Cologne Bonn Region
I lead innovation, transformation, and AI-enabled change at the intersection of strategy, execution, and technology. As a Chapter Lead, I oversee innovation and R&D portfolios, lead project managers, and support leadership teams in delivering enterprise-wide transformation programs. My experience spans innovation management, sustainability and circular economy initiatives. I combine strong execution capabilities with a passion for digitalization, leveraging AI and emerging technologies to enhance productivity, decision-making, and organizational effectiveness. I thrive in complex global environments where innovation, transformation, and technology come together to create sustainable business value and long-term competitive advantage.
Role Focus: Innovation Leadership, Portfolio Management & Strategy Execution in a global chemical company Leadership & Portfolio Scope: Chapter Lead with line responsibility for 7 Project Managers End-to-end portfolio management for R&D, innovation and strategy projects Prioritization and steering of initiatives with direct business and strategic impact Key Responsibilities: Lead innovation, R&D and strategy execution projects across corporate functions Support the Leadership Team in large-scale transformation initiatives, leveraging transformation expertise and serving as a McKinsey WAVE Super User to accelerate execution and value realization Lead the digitalization of project management through AI, automation and process redesign to improve efficiency Design and facilitate ideation projects with clear business cases and value creation Scout, evaluate and position recycling and circular economy technologies Build and manage global partnerships, including collaboration via the Global Impact Coalition Support a central innovation steering body with senior business leaders and CEO representation Key Achievements: Introduced OKR as a strategy execution framework for an entire function Created alignment from strategy to execution across multiple innovation streams Established global partnerships in recycling and circular economy innovation Increased executive alignment and decision speed in innovation steering
Role Focus: Corporate Governance, Global Standards & Executive Steering in a multinational organization Scope: Ownership of global Corporate Regulations and governance frameworks Interface between corporate functions, Managing Directors and Board-level stakeholders Governance setup across 40+ legal entities worldwide Key Responsibilities: Define, document and implement global governance standards enabling consistent execution at scale Advise Managing Directors on governance models balancing control and entrepreneurial freedom Design global review, monitoring and escalation processes supporting reliable decision-making Prepare executive-level materials to support strategic steering and prioritization Key Achievements: Reduced the number of Corporate Regulations by 30 % through global harmonization, increasing clarity and speed Established standardized governance processes across 40+ legal entities, creating a reliable operating model Scouted and applied AI-based document analytics to improve structure, searchability and transparency of regulation Co-developed and implemented an integrated digital communication platform including an AI-based chatbot in cooperation with a startup, significantly improving user access and adoption Increased transparency and management steering capability through structured global reporting Aligned diverse stakeholder groups across functions and regions, enabling faster execution of strategic initiatives
South Korean multinational electronics, chemicals, household appliances, and telecommunications corporation, fourth-largest chaebol, €56b sales, 220,000 employees, sites in over 80 countries. Role Focus: Technology Management, Open Innovation and New Business Development in a global R&D environment Scope: Technology scouting and early-phase assessment across multiple industrial domains Interface between R&D, external partners and international business units European role within a South Korean multinational innovation ecosystem Key Responsibilities: Scout and evaluate emerging technologies in: Advanced materials and chemistry for automotive, construction and consumer electronics Renewable energy technologies (photovoltaics, fuel cells) Novel production technologies Conduct technology, market and trend analyses to support strategic decisions Initiate and structure Open Innovation projects with external partners Key Achievements Led early-phase technology assessments resulting in international R&D collaborations across 10+ European countries Negotiated and managed multinational Open Innovation projects with universities, research institutes, corporates and startups (>€4m total project volume) Coordinated international New Business Development initiatives in industrial chemistry and retail applications Built a strong European innovation network within a global Asian corporate environment
- Project management and Competitive Intelligence in Pharma and Biotech
- Market and technology studies in specialty chemicals