Women With Impact #50 - Miriam van Straelen
Welcome to Women With Impact, a newsletter all about the journeys of mission-driven women and how they have a positive impact in our world.
I’m Clara Richter and this is the 50th edition of Women With Impact. If you enjoy this issue, please share it with a friend and like it above.
For this edition, I have had the pleasure to interview Miriam van Straelen. Miriam has more than 20 years of experience in the digital ecosystem where she has been responsible for commercialising digital business models, creating strategies that work and ensuring they are operationalised and deliver impact. Digital products in the payments, e-commerce, SaaS and B2B2C platform space have been her main focus. Until recently, Miriam was Partner at the international strategy consulting company Roland Berger and has held leadership positions at international organisations like ebay, PayPal and the price comparison marketplace idealo. Her responsibilities spanned from driving business growth through developing and launching customer experiences and innovative products, leading digital transformations to building sustainable business models. As an expert in this area, Miriam also serves as a board member and advisor for a wide range of companies. She is Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board at the international business school ESCP, Founder and CEO of the investment company Gemico12 Holding, Non-Executive Director at mcf Corporate Finance and Advisory Board member at the Hettich Group (a German hidden champion). Additionally, Miriam is a mentor, coach, business angel and keynote speaker.
Wishing you a pleasant read!
Best,
Clara
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The Journey
Who are you and how do you most like to spend your time?
I am an authentic leader driven by integrity and a visionary mindset, passionate about creating and innovating rather than maintaining the status quo. I thrive in environments where high-performing teams come together to achieve ambitious goals, and I take immense pride in what we can accomplish collectively. For me, the best feeling is the pride that comes from tackling ambitious and complex challenges and turning them into meaningful successes — because true pride is earned, not through easy wins, but through overcoming obstacles and achieving something extraordinary.
On a more personal note, I have a deep love for nature, traveling, and exploring the richness of diversity. I pay particular attention to stepping out of my bubble to learn about different perspectives and cultures, as I believe this broadens both personal and professional horizons. I am also a dog person and enjoy going on long walks with our two dogs on the weekends.
Up until recently, you were Partner at Roland Berger. You are the Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board at ESCP, Founder and CEO of the investment company Gemico12 Holding, Non-Executive Director at mcf Corporate Finance, and Advisory Board Member of the Hettich Group as well as start-up mentor and business angel. How do you switch hats between your multiple roles?
I very much enjoy having variety in my day-to-day. For me, this is the spice of life. I'm extremely curious and very interested in people, their organisations, the processes they create and follow, different cultures as well as different ways of working. Additionally, driving sustainable business impact with a great team is what drives me most. Over the last 20 years, I have enjoyed working in international environments, with diverse teams. These topics have been a common theme which accompanied me throughout my career. I enjoy thinking about how these aspects all come together most efficiently. Not liking silos, I am adapting a general management perspective to essentially ensuring that the goals from each area are reached.
How did you come about specialising in this area? How did you know 20 years ago that this is the path you would be pursuing?
My very first job was in consulting. The choice to pursue strategy consulting ties back to being a very curious individual and wanting to explore many different things. Deciding on my first career step was not easy, so consulting would be a good chance to get an overview of different industries and modes of working. Based in London back then, I wanted to come back to Berlin for personal reasons. At the time, ebay was growing significantly, which essentially was my entry point into the digital world. Later, I had the chance to work for several more international tech companies, such as PayPal. These experiences helped me get a good foothold in the Berlin startup-scene. Ever since, I've been focusing on digital businesses mainly around commercialising digital and platform business models.
The Lessons
Reflecting on what happened in the last year, what's was your biggest achievement or what made you the proudest?
My daily motivator is that I want to be proud of what I am contributing to. Every day, every week, every month and every year I want to be able to look back and feel proud of not necessarily what I've done but what we have done and contributed towards together. I'm convinced that we're stronger together, especially diverse teams. To me, diversity is nothing without inclusion — therefore, I have always been a big supporter of creating inclusive environments.
I would consider my biggest achievement any day where I was able to advance a business, help colleagues, or do something better than yesterday. I especially like the concept of ‘raising the floor’, so not ‘raising the bar’ and trying to jump higher. On the contrary, the concept about ‘raising the floor’ it's about small improvements and being and doing better every single day — essentially raising the average.
From what situation have you most grown this year, if you would like to share?
This year has been a pivotal one for me in terms of personal and professional growth, particularly in aligning my actions with my core values of authenticity, integrity, and a commitment to empowering others. I’ve had the opportunity to navigate complex situations while staying true to these principles, demonstrating that success is not just about achieving goals but about doing so in a way that inspires trust and respect.
A key part of my growth has been investing in others — whether through mentoring or fostering high-performing teams — and seeing their development as a reflection of my leadership approach. To deepen my impact, I’ve also begun qualifying as an ICF-certified coach, a journey that has further enriched my understanding of how to support and unlock potential in others while staying rooted in empathy and authenticity.
This year has reinforced my belief that leading with integrity and focusing on values not only drives sustainable success but also creates an environment where everyone feels empowered to grow and thrive.
What, in your opinion, does the future of Germany hold when it comes to supporting sustainable digital business models, to strengthening Germany’s overall economic power?
As we all know, Germany is very far behind in anything digital when you compare it to other countries. I believe it's quite sad because if we look at our level of innovative expertise and capabilities, we could be so much further than we are currently at. We have so many great people in this country who are willing to change things, but too often it feels like it's very hard to get things moving. In my opinion, part of it is the mentality, which is holding us back — as in ‘why change something if we’ve always done it this way?’. Being half American, I very often look across the ocean and wish that my German fellow citizens would have a little bit more of the American ‘can-do’ attitude to help us move forward as a nation and make our economy great again. I always try to balance the U.S. ‘can-do’ attitude and ‘80:20 rule’, with German attention to detail and perfectionism.
The Inspiration
Any last remarks you would like to share with our Women With Impact community?
My advice to the Women With Impact community is to never underestimate the power of self-reflection as a resource. In our fast-paced world, taking the time to pause and reflect on what truly matters — your values, strengths, and aspirations —can be transformative. It’s not only about identifying opportunities but also about aligning them with what makes you authentic and fulfilled.
Authenticity is key. Only when you are true to yourself can the power within you truly come to light. Embrace who you are, because, as Oscar Wilde famously said, ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’
I also encourage you to seek out sparring partners or mentors — people who challenge your thinking, inspire you, and help you grow. Surrounding yourself with diverse perspectives fosters resilience and innovation.
Finally, remember that ambition is powerful, but so is giving yourself grace. Celebrate your wins, even the small ones, and be proud of the impact you make every day.
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