WHY TWS PARTNERS?
MAKE IT YOUR GAME
At TWS Partners we put game theory into application for organisations that want to challenge the status quo and transform the way they do business.
We are always in need of new talent and fresh ideas – backed by knowledge of game theory. We apply this core skill to new ways to look at problems:
- When a government health service wishes to wipe out a deadly disease forever, they turn to us to help them develop the solution.
- As companies around the world search for solutions to climate change, they turn to us to help them find ways to meet their net-zero commitments.
- When strategic procurement or sales deals are struck in businesses, TWS is the natural choice to achieve the best possible deals.
- As firms look for more certainty in a rapidly transforming world, TWS game theory experts help them find the way.
TWS Partners was founded in Munich in 2001 by entrepreneurs from industry and scientists from LMU Munich. We lead the world in applying game theory to improve organisation performance.
Do you share this drive? If so, let us help you get more acquainted with our firm and how we combine scientific findings from game theory with our implementation expertise.
"OPEN TO NEW TALENT AND IDEAS"
Interview with Marcus Schreiber, Founding Partner & Chief Executive Officer
“We began with the idea of making the fascinating approach of game theory useful for broad application in industry. Through diligence, we’ve succeeded in developing a solid, sustainable business model. We’re the only consulting firm which focuses entirely on employing and improving this methodology. We now more than 100 specialists in Munich, London, Berlin, Utrecht and Zurich successfully implementing projects for leading companies in all key industrial sectors, including Automotive, Electronics and Pharmaceuticals. Even though most of us have an academic background, we’re far from a mere ‘brain tank’. Quite the contrary: we see ourselves mainly as ‘doers’. It’s a real asset to understand something perfectly in theory, but our clients value our pragmatic method of putting theory into practice and the way we put our hearts into our projects. We support them from conception through to the final negotiations. That’s how we ensure that our ideas are channeled into profitable results – not to mention how much fun it is to see the success up close. At present, the primary focus of our solutions lies in the area of Procurement. We’ve established a broad foundation and can now look back on 2,900 successful projects. We know that there’s plenty more potential in this methodology to be tapped into, which is why we maintain close contact with researchers in the field. A strong team has emerged which sets international standards and remains open to new talent and ideas. After all, the application of game theory stretches far beyond Procurement. We can use it to achieve the optimum certainty of results for our clients in all complex negotiation processes, including M&A activities and sales negotiations”.
YOUR CAREER AT TWS PARTNERS
BUSINESS IS LIKE A GAME – LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT
With our unique economic mindset, our people enable our clients to become game changers. We help them play the game better than anyone else, make better decisions and achieve the highest possible impact for their company.
One thing is certain: at TWS Partners you’ll never stop learning. You have many opportunities to learn from the world’s best game theory experts, grow through hands-on experiences and continuously improve your skills to advance your career.
Do you want to change the game that is played in business?
ANALYST
After graduating with your bachelor’s degree, an Analyst position is an entry level job. This role is an essential part of the project team, and you are given a lot of room to learn and grow. You are responsible for research and analysis, creating presentations and accompanying colleagues to customer meetings on site. As an Analyst, you will gain deep insights into the diversity and special characteristics of the consulting job and always have an expert advisor at your side.
CONSULTANT
After your master’s, PhD or doctoral degree, you will start your career as a Consultant. In this role, you work in a small team, assuming responsibility for tasks in projects and bringing your analytical and communicative skills into play. You help your colleagues conduct background research and analyse client data, and you’ll be present for meetings with our clients on site. We support your professional development with an intensive onboarding programme and regular training courses.
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Experienced consultants manage smaller sub-projects on their own and are able to develop concrete recommendations for action. As a Senior Consultant, you demonstrate your analytical and scientific competence by analysing and structuring problems and preparing solution approaches. You develop analytical models and presentations on your own and use your communicative skills to introduce them to your clients. Training is adapted to your individual needs, enabling your continuous development and preparing you for your next career step.
PROJECT MANAGER
In your role as a Project Manager at TWS Partners, you’ll assume a broad variety of responsibilities. As a manager of small consultant teams, you are the client team’s main point of contact. Project Managers organise the project schedule, coordinate their team and are constantly in touch with the client. In this role you’ll demonstrate your analytical and scientific skills by creating conceptual solutions and lead their implementation. You’ll also participate in training activities for our consultants. At the same time, we’ll continue to support your own career through training and individual support.
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Senior Project Managers assume greater responsibility for client relationships. They steer more complex projects and support a broader range of projects with larger consultant teams. As a Senior Project Manager, you will also be involved in developing new consulting approaches. Senior Project Managers at TWS Partners actively participate in the development of our consultants and Project Managers.
PRINCIPALS
Our Principals are responsible for establishing, maintaining and expanding client relationships. They’re actively involved in the development of new subject areas and participate in strategic decisions.
PARTNER
Partners at TWS Partners make management decisions, drive growth and define the strategic direction of the company.
WE SUPPORT YOUR CAREER - IN A STRUCTURED AND TAILORED WAY
Isabelle Aymanns, Partner
“After you’ve completed our intensive onboarding programme, we assist you with regular classroom, ‘on the job’ and leadership training. All the while you’re guided by a mentor, who will help with all your questions and concerns. We guarantee your professional development and offer a clear path to build your career at TWS Partners”.
GAME THEORY IN APPLICATION
REDEFINE THE RULES
We believe traditional business strategies worked well, in the old world. But today – they do not. The rules and norms we have learned to make certain business decisions are perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.
Our clients give us opportunities to think things through and suggest novel ways to improve their effectiveness. For you, this is an opportunity to work with companies that will truly value what inspired you at university.
Yes, we believe many aspects of business are games. And if you are with us, it’s your turn to change the game.
See what our practitioners say about that:
DR. SOPHIE WILLIAMSON
Senior Consultant, Theoretical Physicist
As a physicist looking to branch out from the specificities of my academic career path, the prospect of modelling socio-economic interactions with TWS was an opportunity that inherently appealed to me. Truth be told, the interviews -- discussing test-cases and solving logic puzzles with some of TWS' seniors -- won me over, but it has been very rewarding ever since to discover how representative of my day-to-day work life these interviews were. At TWS I have found a fulfilling job, working on diverse and challenging projects with engaging, smart and good-humoured colleagues.
DR. TIANCHI LI
Senior Consultant, Economist
We are making decisions every day, and game theory teaches us how to determine the optimal strategies based on the current situation. This is a must-have course for everyone. TWS implements such methodology into business, by setting up all the rulesets upfront, providing proper incentives as well as the real chance to win the business, and then letting the process determine the result. That's what I appreciate as the beauty of applying game theory into practice.
FRANCESCO LUCCHESI
Project Manager, Economist
As an Economics student, I used to have mixed feelings with respect to most of the Academic work: while I was intellectually enthusiastic about it, I felt a strong disconnection to reality. How can well-structured models be applied to a world full of individuals making “not-so-rational” decisions, confused by an extremely high degree of information asymmetry? I found my answer in TWS. We apply Microeconomic research to create efficient market structures, incentive mechanisms and negotiation models that give our clients the best strategic advantage. We face the most diverse challenges day-to-day: making our job extremely fulfilling, both personally and professionally.
ANNA-SOPHIA TENKLEVE
Senior Consultant, Mathematician
I am passionate about game theory since my first lecture at university. In no other subject I had more insightful moments. No matter how unsolvable and chaotic the problem seemed - as soon as you proceeded step by step with the right methods, the picture cleared up and the solution seemed almost trivial.
In my daily work, I use game theory and see exactly such "aha" moments with our clients. My work not only involves applying game theory, but also sharing it. The scientifically based analysis of optimal "rules of the game" and next "moves" always puts our clients in their strategically best situation. The insights that arise for the client during this analysis make my daily work incredibly valuable.
SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGE
FROM THEORY TO APPLICATION AND BACK AGAIN
Our belief in game theory motivated the launch of TWS Partners and is the foundation for our success today. We are in constant exchange with other scientists and leaders in the field, whether in renowned universities, research institutes or firms. We are always ready to listen to new ideas, novel research or the latest advances in science. Prof. Dr. Vitali Gretschko, Head of the ZEW Research Group “Market Design” and Professor for Market Design at the University of Mannheim and Dr. Andreas Engel, Partner at TWS Partners, explain in detail how this intensive exchange works and how both sides benefit.
DR. ANDREAS ENGEL
MANAGING PARTNER AT TWS PARTNERS
As a Partner at TWS Partners you coordinate the exchange with academia. Why is this collaboration so important for TWS Partners?
On the one hand, we are driven to achieve the best results in our projects and to be innovative. For this, new input from the world of science is fundamental. On the other hand, we want to identify the talents that match our needs, and the exchange with academia allows us to recruit directly from the source. Last but not least, it is still fun for me to translate abstract thoughts into concrete solutions for practical application so you could say I straddle both worlds.
Andreas, what does your past career look like and how did you meet TWS Partners?
Even during my business studies, I was interested in analytical topics such as industrial economics and capital market efficiency, but also in specific applications like M&A deals and market entry. When I then sat in Professor Wambach's lectures on the subject of game theory, I was fascinated by the "new" aspect of strategic interaction and the dynamic view of the market and I applied for a doctorate including an assignment as a lecturer. This was important to me, as I have always regarded the exchange and transfer of knowledge to young people as extremely enriching.
Already at university, I then worked with Professor Wambach on Procurement-related issues with a focus on risk management in Procurement auctions. Although our research received very positive feedback and awards, it became clear to me in the course of the doctoral thesis that I see my future in the application of theory rather than in pure research. As a former doctoral student of Professor Wambach, it was an obvious move for me to apply at TWS Partners.
You were the only "business" presenter, surrounded by academia, at a ZEW market design event. What do you personally draw from this exchange?
At such events it becomes clear that there is still a great deal to explore regarding problems such as combinatorial auctions, bundling, innovations and market design, which are relevant to business. Particularly with regard to understandable, robust implementation and also innovative approaches. I find it excellent that, in this research area, not only are theoretical models developed, but also experimental and empirical research is carried out. Even if some of the problems are not directly applicable to industrial purchases, the exchange is refreshing. For the first time, some of the experts' clients also attended. It is good to see that the world of academia and the world’s market leaders are sharing the same space.
How do you transfer this theory into practice at TWS Partners and why do you continue to do this?
This is, strictly speaking, a bit like research; our customers usually come to us when they have a special challenge or want to drive change. Our task is to analyse situations, identify relevant game theoretic parameters and approaches, incentive structures and conflicts, and to work out a solution based on this. It is always important to compare this with the latest scientific findings, as we are usually in very challenging situations and every starting point is relevant in developing a solution. In this respect, the results of the experiments and field studies, as well as improvements in established approaches, are not only intellectually welcome, but also support implementation.
WORKING AT TWS PARTNERS
BECOME A GAME CHANGER
Our firm is built with flat hierarchies and a keen sense of personal responsibility. Our teams are mainly composed of economists and talent from other analytical disciplines like physics and mathematics. We are passionate economics nerds. And we are totally human (we promise!) We are inspired – and pragmatic. We know how the world works – and we want to make it better. At TWS, we aim to turn people into game changers.
Our mix of talents and personalities is unique to the world. We openly share ideas, knowledge and experiences, all in service to our clients and our chosen field.
See what they have to say about working at TWS:
BART VREUGDENHIL
Project Manager, Economist
One of the unique things about working at TWS is that you're always challenged to think one step further ahead than you would have previously thought was possible. This shared mindset across TWS employees creates an environment where you continuously push each other to generate the brightest, most creative solutions to complex problems. Witnessing the success, we deliver to clients through our teamwork is then the cherry on top of the cake.
ANNA ELBEL
Senior Consultant, Economist
For me, the best thing about working at TWS are definitely the helpful and intelligent colleagues. Especially when we work in smaller project teams, there is a sense of community and a pleasant atmosphere. All new ideas are heard and discussed to jointly find creative solutions for our clients’ complex challenges. A lot of emphasis is placed on the personal development of each individual and after a short time you are given a high degree of responsibility. As I can also practically apply my focus and absolutely favourite subject from my studies, game theory, TWS is a really great employer for me.
DR. GIORGOS PAPADOMICHELAKIS
Senior Consultant, Economist
TWS is the ideal environment for someone who is intellectually curious and interested in solving real-world problems. The work we do at TWS bridges theory and practice in a unique and very effective way, and we get to apply our tools on a large variety of topics. Moreover, there is a great atmosphere that builds on strong team spirit while also promoting each one’s individuality. It is a great environment to grow professionally and personally.
DR. NINA FRIEDRICH
Project Manager, Mathematician
Of all the things I like about working at TWS, my favourite is my inspiring and supportive colleagues. We work in small teams, so it is easy to build strong bonds and learn a lot from each other. I have also found that this has meant I could take on a lot of responsibility early on. Additionally, there is a big emphasis on training, both in economic theory (you don’t need an economics background to start at TWS!) and soft skills, which can be used directly in day-to-day life.
UNI & CAREER FAIRS
LET’S MEET!
Intrigued? Let’s explore the possibilities. Get to know more about us by attending a company presentation, meeting our consultants, visiting us on a career day or working on a game theory case study.
You won’t know till you jump in.