Biography
Manuel Marcel Murrenhoff is German and has built his whole working life across borders, seven countries on four continents so far, Germany, the US, Vietnam, Kenya, Nigeria and China among them. Today he is a Managing Director at Bühler, the Swiss technology group, and alongside the day job he writes and coaches on how to build a career that moves with you.
He is the author of "Thriving as an Expat," and he is one of those people who clearly made his choices on purpose. The most telling one: he moved to Nigeria when plenty of people advised him not to, and he treats that as one of the moves that shaped him rather than a risk he got away with.
Because he has led teams on several continents, he can compare them honestly, and because he has lived the costs as well as the highlight reel, he does not sell the expat life as a postcard.
Areas of expertise
- Global career strategy
- Leadership across continents
- Expat life & relocation
- Emerging markets
- Coaching & writing
- Cross-cultural management
What the conversation covered
We talked about building a global career from scratch, and specifically the decision to move to Nigeria against everyone's advice, what it taught him and why he does not regret it. He compared leading teams across different continents, the things that actually transfer and the things that do not.
He was also honest about the hidden costs of living abroad, the parts that do not make it into the LinkedIn posts, and he kept coming back to curiosity as the trait that has carried him further than any single job title.