Hi, I’m Dr. Joanna Ritz.
My career spans research, academia, consulting, and corporate HR — across the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and beyond.
After my PhD in Work and Organisational Psychology, I spent four years as a professor at Amsterdam Business School, and published 11 peer-reviewed papers with 400+ citations. Then I moved into industry — first into corporate HR, then into management consulting at BCG, where I advised organisations on talent and leadership strategy.
Today, my work focuses on helping individuals, primarily PhDs and former academics, navigate career transitions and build credible careers outside academia; and helping organisations and academic institutions develop, position, and retain research-trained talent.
I combine evidence from psychology with organisational experience to support professionals navigating transition or progression, and organisations working with academic or research-trained talent.
My approach
I work at the intersection of psychology and organisational context. My starting point is that expertise only creates value when it is understood, positioned correctly, and used in contexts that reward it.
I take an evidence-based, systems-oriented approach to careers and talent. Rather than focusing on surface-level skills or quick fixes, I look at how people operate within organisations: how decisions are made, how credibility is built, and how roles and expectations actually function in practice.
Much of my work sits at the translation layer — between academic or research-trained expertise and the logic organisations use to evaluate impact, potential, and fit. That translation applies equally to individuals navigating transition and to institutions working with highly specialised talent.
The work is structured, analytical, and pragmatic. I prioritise clarity over motivation, trade-offs over platitudes, and long-term fit over short-term optimisation.
How I help
Career Clarity
& Direction
Expertise to Business Impact
Strategic Growth
& Leadership
Individuals and organisations often lack clarity, rather than skills & experience on individual level.
I help to bring structure to career decisions, role design, and progression. The purpose is to clarify strengths, constraints, and realistic paths forward — whether for individuals navigating transition or institutions supporting highly trained talent.
Deep expertise doesn’t automatically translate into value outside academic or technical contexts.
I help to translate specialised knowledge into language, roles, and contributions that organisations recognise and reward — making expertise visible, relevant, and usable in real business environments.
Once direction is clear, growth requires more than competence — it requires strategic positioning.
I support the development of credibility, influence, and leadership capacity so individuals can move beyond narrow specialist roles, and organisations can better develop and retain high-potential, analytically trained professionals.
My background
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Advised and worked with organisations across consulting, corporate HR, and academia, including global projects at BCG covering talent strategy, career development, and leadership topics
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Designed and delivered executive sessions, professional trainings, and workshops for managers, HR leaders, and C-level stakeholders
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Led and developed teams in consulting and corporate settings, including mentoring and senior stakeholder work
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Developed and applied evidence-based diagnostics, tools, and frameworks for career development and skills assessment
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PhD in Work and Organizational Psychology
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International background — lived and worked in six countries
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Author of 10+ peer-reviewed publications in business and organizational psychology, with research cited in academic and practitioner contexts
Contact
Breite Str. 22, 40213 Düsseldorf, DE
Email: contact@joannaritz.com
Phone: +49 (0) 160 927 008 22
Fax: +49 (0) 211 540 74 7140
Office location:
I work with clients both online and in person, from wherever they are or from my office in Düsseldorf city centre, near the Königsallee — easily accessible by public transport, with direct connections to the main station and airport, and parking available nearby. In-person meetings are by appointment.
Kö-Quartier
Breite Straße 22
40213 Düsseldorf
