Ekkehard Franz Knobelspies

Ekkehard Franz Knobelspies is a German Entrepreneur and Consultant known for the ranking of the 101 World's Best Steak Restaurants.
==Biography==
Ekkehard Knobelspies was raised in a conservative, Catholic, entrepreneurial, and sports-oriented family in Radolfzell, located on Lake Constance. He is a great-grandson of August Kratt and is married to Margarete Knobelspies (née Pohlig), a great-great-granddaughter of Professor Julius Pohlig. The couple has two children.
In his youth, Knobelspies was an enthusiastic tennis player, training under distinguished international coaches such as Boris Breskvar, Richard Schönborn, and Nick Bollettieri and Harry Hopman in Florida. He was the runner-up in the Baden Youth Championships and a finalist in the German International Championships (Sport Scheck Youth Cup). He competed in several tournaments as part of the ITF World Juniors Tour in Switzerland and Florida, playing against notable opponents including Boris Becker and Thomas Muster, both of whom later achieved the world number one ranking in tennis.
de:Richard Schönborn
After completing his secondary education, Knobelspies pursued language studies in Paris and Valencia through an exchange program. He later participated in a college tennis exchange at Houston Baptist University in Texas before returning to Germany to complete his military service at the Bundeswehr site in Pfullendorf.
==Career==
Knobelspies began his professional career in international five-star hospitality, training as a hotel manager at the InterContinental Hotel Düsseldorf. He eventually left the hotel industry as Sales Director of the Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.
Subsequently, he joined one of Germany’s leading event agencies, where he became the youngest project manager, organizing live events for clients such as Deutsche Bank, Mercedes-Benz, and Coca-Cola, both domestically and internationally. He then moved to London as Director of Central Europe for a leading brand communications agency under the WPP Group, managing FTSE100 clients including HSBC, Allianz, Jaguar Land Rover, and British Airways, among others.
Between 1998 and 2008, Knobelspies held various positions in brand and live communication, serving as Managing Director for several companies in Zurich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, and Cape Town. 
Currently, he serves as a non-executive director for the media company he founded, World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants, and acts as a consultant for various companies in the fields of real estate, food and beverage, and hospitality. His professional experience also includes collaborations with family offices, ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), and A-list celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Countess Heidi Göess-Horten, and Alexander Chesterman. He is currently authoring a book titled So Rich and Yet So Poor, which is scheduled for publication next year.
Knobelspies has been described by Monocle Magazine as a multifaceted, successful, and versatile entrepreneur and personality.
==Personal Life==
Privately, Knobelspies is committed to the preservation of endangered livestock breeds on a voluntary basis. As a passionate hunter and conservationist, he advocates for biodiversity in both rural and urban areas, guided by his personal motto: "We must eat what we want to protect."
Ekkehard Knobelspies currently resides with his wife in London and the South of France.
Category:German people
Category:Entrepreneurs
Category:Consultants