Management consulting for industrial companies in times of digitisation
Helping organisations achieve sustainable results
As project manager or interim manager, I take responsibility for putting development projects, due diligence, strategy, positioning and change processes in industrial companies into practice. My way of working is characterised by a medium-term involvement that enables organisations to continue to work with the results independently.
At a glance
Project management
Interim management
Management consulting
20+ years professional experience with 15+ years of technical and supervisional leadership for fifty people, with budget accountability €50m
International experience in large enterprises and start-ups
Core skills in project management, high-tech development, general management and digitisation
Industry experience in cybersecurity, aerospace engineering and defence
Negotiation level English, German and Dutch
My approach
I take responsibility for interim management positions, project management roles and management consulting in technological industries, often with a focus on digitisation. Based on two decades of professional experience in leadership roles within various enterprises, I support the customer's team in creating tangible, practical solutions. I bring methodical skills and competence, organise, facilitate and support the processes in the existing team, but also do hands-on work myself.
In digitisation and cybersecurity, my independent position allows me to pursue solutions, that respect the balance between cost and effectiveness. Proven processes and systems should not be abandoned, just because they are old. New solutions should be added, without disrupting the work flow.
In classical management consulting and interim management, I start from the position that the current team knows about the challenges and weak spots best. Third parties often propose fashionable processes or organisational structures, that in the end prove to be unsuitable and non-sustainable. There are reasons why things are as they are. For this reason, I start every project with listening and understanding — depending on project size from an analysing discussion up to several weeks of local presence.
Let's talk!
I am happy to invest in a first non-binding discussion on your project, in order to find out how I can contribute to sustainable results. Please do not hesitate to contact me by email or phone me.
Case examples
High-tech product development
Your product development is challenging. Long gone are the times, when new products could be derived using the experience of previous generations. The risk of violating schedules and cost boundaries is high. The large contribution of software development to the overall process is not making things better. Your chief engineer, the designers and the software developers seem to come from different planets, however.
I would create a development concept that strikes the right balance between proven waterfall development and modern, agile methods, and that ensures sufficient documentation without restricting your developers. It need not always be rocket science and formal development, but there are things to be learnt from safety-critical development in the aerospace industry. I will coach the team and support as long as desired, until the effective working methods have been established and reinforced.
Digitisation in the manufacturing industry
Your company has gradually evolved its infrastructure over many years. Everything works fine, but an overall plan has never been created. No-one knows exactly how all of the machinery and the network actually work together. Now, cybersecurity should be strengthened and the new opportunities from artifical intelligence and industry 4.0 should be used — but you do not know where to start.
I would start with investigating the current situation and create a map of your current infrastructure. We will identify what is good as it is, and where you may want to innovate. I will create project plans and organise the team to do what is needed without disturbing your production. I will manage local service providers, who can support you both during the current phase and in the long run.
Positioning in a changing market environment
You find yourself competing with new market players, globalised challengers and market entrants with allegedly game-changing solutions. Your customers ask for commoditised products, but want them adjusted to their specific needs. There are many ideas on how to improve your products or which new offerings to create, but your company cannot fund them all.
I would investigate your market situation, your major competitors, and the trends for substitutes. We will identify your strengths and create conversion and matching strategies to make the most out of the market opportunities. I will create a business case for promising value propositions and help you to decide which ones can be pursued with confidence.
Education
Master of Business Administration (2014)
Warwick Business School, UK
PhD in the area of object-oriented development (2003)
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering (1996)
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
MicroMasters in Cybersecurity (2019)
edX / Rochester Institute of Technology, USA
Methodical skills and competence
Project and programme management
Planning, requirements analysis, earned-value analysis & management, risk and opportunity management
Software and system development
Life cycle models of agile development, waterfall
Formal development
Requirements management, documentation, means of compliance, certification
Process improvement
DMAIC, six-sigma black belt
Marketing and strategy
4P marketing mix, Porter's 5 forces, strategic grouping, cash flow analysis, net present value
Industry expertise
Information technology
Critical systems, cybersecurity, networks
Positioning of B2B products, market analysis, product definition and development, infrastructure analysis and operation, development of security concepts
Aerospace engineering
Avionics, guidance & control, simulation
Creating product strategies in project businesses, acquisition management of large-scale projects, organisational development, safety-critical system development
Defence
Electronics, simulation
Planning and acquisition management of large-scale projects, organisational development, product planning, software and system development
Professional experience
Consultant and interim manager (as of 2017)
Berlin, Germany
Founder and executive director (as of 2017)
Circle Networks, Berlin, Germany; Cybersecurity
CEO (2015–2017)
Cyel, Bern, Switzerland; Cybersecurity
Vice President, Head of Engineering Flight Simulation (2009–2015)
Rheinmetall, Bremen, Germany; Defence
Project manager (2004–2009)
Airbus, Ulm, Germany; Avionics
Flight test engineer (2001–2004)
Airbus, Manching, Germany; Aerospace
PhD candidate (1997–2001)
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands; Research
Key projects
Tender management and organisational development in the aeronautical industry
Consultancy on integrated-logistics support concepts and the acquisition process, design and implementation of a work flow tool for complex quotations to a business unit of a multinational enterprise (2 months)
Process analysis and security concept creation in the transport industry
Analysis of the current situation, design and implementation of a secure network architecture with remote access in a small enterprise (3 months)
Interim management in the aeronautical industry
Crisis management and relationship and trust building at the interface to the customer with an aeronautical system supplier (8 months)
Project management in the cybersecurity industry
Team recruitment and project coordination, product development planning & control for an international, virtual team in a small enterprise (12 months)