Michael Schmelcher

…in a small village near Heilbronn in Germany, entrepreneurship was not an option for me for a long time; too much stress, too much responsibility, and yet somehow it was in my blood.
I was interested in numbers, economic relationships and social issues from an early age, even though my school career was anything but enjoyable.

My view on economics, responsibility and sustainability has been shaped by my studies in economics and political science in Halle, Bamberg and at the Grande École de Commerce in Grenoble , as well as other international experiences.
My work at an NGO in Cameroon was particularly impressive: The focus was on how to combine economic activity with social benefit.

…I found it in 2016. There, I was initially responsible for the acquisition and further development of recycling and remarketing services from a large IT manufacturer, as well as their integration into AfB.
Subsequently, I managed the AfB branch in Berlin for several years and developed a comprehensive understanding of all relevant areas: from procurement, partner management, logistics, production and processing to sales in our own brick-and-mortar shop as well as via various digital sales channels.
Furthermore, I worked with the founder on the strategic and operational development.

After this time, I moved to GEWA Multimedia / Remarketing, a partner company of AfB in Switzerland, as head of department; there I was responsible for setting up the IT remarketing division and developed it over several years into one of the largest providers in Switzerland.
During this time I gained in-depth knowledge of the international market and pricing mechanisms, and built a broad network of national and international contacts.
In addition, I gained extensive experience in leading, building and scaling teams and organizations.

What continues to drive me is a key structural problem in the industry: Used assets are still not being used efficiently worldwide where they can generate the greatest benefit. A lack of transparency, fragmented markets, and inefficient processes often prevent existing potential from being optimally utilized.
This is precisely where Re:Rebellion comes in: With the aim of making markets more transparent, questioning structures and consistently breaking down existing inefficiencies, I support companies and organizations in using used and refurbished IT in a targeted manner and in the sense of the circular economy to reuse it optimally – economically, ecologically and socially.

GET TO KNOW US!