Our team

Each of us brings our own unique skills and experience to the table. This makes us strong and versatile. All team members have a unique personality – with humor, heart, edges and corners. We are all united in our passion for transformation and development.

All Consultants Trainers Coaches

Michaela Sauerwein

Founder, business coach and consultant

Michaela has found her true passion. Known as the “go-to person for difficult cases,” she thrives on tackling complex challenges with our clients. Her focus lies in analysing issues in depth and developing creative, tailor-made solutions that truly fit.

With over 20 years of hands-on experience as an entrepreneur and leader, Michaela brings extensive expertise as a strategy, organisational development and change management consultant, as well as a business coach, mentor and trainer. She shares her knowledge as a speaker and lecturer at universities and universities of applied sciences, particularly on topics such as strategy, organisational development, leadership, change management and project management—and, of course, as a trainer in the COX Leadership Development Programme.

Michaela recharges her energy through morning walks in the forest with her Irish Setter Lotti, skiing and mountaineering with her family, and exploring new culinary destinations.

Flora Otahal

Senior Trainer and Business Coach

Flora Otahal supports leaders, teams and organisations in sustainable development and change processes. She believes that effective leadership requires conscious self-reflection and intentional action, which is why she works hands-on through leadership trainings, team workshops and business coaching. Her approach is grounded in systemic thinking and a clear focus on the psychology of change.

In coaching, Flora primarily works with top talent and mid-level leaders, with a particular emphasis on mindfulness-based self-leadership and the conscious shaping of one’s leadership role. She is known for empathic listening, integrating diverse perspectives and working collaboratively to create clarity in complex situations.

Her experience as a trainer, coach and university lecturer in career and personal development directly informs her work. Beyond her professional role, Flora enjoys immersing herself in books, continuously broadening her perspective on leadership, learning and what it means to be human.

Magdalena Reiter

Trainer and Coach

With a wealth of experience in learning & development, Magdalena guides organizations through development processes – across industries and always with an eye for the essentials: the power of good leadership and effective collaboration. Her professional journey has taken her through the tech and EdTech industry, the hotel industry and HR development – both at home and abroad, where she lived and worked for several years.

As a trainer, Magdalena supports teams and managers in their further development. She brings sound didactic expertise, combining structure with empathy, theory with practice, and ambition with humanity. Her passion for playful learning is reflected in the design and implementation of training programs and workshops.

With her open, warm manner and curiosity for languages and cultures, she creates spaces for genuine interaction – characterized by lightness, depth and clarity.

As a nature-loving Waldviertel native and Salzburg resident by choice, she finds her energy outdoors – swimming, running or hiking. Music is her creative source of strength and provides a balance to everyday life.

Sebastian Stangl

Senior Consultant for Strategy, Organisation and Change Management

Sebastian Stangl supports organisations through complex change and development processes, bringing a business psychology perspective that places people at the centre as a key driver of success. As a Senior Consultant, he combines work and organisational psychology expertise with strategic and entrepreneurial thinking, drawing on many years of consulting experience in national and international projects (including Austria, Germany and the UK).

His work spans a wide range of industries – from pharma and automotive to technology, software, creative agencies and tax advisory services. His core focus areas include maintaining organisational performance during restructuring, closure and growth phases, developing and sustainably embedding corporate and leadership culture, as well as strategy development and implementation.

Sebastian’s science-based approach, strengthened by his doctoral studies and ongoing research involvement, shapes his analytical, structured and methodically clear way of working. In addition, he is active in academia, teaching and presenting on topics such as behavioural economics and decision-making, personal development, applied leadership and corporate social responsibility.

Within the COX team, Sebastian is known for calmness, structure and reliability – providing clarity, direction and a steady anchor in challenging times.

Helga Seyffertitz

Assistant to the management

Helga values the combination of structure and variety. She oversees all organisational and administrative activities required to deliver our services smoothly. In doing so, she works closely with COX founder Michaela Sauerwein, while also supporting the wider team whenever needed.

With many years of experience as a hotel Front Office Manager and as part of a hotel’s management team, Helga brings a strong sense of customer focus, team leadership and crisis management. Shaped by her background in hospitality, she is driven by high standards of efficiency and service quality – values that are an integral part of daily work at COX as well.

Outside of the office, Helga finds balance in cooking. It’s no surprise she’s known as the “Master of Meal Prep,” often admired for her delicious homemade dishes.

Viktoria Kaindl

Marketing Manager

A strong sense of aesthetics and a high standard of quality form the foundation of Viktoria’s work. As the creative lead of our team, she is responsible for all aspects of design and marketing, ensuring that content, brand presence, and visual communication align seamlessly and create a strong overall impact. With a diploma from a vocational upper secondary school specializing in graphic and communication design, she combines creative intuition with solid professional expertise.

In addition, Viktoria plays a key role in shaping our presence on social media. Her goal is not only to create visually appealing content, but also to communicate in a way that is dialogue-oriented, authentic, and tailored to the respective target audiences.

Viktoria approaches her work with both creativity and structure. She brings clarity to visual concepts, further develops ideas, and ensures that design is understood and applied as a strategic tool. Her passion for design is evident in every project and has a lasting influence on the professional appearance of our company.

COX partners

Dr. Andreas Schimpf

Strategy and transformation expert

“Why? One world. One people. What? Shaping the future together! How: Teams. Results. Strategies. Let’s make a difference!”

Is a strategy and transformation expert with over 20 years of experience, particularly in the mobility sector as well as in fashion, media and sport. This relates to the strategy concept and the management of the strategy implementation process. Working with cross-functional, international management teams is one of his strengths. For him, a strategy is successful when it becomes tangible in above-average economic results and a winning team spirit. And if it is developed and implemented in parallel with day-to-day business.
Customer feedback: “I love working with you because you not only help me achieve results, but also make my teams better”.

In his private life, Dr. Andreas Schimpf loves magical moments. To develop new potential for success at work and to be economically successful. In football as a fan in Rio de Jainero in the final at the Maracana Stadium, as a player Bavarian champion. As a father, receiving the “Oscar” for best dad from his children.

PROF. 博士 (Doctor) Lena Bernhofer

Professor, expert, partner

“My drive is to promote change through innovation and to inspire others to grow – always with a curiosity for new challenges!”

Lena is Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She has built up her expertise over 15 years, both practically and theoretically: Practically as an entrepreneur and founder, as well as a consultant for innovation, strategy and change management. Theoretical researcher in Germany, China and the USA on the topics of entrepreneurship, ecosystems and education.

What makes Lena special? A good example of this is the current rapid change brought about by AI in the education sector. She loves to be in one of the centers of great change and to discover, experience and actively implement the new possibilities both on a large and small scale.

In her private life, Lena focuses on family, friends, sport and travel. She was particularly proud when she accompanied her son to taekwondo training for the first time. As a former taekwondo fighter and competitive athlete, this was a special moment.

Sabrina Stipp

Business coach, alternative practitioner for psychotherapy

‘I am fascinated by what moves, motivates and inspires people – and sometimes also hinders them’

As an ICF-certified, systemic business coach (PCC), Sabrina has been combining the world of coaching with counselling therapy approaches since 2017. This means she can also support clients who are under a lot of pressure. The business graduate (University of Cologne) specialises in leadership coaching, management development, supporting change and decision-making processes, personal development and mental health.

After seven years in China with three children and the establishment of an agency with 100 employees, Sabrina is no longer easily rattled. From 2004 to 2011, she was Head of Strategy and HR at Avantgarde Gesellschaft für Kommunikation in Shanghai. Before that (1995-2004), she provided strategic advice to the communications and media industry.

Mag. Astrid Maria Harner

Trainer and business coach

‘I love to contribute to the development of a new generation of leaders – I am convinced that coaching makes life easier in everyday leadership!’

Astrid, a qualified mental trainer and business coach, combines her deep understanding of mental strength with innovative coaching techniques to accompany managers on their path to sustainable success. She provides sensitive support in business coaching sessions on the way to individual solutions. A strong thirst for knowledge meets empathy and communication skills. Astrid’s dream is to conduct coaching sessions on the mountain, because that is her favourite place.

Ass.-Prof. Dr. Sandra Julia Diller

Professor of Organisational Psychology, expert in coaching, leadership & change

‘I am inspired by the vision of shaping positive change through responsible and value-orientated leadership.’

Sandra is a university-certified coach, social skills trainer and PSI consultant. She has been coaching and training managers and teams since 2011 and has been teaching and researching these topics since 2016 (e.g. leading MBA coaching & article ‘Ethics in digital and AI coaching’). In her leadership training courses, she wants to emphasise the relevance of self-leadership and leadership as a role model. As a mother in a leadership role, she has also dealt extensively with the various role expectations (see her Springer book ‘Familie, Führung & Ich’).

With her training in systemic behavioural psychology and positive psychology, Sandra brings an integrative and individual needs-oriented perspective to coaching. Due to her additional training as a yoga teacher and research on the subject of mindfulness, she enjoys dealing with topics relating to mental health.

Mag.(FH) Nicole Schieferer-Rabara, MTD

Business trainer, business coach & consultant

‘It is my passion to support young talents and established leaders alike in gaining their inner clarity and realising their full potential.’

Nicole, a master’s graduate in training and development and an expert in change management, combines her deep understanding of leadership with a holistic approach to supporting leaders.

With her experience as a young executive who experienced a corporate merger, she offers valuable insights into transformation processes. Leadership, change management and the promotion of a healthy corporate culture are her favourite topics.

Her studies in health management emphasise the importance of mental health and mindfulness.

As a business trainer and business coach, she inspires people to define their personal vision.

Mag. Sabine Gebetsroither

Systemic coach, trainer for teams & communication, team developer

‘I am passionate about inspiring people and organisations for their positive development and their true potential.’

Development is possible. As an academically certified coach, communication expert and organisational developer, she accompanies companies and people on their individual development path with heart, competence and humour. Sabine is a hostess and moderator at eye and heart level and with the approaches from positive psychology and her systemic solution-orientated way of working, she designs coaching, training and workshops for sustainable and positive experiences of success.

Sabine loves nature as a valuable resource and the Salzkammergut region, values mindfulness and is committed to mental health. As a yoga and meditation teacher and seminar leader, Sabine imparts Far Eastern wisdom and techniques for mindful (self-)leadership and a successful life.