Astrid Holzberger

Senior Consultant @ McKinsey Tech & AI | PhD Candidate @ Ulm University | First-Gen Ambassador

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

About

With four years in automotive engineering and two years in enterprise software, I learned how complex systems hold together and how they change. Both shaped what I do today at McKinsey Tech & AI: working with organizations on their technology strategies, with a focus on what Agentic AI means for how they operate and compete. As part of my educational leave at McKinsey, I am doing my PhD in Explainable AI (XAI) at the University of Ulm. Our research develops methods to trace how AI reaches its conclusions and ensure a people-central design to make the black box explainable. Beyond consulting and research, I serve as Vice President of HAW.Alumni des DAAD e.V., where we cultivate a community of DAAD scholars from universities of applied sciences, connecting people across disciplines, industries, and career stages. Being a first-generation academic I spent my career in systems that weren't designed for everyone, and I have seen that better outcomes come from teams with different perspectives.

Experience

  • McKinsey & Company (Full-time · 2 yrs 8 mos)
    • Senior Consultant
      Jan 2026 - Present · 6 mos

    • Consultant
      Nov 2023 - Dec 2025 · 2 yrs 2 mos

      @ McKinsey Tech & AI Focused on Process Automations, GenAI / AgenticAI, and IT Simplification across industries

  • Business Development Consultant at Siemens Digital Industries Software
    2021 - 2023 · 2 yrs

    Bereich: PreSales • Fokus auf das Zusammenspiel von Sustainability und Digitalization • Entwicklung des Sustainability Games • Kundenpräsentationen im Software-Showroom: Digital Enterprise Experience Center • Content-Entwicklung für u.a. den YouTube Channel Siemens Student Team • Duales Studium in Wirtschaftsinformatik - Data Science

  • F.S. Fehrer Automotive GmbH (Full-time · 4 yrs 1 mo)
    • Capacity Planner and Acquisition Coordinator
      2020 - 2021 · 1 yr

      Bereich: Central Operational Services - Industrial Engineering • Verantwortlich für den quartalsweisen Output Review mit internem Benchmarking • Durchführung von Kapazitätsanalysen im Akquiseprozess • Erstellung der mittel-/ und langfristigen Auslastungsplanung, für die Werke weltweit • Aufstellung von Wirtschaftlichkeitsanalysen • Szenarienentwicklung für die strategische Planung

    • Industrial Engineer
      2017 - 2020 · 3 yrs

      • Durchführung von diversen Projektarbeiten • Umfangreiches Fachwissen über die Entwicklungs- sowie Fertigungsprozesse für Sitzpolster, Sitzmodule und Composite Components • Duales Studium in Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen - Internationales Technisches Projektmanagement • Praxisphasen in den Unternehmensbereichen Produktentwicklung, Projektcontrolling, Industrial Engineering, Qualitätswesen, Arbeitsvorbereitung, Mechanical Engineering und Supply Chain Management