eyeopener” about himself. Equipped with a powerful new resume, Peter’s job search led him to engage with several opportunities in the hidden job market.

Landing: Peter landed a position as chief commercial officer (CCO) for a German-based medical devices company, where he now directs sales, marketing, and customer service operations.

Nine years ago Peter Witke left his post as vice president of international marketing and sales at a global wound care company in Germany to become senior vice president of international sales for a leading manufacturer of respiratory diagnostics products in northern Europe. As Peter describes it, the Scandinavian opportunity presented a new challenge and a chance for him to grow.

For many years Peter’s new job proved to be the fruitful challenge he anticipated. Eventually he was promoted to the role of Chief Commercial Officer, in which position he controlled all areas of global business development, marketing, sales, and customer service. But after about nine years at the company, disagreements with a new management team left Peter feeling out of place.

„I’m a professional, and management knows what’s best for the company,” said Peter. „But every professional has his or her own beliefs and working style, and my working style was no longer compatible with that of the company. I had to search for something new.”

As Peter pondered his options, he happened to read a featured article by The Career Doctor’s CEO on LinkedIn. The questions the article raised resonated with Peter’s situation at the time.

„Most important is the Career Plan because it helps you understand yourself. It says, 'Peter Witke, these are your areas of competence and these are areas of development. Keep doing this to succeed, but also try to improve in these areas.'”

Peter quickly enrolled and began The Career Doctor program. He found the Career Plan portion, in which clients undergo a battery of assessment exercises to identify their personality type, strengths and weaknesses, and ideal career direction, to be an „eyeopener.”

„In just the first week or two I learned more about myself than I had learned in years.”

With more knowledge about his strengths and the areas that fit his personality, Peter then got to work writing a new resume that better showcased his abilities and accomplishments.

Having gone through much of his program and armed with his new resume, Peter began reaching out to interesting job targets. In his search, he identified several opportunities in what The Career Doctor refers to as the „unpublished market” – the 75% of available jobs that are never formally posted.

„My advice: go into this with 100% commitment; otherwise don’t do it.”

Peter was ultimately recruited for a position as chief commercial officer (CCO) for a German-based medical devices company that he had spotted through his research of the unpublished market.

„I reached out to them because the company developed products in my area of expertise. I drafted a cover letter and sent my CV to them, and it turned out they had a need for exactly my profile. Now, as CCO, I run all the commercial operations of the company, both in sales and marketing.”

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