VOLKER GLAESKE
Executive Experience.
Inside Knowledge.
25 years in global leadership. 15 at C-level. Across KPMG, Schwarz Group and EssilorLuxottica - hiring, promoting and leading teams across Europe and Asia.
SP1 was built from the inside. Not from a coaching programme.
THE REAL STORY
I made many of the mistakes I now help people avoid. Early in my career I worked hard, delivered results, and still could not understand why certain people moved faster than I did. It took years to see what was actually happening.
Organisations don't run on the official version. They run on a second set of rules — unwritten, rarely discussed, but completely decisive when it comes to who gets hired, who gets promoted, and who gets left behind.
As CFO at Lidl Asia I scaled operations from 50 to over 1,000 people across Hong Kong and Singapore — with full responsibility for the HR department and over USD 2 billion in turnover. At EssilorLuxottica I led Apollo-Optik, a company of 5,500 employees across Germany and Austria, with 120 people reporting directly to me. I built the teams, ran the interviews, made the promotion decisions, and led the restructurings. I know exactly what gets discussed when you are not in the room.
SP1 exists to make those invisible rules visible — and give professionals the map that nobody handed them at the start.
Hiker. Boxer.
Problem Solver.
OUTSIDE THE OFFICE
Volker lives on Lantau Island - one of Hong Kong's most mountainous islands. He hikes the trails outside his door most mornings before work. That is probably also why the company is called Summit Path 1.
He also likes boxing, which probably says something about how he approaches problems. Direct. Disciplined.
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What this looks in practice
As CFO at Lidl Asia, I scaled an operation from 45 to over 1,000 people across Hong Kong and Singapore while managing multi-billion-dollar operations. That meant building teams from scratch, making hundreds of hiring decisions, running promotions, leading restructurings, and navigating the gap between what headquarters expected and what the local reality looked like on the ground.
I know what it takes to perform in that environment — and I know what gets discussed in the rooms you're not in.
That experience is what SP1 is built on. Not theory. Not a coaching programme. The actual decisions, the actual dynamics, and the actual rules that determine who moves forward.
THE 3-STEP APPROACH
A Calculated Ascent.
One clear Route up.
Before you can change anything, you need to see it clearly.
SP1 helps you understand how your organisation actually works and where decisions are made, who influences them, and what's really expected of you. Not the official version. The real one.
A Calculated
Ascent.
Read the Room
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Show up Differently
Knowing the rules is one thing. Playing by them in a way that feels authentic is another.
We work on real situations: the meeting that matters, the stakeholder you can't reach, the conversation you keep avoiding. You become more visible, more credible, and more confident, without burning bridges or pretending to be someone you're not.
Clarity without direction is just awareness.
Together we build a strategy for where you actually want to go, and what it takes to get there. Whether that's your first promotion, your next leadership role, or simply knowing your options. We help you move, not just reflect.
Move Forward
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THE 3-STEP APPROACH
Solutions
At Summit Path 1, we are dedicated to supporting professionals who want to succeed in international organizations.
Many capable professionals find themselves struggling in multinational companies — not because of their skills, but because the unwritten rules of communication, leadership and decision-making are different.
Understanding how global organizations operate can transform your ability to influence, lead and advance your career.
THE TRAJECTORY MATRIX
Navigate. Lead.
Ascend.
Org charts show structure. They don't show power. We help you understand where decisions actually happen: in corridors, pre-meetings, and relationships built over time. We help you find your way in the organisation.
Working across cultures isn't just about the communication style. It's about understanding what credibility looks like, what silence signals, and what gets rewarded in rooms not designed with you in mind.
Build authentic leadership presence that works across Western and Asian environments, without becoming someone you're not. Practical, not performative. That's not something you can learn from a book. Or an AI.
Plan a clear, realistic path to your next leadership role. Prepare for internal promotions and interviews with the strategic advantage of someone who has been there.
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