Rainer Elste

Prof. Rainer Elste is a distinguished academic and practitioner in Business Administration, specializing in Marketing & Sales, and Digital Business Models at the University of Applied Sciences Nürtingen-Geislingen. His roles include International Coordinator for the faculty and membership in the International Committee. He holds a PhD from Justus-Liebig-University Gießen and has extensive industry experience with companies like Beiersdorf AG, Simon-Kucher & Partners, and leadership roles in marketing institutions.

Education:

• Master of Business Administration, University of Lüneburg, Germany
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in European Administration and Languages, Lancashire Business School, UK
• PhD in Business Administration (Dr. rer. pol.), Justus-Liebig-University Gießen

Research Interests: Digitalization in sales strategies, pricing models, CRM systems, sustainability in business operations, and post-pandemic adaptation. He emphasizes leveraging technology to enhance sales performance while addressing ethical and market challenges.

Professional Engagements:

• Keynote speaker at events like Tech Open Air Berlin and World Sustainable Energy Days
• Reviewer for Marketing Review St. Gallen and guest lecturer at universities in Spain, China, Greece, and Mexico
• Advisor to the faculty of Business Administration at his home institution

Awards:

• 2012 Best Paper Award, transfer Werbeforschung & Praxis

Advising & Grants: Extensive advisory roles in marketing and sales transformation for industries including automotive, banking, and energy sectors. Focus on organizational change management and digital strategy implementation.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with Steinbeis Vertriebs- und Marketinginstituts (VMI), leading projects on digital sales metrics and CRM optimization.