Dr. Thomas Knoop – Business Coach and Executive Coach Berlin

Since 1997 I have been co-founder of Lichtvision, an owner-led lighting design office with six international locations. The leadership experience that grew out of this entrepreneurial work is the foundation of my coaching practice. I trained at Coaching Akademie Berlin and am certified by the European Coaching Association (ECA) and as a CoachHub Expert Coach. My focus is psychological depth and systemic work. I am currently training in Internal Family Systems (IFS, through 2027) and draw on it in my Insights.

About me

Dr. Thomas Knoop, entrepreneur, coach and lecturer, co-founder of Lichtvision (since 1997), Business and Executive Coach based in Berlin. Over 25 years of leadership experience in an internationally active planning office with six locations. Coaching training at Coaching Akademie Berlin, certified by the European Coaching Association (ECA) and CoachHub. Focus areas: systemic coaching and depth-psychology informed leadership work; currently training in Internal Family Systems (IFS, through 2027). Author of the book „Peter mag keinen Frosch zum Frühstück“. Lecturer at ISM (Project Management and New Work) and Hochschule Bremen, with dedicated pages on coaching expertise and on trainer, facilitator & conflict coach.

Coaching focus

C-level coaching: sparring at eye level for board members, managing directors and division heads. Topics include strategic decisions, role clarity, the use of power and responsibility, and inner posture in phases of high pressure.

HR coaching: support for HR leaders and people developers who shape leadership in their organisations. Themes include talent and succession planning, conflict resolution, culture development and the double role of consulting while remaining loyal to the company.

Founder coaching: for founders and entrepreneurs building or scaling their company. Focus on prioritisation, co-founder dynamics, scaling questions and personal responsibility beyond operational work.

Emerging leaders: support for people stepping into a leadership role for the first time. Themes include role identity, working with former peers, building authority without harshness and the move from doer to enabler.

How I work

My coaching is situational and concrete. Understanding and applying belong together. We walk through your real situations together: preparing a difficult conversation, thinking through possible ways to resolve a conflict, weighing a decision under pressure, or reordering priorities and time. Which method fits emerges from your situation. You are the expert on your own solution; I bring a broad range of methods grounded in systemic and depth-psychological work and the experience of 20 years in leadership myself.

Background

Well-founded. Certified. Experienced. Certified Expert Coach on CoachHub (only the top 5% of applicants), certified by the European Coaching Association (ECA) and trained as a systemic business & personal coach at Coaching Akademie Berlin. More than 1,000 coaching hours with 100+ clients in English and German. Lecturer at the International School of Management (ISM) and Bremen University of Applied Sciences. Details: coaching expertise and trainer, facilitator & conflict coach.

Recent insights

Pattern series

A series of compact observations from coaching practice. Each piece condenses a recurring pattern into five to seven points, grounded in psychology, leadership theory and systemic work.

Frequent questions

What leadership experience does Thomas Knoop have?

Since 1997 co-founder and managing director of Lichtvision, an owner-led lighting design office with six international locations and corporate clients worldwide. This entrepreneurial responsibility is the basis of my coaching work.

Who is the coaching for?

For board members, managing directors, division heads and HR leaders in mid-size and large companies, and for founders in scaling phases.

Which methods does Thomas Knoop use?

Systemic coaching from Coaching Akademie Berlin and depth-psychology informed leadership work. The emphasis is on psychological depth rather than purely solution-focused techniques. I am currently training in Internal Family Systems (IFS, through 2027) and draw on it in my Insights.

Where does the coaching take place?

In Berlin in person or online via video. International clients are accompanied in German and English.

Contact

Email: coaching@thomasknoop.com
Location: Berlin, Germany

Fields of experience

Fields of experience

Fields of experience are the contexts in which I quickly understand the leadership reality of my clients, from my own experience or from solid coaching practice. They are not specialist consulting offers. They show where you will not need to explain your working world at length, because I know the typical dynamics. In coaching I work with you on the leadership, role and decision question behind the subject matter. The professional decision stays with you.

The five fields of experience

Where my understanding comes from

In every field I state openly what my understanding rests on.

Field of experienceOrigin of the experience

Industry and technology: own leadership responsibility
Digital transformation: own leadership and transformation roles
Law firms and partner teams: own entrepreneurial experience as co-owner and coaching practice
Succession and family businesses: coaching practice and own biographical proximity
Innovation and product ownership: own leadership and product responsibility

How this experience came about is described in My path.