Our Story

Conversations that matter.
Change what happens next.

Sometimes we need to step out of the everyday to think differently, see more clearly, and explore what too often gets lost in organizational life. That is the idea behind thirdplace.

Alexander Frank
Alexander Frank

Alexander spent the first part of his career helping organizations change. Today, he helps leaders and leadership teams create the conditions that make change possible.

Over more than 20 years, he has worked across industries, cultures, and organizational contexts, from management consulting and large-scale transformation programs to leadership development, executive coaching, and team coaching.

Leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about creating the awareness, courage, and conditions that enable people and organizations to become the best version of themselves.

Along the way, he became fascinated by a simple question:

Why do some organizations successfully navigate change while others struggle, despite having talented people, sound strategies, and significant resources?

His experience led him to an important insight: sustainable change rarely begins with structures, processes, or transformation programs alone. More often, it begins with leaders and their teams, and with the quality of the conversations they are willing and able to have.

That insight eventually became the foundation of thirdplace.

Alexander works with senior leaders and leadership teams to create the trust, reflection, challenge, and dialogue needed to address complex issues, strengthen collaboration, and build the capacity for lasting change. His approach combines organizational development, coaching, systems thinking, and a deep understanding of group dynamics.

Clients value his ability to listen carefully, challenge respectfully, and adapt to what emerges in the moment. He is known for creating psychologically safe environments where people can speak openly, think differently, and move important conversations forward.

Alexander has held international roles in the chemical, telecommunications, and pharmaceutical industries and has worked extensively with leaders across Europe, North America, and Asia. He holds degrees in Business Administration, an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management, and a Master's in Clinical Organizational Psychology from INSEAD. He is a certified systemic organizational coach and an accredited practitioner in a range of leadership and development methodologies. He is currently completing his Team Coaching accreditation with the Hult Ashridge Centre for Coaching.

Based near Frankfurt, Germany, Alexander lives with his wife Carmen Cecilia, their daughter Maria Manuela, and two enthusiastic Labrador companions, Henri and Hannah. He works internationally in English, Spanish, and German.

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The idea behind thirdplace

Most organizations don't suffer from a lack of intelligence, expertise, or ambition. What they often lack is the space for the conversations that matter most.

The conversations that sit beneath the agenda. The ones people postpone because they are difficult, uncomfortable, or simply crowded out by the demands of everyday work. Conversations about trust, leadership, collaboration, conflict, purpose, change, and the future.

Yet these are precisely the conversations that determine whether teams thrive, organizations evolve, and leaders grow.

At thirdplace, we create the conditions for those conversations to happen.

Our name is inspired by the concept of the third place, introduced by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. Traditionally, third places are the cafés, parks, libraries, and community spaces where people gather outside the roles and expectations of home and work. They are places where hierarchy softens, curiosity is welcomed, and people engage with one another as human beings first.

What makes third places powerful is not the place itself. It is the quality of interaction they make possible.

We believe leaders and teams need spaces like these more than ever.

A third place is not necessarily a location. It is an environment. A space where people can step out of habitual patterns, suspend assumptions, and engage in meaningful dialogue. A space where diverse perspectives are welcomed, where reflection is encouraged, and where new possibilities can emerge.

Whether through executive coaching, leadership development, team coaching, or large-group interventions, our work is guided by a simple belief:

Better conversations create better leaders. Better leaders create better organizations.

Leadership, after all, is an inside-out process.

The way we lead is shaped by how we think, what we believe, what we fear, and what we aspire to become. Self-awareness, trust, and learning are not “soft” topics; they are the foundation of effective leadership and sustainable change.

By creating third places for leaders, teams, and organizations, we help build the capacity to navigate complexity, strengthen relationships, and move meaningful change forward.

Because change rarely begins with a new strategy.

More often, it begins with seeing differently.

Where we come in

When something needs to shift

We work with leaders, teams, and organizations at moments that call for something different – a new perspective, a different conversation, or a new way of working together.

Leaders stepping into a new or bigger role

New scope, new visibility, new expectations. We help leaders step into what the new role requires – not simply continue doing what made them successful before.

Teams that need to deliver together

Capable individuals don’t automatically make a capable team. We help teams clarify what they need to achieve together and build the relationships and ways of working to make it happen.

Groups coming together to learn and grow

Leadership groups, peer communities, and forums create opportunities to learn from one another. We design and facilitate experiences that enable honest exchange, fresh perspectives, and shared learning – and help turn what emerges into meaningful action.

Organizations navigating change

Transformation, restructuring, mergers, new mandates. We help leaders create clarity, build alignment, and strengthen their capacity to lead when the ground is moving.

Founders in need of a sounding board

Building something can be a lonely responsibility. We offer a confidential space to think out loud, challenge assumptions, and make sense of what comes next.

What is on your mind?

Sometimes the next step is clear. Sometimes it needs exploring. A first conversation can help us understand where you are and whether thirdplace could help you move forward.

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