Crowdfox appoints McKinsey advisor and former RWE Chief Procurement Officer as Senior Advisors
The Cologne-based technology company Crowdfox continues to expand its procurement network and has appointed two distinguished procurement leaders as Senior Advisors: Dr. Ulrich Piepel, former Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of the RWE Group and long-time Senior Advisor in procurement, and Ton Geurts, former CPO at AkzoNobel, among others, and currently External Advisor at McKinsey & Company.
Both bring decades of executive-level experience from international corporations and consulting projects. They join the existing circle of Senior Advisors around Dr. Marcell Vollmer, former Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and CPO of SAP and Partner at the Boston Consulting Group, who became a shareholder of Crowdfox in 2024 and is an active investor in the ProcureTech scene with 21 portfolio companies.
The Senior Advisors will actively support Crowdfox in further developing its business model and driving international expansion. “Collaborating with seasoned leaders from both industry and consulting is a key element of our next growth phase,” says Crowdfox CEO Dirk Schäfer. “With Ton Geurts, Ulrich Piepel, and Marcell Vollmer, we gain valuable expertise and impulses for the continued evolution of our offering.”
Deep experience across industry and consulting
Dr. Ulrich Piepel is regarded as one of Germany’s most renowned procurement executives. After serving as Chief Procurement Officer at the RWE Group and innogy, he worked as Senior Advisor at the Boston Consulting Group. He also serves as board member, investor, and business angel, contributing deep market insight and an extensive network across industry, procurement, and ProcureTech.
Ton Geurts brings over two decades of experience in global procurement and supply chain management. He has held CPO roles at AkzoNobel and the Belgian steel group Bekaert, where he managed international procurement volumes worth several billion euros. Today, he is an External Advisor at McKinsey & Company, supporting organizations in advancing their procurement functions and supply chain strategies.
“Global industrial companies need solutions that work seamlessly across regions – from European headquarters to international operations. Crowdfox delivers the clarity and precision procurement teams need to master today’s increasingly complex RFP processes,” says Ton Geurts.
Dr. Ulrich Piepel adds: “In large organizations, it takes smart solutions to manage complexity and relieve operational teams. But in the end, innovation must prove its value. Crowdfox delivers with a clear ROI and average savings of 12 percent in indirect procurement.”
