Knut Foeckler is a marketing and media expert with comprehensive operational experience in research, advertising and brand management. Furthermore, he has fundamental experience in the creation of film and TV productions as well as media convergence. After a comprehensive career in the advertising industry he is a consultant.
Knut Foeckler studied in Braunschweig, Oxford and Hamburg. In 1973 he graduated from the University of Hamburg with a degree in business administration and economics (Diplom-Kaufmann). He embarked on his professional career as manager of the market research company "Gesellschaft fuer Marktforschung" in Hamburg. Thereafter he took the position of the assistant to the General Manager and worked as personnel manager of a Unilever firm. In 1975 he joined the marketing team of Philip Morris GmbH, and he was responsible for many successful international campaigns. In 1987 he was promoted to Managing Director Marketing. Marlboro became the number one brand in the German market.
In 1992 he served the Munich based KirchGroup [media] as Executive Vice President, and from 1993-1995 he moved on to hold the position of Head of Entertainment and Director Marketing at SAT.1 television. In November 1994 the broadcaster took the prime time lead (18.9 % of all viewers), and for the first time in its history SAT.1 was in the black. 1996 Microsoft recruited Foeckler to manage their German MSN division, re-launching the service on IP technology. 1998 he joined Deutsche Telekom as Executive VP and as General Manager of their Multimedia division, including T-Online that went public early in 2000. He also co-operated closely with the venture capital division of Deutsche Telekom, T-Venture.
He has held various board mandates: T-Online (ISP/Portal), TeleCash (e-commerce), Multimedia Software Dresden (IT/Multimedia), Media Service Munich (cable business and pay TV MEDIAVISION), DeTeSat (satellite business), Intershop AG (e-commerce), Brainpool TV AG (TV show production), SRO AG (movie production), Kabel BW (cable TV), Bet3000 (sport betting), DOHAWAII DSH International, Inc. (deep sea [drinking] water), D+S Europe (solution provider for e-commerce and customer value added management), gruenkauf AG (loyalty card for green consumers in combination with a trade fair, a monthly print magazine, and a community for green entrepreneurs).
Based on his expertise on convergent communication platforms and his extensive international marketing background Foeckler advises enterprises/investors with a focus on (new) media and content as well as on marketing and branding issues. In 2004 he managed the launch of Groupe AB´s terranova, the first European free TV documentary channel, and he continued being their consultant.
Keen always to share his knowledge, Foeckler has in addition to his business career taught as a professor for Design at the Cologne International School of Design as well as lecturing at the University for Television and Film (HFF) in Munich, and receiving an honorary professorship at the Freie Universitaet Berlin, Institute for Arts and Media Administration, teaching Marketing and New Media. He teaches MEDIA at the MBS/Munich Business School, and he is a member of the advisory board for Post-Graduate-Studies EMBE HSG / Executive Master of Business Engineering at the Hochschule St. Gallen, Switzerland.
He also serves as President of “Keine Macht den Drogen” (No Power To Drugs), a non-profit organization fighting against drug abuse amongst children and young adults.
Munich, September 2011