Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Senior AI & Digital executive who has steered multinational B2B organizations (EURO STOXX 50, DAX 40, MDAX) through major digital and AI transformations across both product- and service-led businesses, in senior leadership roles spanning Group P&L responsibility for digital business, enterprise-scale AI adoption, corporate digital strategy, and large-scale organizational change. I have scaled applied AI from pilot to governed, large-scale production within AI-enabled operating models, and built API-first enterprise automation platforms and customer-facing digital offerings & channels serving 40,000+ customers in 30+ countries. Within decentralized matrix organizations, I turned applied AI and strategic tech partnerships into measured P&L impact across cost, productivity, and growth - including 20% cost reduction delivered by AI agents in live operations. Track record spans industrial, energy and telco infrastructure, construction, and multi-country service businesses with thousands of operating units. I repeatedly built corporate digital organizations from zero to national benchmark status: two units I founded and scaled, VINCI Energies Digital and Telefónica's Wayra in Germany, ranked among Germany's Top 3 digital units out of 300+ in Capital magazine's 2021 and 2022 official rankings. My work centers on what companies must build, change, and scale today to remain relevant tomorrow - combining commercial judgment, analytical rigor, and disciplined execution with a people-focused leadership style. I believe the most important mark of a leader is the team she brings together and the culture she establishes: autonomy and collaboration, purpose and passion, ownership and trust. Educated at leading business and engineering schools in the US (UC Berkeley, Stanford), Europe (IMD, TUM, LMU), and Asia (HKUST). Employers and consulting clients include Allianz, BMW, Deutsche Telekom, Evonik, Heidelberg Materials, IBM, KPMG, Siemens, Telefónica, VINCI, Vodafone. Collected moments, not things, in 97 countries across the globe.
• Reporting to a Member of the Management Board (CDO); leading the global Digital Business & Partnerships agenda across digital products, AI-enabled services, enterprise platforms, customer engagement, and strategic partnerships. • Established AI-first operating models across customer operations and software engineering orgs, including AI-powered interaction automation and AI-native delivery practices, contributing to 30%+ fix cost reduction potential. • Globally accountable for scaling Heidelberg Materials’ digital transformation from a products, services, platforms, and partnerships perspective, with a focus on measurable business outcomes and P&L impact. • Leading the Group’s global Digital Business & Partnerships division, covering AI transformation, omnichannel customer engagement, partnership commercialization and investments, customer experience strategy, change management, and digital adoption. • Driving growth and value creation from strategic equity and commercial partnerships, including Command Alkon, Giatec, and Pathways, across North America, Europe, and APAC. • Launched the first non-building-material product in Heidelberg Materials’ 150-year history, generating seven-figure revenues within 12 months across 25 countries. • Scaling the Group’s customer-facing digital platform portfolio across portals, apps, and APIs, increasing monthly active B2B users from 17k to 40k+ and establishing one of the largest digital customer platforms in the industry. • Running the Group’s Venture Client Unit to identify, validate, and scale high-impact digital, AI, automation, and sustainability solutions with external partners and startups. • Leading digitalization and automation initiatives across complex industrial supply chains, multiple countries, business lines, and operating models. • Driving commercial and sales transformation across Europe and North America, including digital customer engagement, pricing, partnership monetization, and platform-enabled growth.
Permanent Guest Lecturer at one of Germany’s top-three business schools and Master in Management programs. I teach how large corporations can translate AI and digital ambition into measurable P&L outcomes. The lecture focuses on the leadership, organizational design, technology, and execution capabilities required to capture value at speed and deliver tangible business impact at scale.
• C-suite owner of corporate digital strategy, AI transformation, and strategic digital partnerships in a €5B+ revenue organization across 14 countries. Leading the shift toward scalable digital capabilities across all business units, reporting to CEO. • Launched and co-steered the AI transformation program, built on a centrally enabled, locally scaled operating model. Delivered 10+ large-scale AI implementations across four business verticals, yielding 10M€+ P&L benefit. • General Manager w/ full digital P&L ownership (double-digit M€ budget) across DACH, leading a 55+ team of digital strategy consultants, analytics consultants, data scientists. • Initiated and closed strategic commercial partnerships w/ global industry leaders (incl. IBM, Cisco, KUKA, Siemens) alongside a portfolio of 34+ high-potential startups (incl. NavVis, Kinexon, SONAH), creating commercial leverage across the business based on this ecosystem. • Founder of Digitalschmiede, Frankfurt, w/ partners NVIDIA, Microsoft, Dell, DJI - corporate IoT & AI accelerator turning customer co-creation into tangible outcomes: 67+ pilots, 320+ customer workshops. Ranked Top #3 of all 300+ Digital Units in Germany (Capital Magazin 7/2021) • Driving digital revenue growth agenda through creation of a new portfolio of data-/IoT-based offerings in the areas of Smart Factory, Smart City, Smart Energy, Smart Buildings, Quantum Computing, among others • Defining M&A strategy, executing deal making to diversify and strengthen AI/IoT/Cloud capabilities • Leading and driving cultural and organizational change agenda towards digital agility and ability COMPANY PROFILE: VINCI is the world’s largest concession and construction company with >280,000 employees in >120 countries, €72bn revenue 2024, Euro Stoxx 50-listed. VINCI Energies (>102.000 employees, €20.4bn rev) designs, builds and operates infrastructure in Manufacturing, Energy, Facilities, IT.
• Built and scaled VINCI's Leonard D/A/CH regional practice from the ground up, generating double-digit M€ in cumulative revenue and cost savings potential across the region within 2 years, head offices in Frankfurt, Vienna, Basel. • Initiated and steered VINCI’s global Quantum Technology and Quantum Computing strategy, including strategic roadmaps to guide enterprise-wide exploration, prioritization, and adoption • Built a strategic ecosystem of partners, advisors, and thought leaders to help VINCI capitalize on emerging technologies such as latest AI tech, quantum, robotics and its applications; advised the VINCI Board on their business and strategic impact. COMPANY PROFILE: Leonard is VINCI Group's global strategic foresight and innovation practice, built to shape the group's commercial future. The practice tracks emerging technology and commercial disruptions, identifies long-horizon growth opportunities, and translates them into action: new business lines, new markets, and global growth programs across construction, energy, mobility, and real estate. 200+ initiatives launched since 2017.
• P&L responsibility for one of four digital operating business P&Ls in Telefónica Germany (budget double-digit mEUR) • Consolidated and turned around a mass consumer market product business by cleaning supplier base, streamlining product portfolio, revitalizing commercial marketing execution, renegotiating partner contracts and establishing improved cost structure • Prepared and executed Telefónica/E-Plus post-merger-integration digital unit restructuring plans and delivered headcount reduction, change management and transformation management COMPANY PROFILE: Telefónica is one of the world's largest telephone operators and mobile network providers. Operating in >17 countries with >127,000 employees and €48bn revenue in 2020, Telefónica provides the means to facilitate communication between people, providing the most secure and cutting-edge digital technology. Telefónica Germany is the largest mobile communication provider in Germany with 7bn€ rev, >44 million customer accesses. Brands include O2, FONIC, Blau, simyo, AldiTalk or Tchibo mobil.
• Managed definition and execution of O2's entire digital business planning activities incl. product roadmap coordination activities across business areas such as Financial Services, Advertising, Video, Music, Gaming, Security, Connected Car, Smart Home (budget triple-digit mEUR p.a.) • Initiated, built up and established new digital product businesses end-to-end leading interdisciplinary teams of 20+ senior business development managers and tech / data / sales / marketing / customer service / experts (budget double-digit m€) i) O2 Connected Car: B2C after-market data-driven product based on app and OBD II-technology enabling location-based couponing, car insurance, automotive diagnostics, trip logs, etc. Built up Operations Unit. ii) O2 Digital Workplace: B2B Cloud-based business solution targeting small and medium enterprises with a combined offering of digital communication services, productivity services (O365, Box), mobile device management and mobile hardware • For newly established business unit Telefónica Digital delivered and implemented strategy plan, governance and operating model, workforce restructuring plan (employee base triple-digit) • Identified and executed the shutdown of an underperforming business in the M2M area • Fully empowered deputy of Director Digital reporting to O2 Executive Board member
• Managed innovation program to grow new adjacent revenue, developed strategic partnerships to capture growth opportunities (e.g. with Box.com, Microsoft, McAfee), developed business model designs • Built up and established new digital businesses end-to-end (budget single-digit mEUR p.a.): i) S-Drive / Insurance Telematics: developed and commercialized first ever "Pay How You Drive"-product in the German market partnering with Sparkassen DirektVersicherung AG (B2B2C white-labeled solution, professional installation services, tech platform, etc.) ii) O2 Promotion Pad: B2C Digital signage advertising solution targeting small retailers iii) Joyn: NextGen mobile messaging service for VoIP WiFi Calling, chat, media transfer • Delivered market entry assessments and recommendation papers to O2 Executive Board • Appointed to Telefónica's international Leadership Development Program (Top 1% of staff)