Thilo at the “Garden of Morning Calm,” northeast of Seoul. He completed part of his master’s degree in South Korea.
Thilo: As a consultant, you’re always flexible and ready to jump in. There’s some truth to that stereotype. As long as the work is enjoyable, it doesn’t bother me.
I am a senior consultant.
In my previous job, I worked for another implementation consulting firm. That’s exactly what I enjoy: implementing projects together with the client. After a while, I started looking for a new challenge, preferably in the IT field. At grosse-hornke, it was just the perfect fit. I’m currently leading a project on both the IT and business sides, and we’re completely focused on the client.
That we take responsibility and drive initiatives forward. It’s a bit like playing chess. You always have to identify the interdependencies and think a few steps ahead: What do you do if things don’t go according to plan? I like it when everything is moving in the right direction. When the milestone in the project plan is reached and we’re right on schedule. Recently, we were even two weeks ahead of schedule on a project.
We are providing support for an IT project in the pharmaceutical industry. An IT system there was recently replaced. The focus now is on properly decommissioning the system and archiving the data. There are specific legal and technical requirements involved, and we need to implement them in collaboration with the client. I’m driving the project forward on both the IT and business sides and mediating between the stakeholders.
Hiking along the Wupper: Thilo enjoys spending his weekends exploring the Bergisches Land region around Solingen.
How important communication is. Above all, it comes down to finding the right balance: we can efficiently address many issues over the phone. But sometimes you need to meet with stakeholders in person to get them on board—especially when someone has concerns and you’re not making progress. A conversation over coffee often goes a long way.
Be open to new things and future-oriented topics. For me, for example, that was computer science. I used to take courses at the FernUniversität Hagen alongside my job. It wasn’t about being able to program at all. But you do need a basic understanding of it to work well with specialists on projects. And here’s another piece of advice: It’s worth being proficient in implementation, because that brings concrete added value to the customer. In the long run, that’s something AI can hardly replace.
While he was a student, Thilo worked on a social project in Brazil, including as an English teacher. But he still found time to take a trip to Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.
First, I completed vocational training as an industrial clerk. That means I had already gained practical experience before starting my degree. I then earned a bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration and Entrepreneurship at Leuphana University in Lüneburg. After that, I completed a master’s degree in Strategic Management at Aalto University in Finland. The program there is very hands-on. People from companies came to the lectures, and we worked on real-world cases. That was pretty close to what I do today.
Yes, that was important to me because I’m interested in other cultures and languages. During my master’s program, I also spent a semester in South Korea. I traveled a lot during that time and had to get by without knowing the language. English is spoken there, but it doesn’t get you everywhere. For example, street signs and bus schedules aren’t always translated. That’s how I met a lot of people. It’s an experience that helps you grow: simply navigating unfamiliar situations.
I enjoy traveling with my wife. For example, on the weekends we might just take a day trip to a nearby town, or sometimes even head over to the Netherlands. Or we go out into nature. Here in Solingen, we’re close to some truly beautiful areas along the Wupper River and in the Bergisches Land. There, you can go hiking or biking, or just sit by the river and have a picnic.
Imagine you need to catch the right bus, but the schedule is in Korean. Our colleague Thilo loves to embrace new situations and different cultures. His experience shows that if you reach out to people at the right moment, you can ensure that projects reach their destination successfully.
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