Episode
Wolfgang Bierer — President of Endeavor SBC
- Published
- Apr 25, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3915
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- https://japanstopbusinessinterviews.libsyn.com/wolfgang-bierer-president-of-endeavor-sbc
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Summary
"Leadership is really like leading by example." "I come in. I listen a lot." "Do what you say." "You need to gain the trust of the people and show that you actually care." "Everything can be trained." Wolfgang Bierer is the President of Endeavor SBC and a long-term Japan business builder whose career has moved across engineering, consulting, retail, fashion, medical devices, software, and interim executive leadership. Originally from Germany, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Stuttgart and first came to Japan through a German government youth leader exchange program. That early exposure led to an internship at Hitachi Software Development Centre in Totsuka, which became a full-time role after he completed his master's thesis at Mercedes in Germany. At Hitachi, Bierer experienced Japanese corporate life from the inside, including living in a men's dormitory and working as one of the few foreigners in the organisation. He later moved into consulting, working with Swiss and German consulting firms and spending several years back in Germany, where he completed an executive MBA with the St. Gallen Business School. Regular assignments back to Japan eventually convinced him to return and build his own company. He founded Endeavor SBC after moving to Japan with his wife, two suitcases each, and €100,000 in savings. His first major consulting opportunity came through Adidas, where he helped rescue a troubled SAP project in Japan. From there, he built a reputation in performance-based consulting, inventory optimisation, process improvement, retail operations, and Japan market entry. Over time, he became involved in running, setting up, acquiring, or representing multiple companies, including German and European brands in software, fashion accessories, shoes,…