Rafael Hellmann

Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal | IT Strategist, Enterprise Architect, CIO Advisor | Future-proofing IT with business-vision and assertiveness | M&A value creation, performance improvement

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

About

I support IT leaders in future-proofing their organizations by aligning technology with business vision, applying sound methodology, and driving results with high energy and strong team satisfaction. With more than 15 years of experience in both operational roles and professional services, I specialize in developing multi-year IT strategies, designing enterprise IT landscapes, and managing their transformation. I have extensive expertise in IT Due Diligence, Diagnostics, Carve-outs, and System Integrations, delivering actionable solutions and tangible results in complex environments. I have the ability to break down complex challenges into clear, actionable work items and and to achieve measurable outcomes quickly. I have the ability to get from complex issues to actionable work items and tangible results fast. Preferring substance over fluff, I am a fresh thinker, objective and curious. I enjoy upbeat, pragmatic, yet hands-on working environments. I had the privilege to graduate with an MBA degree at FOM University of Applied Sciences in Essen, and with a Masters Degree in International Information Management at Hildesheim University. I am down-to-earth, a dedicated Runner, Foodie and Wannabe-Frenchman. I am a stubborn owner of a Classic Rover Mini. And I like all things fast. 🏍

Experience

  • Alvarez & Marsal (Full-time · 5 yrs 3 mos)
    • Senior Director
      Nov 2025 - Present · 9 mos

      Alvarez & Marsal (“A&M”) is a leading global professional services firm that delivers performance improvement, turnaround management and business advisory services to organizations seeking to transform operations, catapult growth and accelerate results through decisive action. Our senior professionals are experienced operators, world-class consultants and industry veterans who draw upon the firm’s restructuring heritage to help leaders turn change into a strategic business asset, manage risk and unlock value at every stage.

    • Director
      Nov 2022 - Nov 2025 · 3 yrs 1 mo

    • Senior Associate
      May 2021 - Nov 2022 · 1 yr 7 mos

  • IT-Strategist / Enterprise Architect at Lufthansa Technik
    Sep 2016 - May 2021 · 4 yrs 9 mos

    I onboarded Lufthansa Technik AG in Hamburg as Project Manager in 2016. Due to my skills in Enterprise Architecture and motivated by my MBA studies, I joined the IT Strategy & Governance team to take commercial and technical responsibility of IT strategy development projects and Enterprise Architecture. Also, I had the pleasure to be responsible for transformation management activities and IT M&A activities. Most noteworthy, I worked on the following projects: ● 2017-2018 I designed and set up a Domain IT Architecture Board, based on shared IT Design Principles. Acting as Enterprise Architect, I prepared and executed architecture board meetings, ran architecture assessments and supported development projects with advice. ● 2018-2019, I developed an Architecture Vision for the Lufthansa Technik Group and operationalized it together with the responsible IT functions. For each function, I brought respective business strategies in sync with the target application landscape, and developed various systems development roadmaps to evolve the current application landscape towards the target within the next 2-3 years. I had the pleasure to lead a group of architects, and I successively obtained buy-in to the target landscapes by business division heads, functional leads, innovation departments and CIO. To support the evolution of the landscapes, I established a group-level Architecture Council, breaking down top-level architecture guidelines into actionable recommendations for projects and domains. Measurably, I improved the Architecture Management Maturity of Lufthansa Technik in these two consecutive years. ● In 2020, I took the responsibility of an IT carve out of a heavily entangled MRO subsidiary. I managed the sell-side diligence, set up the TSA with our company's and the buyer's legal team, and contributed to the SPA before closing. I managed the divestiture management office and executed the separation plan with the trade buyer‘s team.

  • Senior Consultant at Capgemini
    Dec 2010 - Sep 2016 · 5 yrs 10 mos

    I joined Capgemini as Technology Consultant in 2010. Capgemini was a wonderful experience and I met very inspirational people who helped me develop both my hard and soft skills. Focusing on manufacturing industries such as Automotive and Aerospace, I developed a deep understanding and versatile methodological tool set in project management, business analysis, enterprise architecture, requirements engineering, and in custom systems design, and I applied it in various Germany- and France-based software development and integration projects, as well as in project turnaround and legacy system obsolescence setups. Most noteworthy, I worked on the following engagements: ● 2010-2012 I contributed to the development of an integrated vehicle order-management system for an automotive group. I was responsible for the business architecture and technical design of various system components, eventually designing a production planning and control module for 26 production plants and 10 corporate brands. ● 2014 I took responsibility for the deployment of standardized ordering solutions solutions for an international aircraft manufacturing group and supplier. I led a deployment team of 9 colleagues at three manufacturing sites, being responsible for technical and commercial management of our consulting project. We implemented a sustained risk and performance management methodology and achievement add-on bookings of 600 days. ● In 2016, I had the pleasure to design and deploy an IT Quality Management for a Third-Party Logistics Company. I defined and rolled out binding standards in Software Development, Risk Management and Quality Management. The introduced QMS was compliant with GxP requirements to fulfill requirements of the pharma industry for IT operated in Logistics and Warehousing. My colleague and I audited 8 running projects and set up corrective actions to comply with the new standards and prepare the company‘s IT for the upcoming formal GxP audit.

  • Project Manager at MAN Truck & Bus AG
    Jun 2008 - Nov 2010 · 2 yrs 6 mos

    I started my career as IT project lead at MAN Nutzfahrzeuge in Salzgitter, Germany. I managed standardization of after-sales workshop processes across different engineering sites, and designed documentation methods and information systems with a team of technical writers. I elicited systems requirements and designed modules of a technical documentation system, and I initialized their implementation, taking care of every day project execution and controlling.