WHO IS DAGMAR TRIPPEN?
And why am I called the Swiss Army Knife?
Because I have spent 35+ years learning how the pieces of a business connect—across industries, cultures, functions, and organizations of every shape and stage.
A CAREER BUILT ACROSS BOUNDARIES
I became a generalist by going deep in many different places.
“My work is to identify the good, the bad, the ugly—and the missing.”
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Germany · PR, banking, technology & luxuryFrom entertainment PR and a formal banking education to Computer 2000, Cartier, and building Tiffany & Co.'s Corporate Business in Germany.
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Global marketing & public relationsLed marketing and PR for SEITZ, a 125-year-old chemical manufacturer operating in 62 countries.
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Public sector & healthcare positioningWorked for a municipality of more than 20,000 residents, including its position in the medical market.
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Entrepreneurship at the kitchen tableBuilt UNIQUE, a one-of-a-kind custom jewelry business with a network of specialists, no traditional advertising, and an annual event-led sales model.
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United States · reinvention and rangeMoved to New York in 2011, later rebuilt life and work in Albany, and advised entrepreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits, a YMCA, and a Korean biotech startup.
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Today · business advisory + PRI bring corporate discipline, entrepreneurial resourcefulness, cross-cultural perspective, and a healthy German preference for things that actually work.
Three experiences that shaped how I work.
The details are personal. The lessons follow me into every business.
01
Becoming a cosmopolitan by heart.
I have traveled across four continents. My multicultural background is not simply part of my bio. It is in my DNA.
Being in countries where I did not speak the language taught me to listen and communicate differently. I learned to pay attention to tone, facial expressions, body language, hesitation, and silence.
That changed how I work. Today, I read the room. I hear what people say, but I also listen for what they don’t say and notice where they hesitate or react to one another. Often, that is where I find the real problem.
02
Systemic constellation work.
Rooted in Bert Hellinger’s Family Constellation method, this experiential approach uncovers the hidden dynamics that can undermine families, teams, and organizations.
Knowing the right strategy is usually the easy part. Getting an entire team to understand it, support it, and pull in the same direction is the real challenge.
Getting certified, I learned that other people’s reactions often have very little to do with us. Most of the time, their behavior comes from what lies beneath the surface: family dynamics, personal triggers, past experiences, or pressures we know nothing about. That helps me step back, not react defensively, and look for what is actually driving the situation.
03
Dancing Argentine Tango
Learning to dance Argentine Tango has surprisingly taught me a lot about working as a consultant.
On the dance floor, it doesn’t matter how good a dancer you are if you cannot attune yourself to your partner, their pace, their needs, and their limitations. That is why one of Tango’s golden rules is that to be a good leader, you first need to be a good follower.
The same is true in business. Knowing when to lead, when to follow, when to move, and when to wait can be just as important as knowing what to do.
Only when we are in synch we do outperform.
THE STORY BEHIND THE TIMELINE
And then life rewrote the plan.
Germany to New York. Corporate life to entrepreneurship. Starting over, raising two sons, and finally putting down roots.
There’s more to the Swiss Army Knife than a list of career milestones.