1. Tell us a bit about your career history. How did you get to where you are now? And maybe two parts to that: How did you end up at DB E&C? And how does one become a chief digital officer? And what do you like about it?
“I had a variety of experiences on my way to becoming Chief Digital Officer at DB E&C. I joined Deutsche Bahn over 20 years ago, after earning a degree in civil engineering at TU Braunschweig. I started out at the DB Netz AG technical office in Karlsruhe and then moved up through different positions.
One milestone was when I became responsible for major projects at DB Station&Service AG in southwestern Germany. I was then called to Berlin, where I initiated various major construction programs, including fire protection upgrades at all stations, a project worth up to half a billion euros.
These experiences were what led me to digitalization. I realized that many of our activities were repetitive and leant themselves to standardization and automation. I moved to DB E&C in 2018, where I managed BIM implementation at first. It wasn’t long before I joined a larger group of employees working on developing the digitalization strategy as part of the company’s Tuning program.
My current position as Chief Digital Officer is the result of this development. What do I particularly like about it? The opportunity to develop innovative solutions that make our work more efficient and create real added value for the company and our clients.”
2. Nice, so you’re a rail employee through and through. What do you think makes working in Digitalization at DB E&C different from other companies?
“As a ‘child of infrastructure’, I particularly appreciate how dynamic DB E&C is. Even though DB E&C is part of a large corporation, it is flexible and isn’t as hierarchical. We don’t have to go through as many channels to get things done. That makes it much easier to get ideas implemented, especially in an innovative field such as digitalization.
We’re in a unique position. We are a service provider for the DB Group but we also operate internationally and offer a wide range of products. This diversity is also reflected in our intercultural cooperation.
Despite the challenges we face as a competitor in the market, the conditions here are ideal for us to put our ideas into practice. The combination of flexibility, international focus and innovative capacity is what makes working in Digitalization at DB E&C so special.”
3. AI is a big topic right now. What current trends or factors affect your work or what trends or factors would you potentially like to introduce?
“There is no doubt that AI is a trending topic, but it is far more than just a buzzword for us. As part of the DB Group, we and the other Group companies have had a lot of work to do in conjunction with the legal implications, in particular the EU AI Act. That has delayed our approach to introducing generative AI somewhat, but we will be ready to introduce it in a controlled way soon.
We have actually been using a number of different AI technologies for some time now. In the field of computer vision, we successfully use AI for image recognition and for identifying objects on the track. We also use AI solutions to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation, for example when blurring people or license plates in scan data.
We have a two-pronged approach to implementing AI, especially generative AI.
First, we create the necessary framework at the company. That includes legal aspects, codetermination, technical requirements and change management. We need to ensure that our employees are empowered to take advantage of the opportunities that AI offers while also understanding the risks.
Second, we identify specific areas where we can use AI in our production processes. We have compiled, structured and prioritized potential uses so that we’ll be ready to begin implementation quickly once generative AI is approved for use.
This dual strategy makes sure that we integrate AI into our work processes efficiently and responsibly. It’s an exciting task that has the potential to fundamentally change and improve the way we work.”
4. Have you ever had moments where you realized that legal frameworks or technological developments have made work more complex in a very short time?
“We actually deal with legal frameworks and technological developments every day in our field. As an engineer and project manager, I am used to working within a network of laws, technical specifications and standards. It’s nothing new. It’s something I’ve done throughout my career, even back when I was working on the Stuttgart 21 project.
Over the last decade, however, I have noticed that specifications have become increasingly detailed and comprehensive. This often happens because more stakeholders are involved in decision-making processes. Trying to accommodate all opinions inevitably leads to more complicated laws and regulations.
As a private citizen, I sometimes wonder whether so much regulation still makes sense. However, it is probably the price we pay for broader participation and trying to account for as many aspects as possible.
Overall, I think it’s still business as usual, but there is a clear trend toward greater complexity. I’m not ready to say that things are truly complex, but the requirements we have to meet are definitely increasing. It is a constant challenge to comply with all of these aspects in our daily work while remaining efficient and innovative.”
5. What do you think applicants should bring to the table if they want to work in the Digitalization organization? What do you think makes a person a good fit for the team and the work?
“We are looking for people who have a combination of expertise and an understanding of our core business to join our Digitalization team. Ideal candidates have hybrid expertise: They understand the technical side and the language of our clients at the company.
As “digitalizers”, we focus less on the technical infrastructure and more on the production chain and processes. Our job is to translate challenges and problems into technical solutions. That’s why it is crucial to have a basic understanding of both worlds – IT and engineering – especially for people who work directly with clients.
Of course, we also have programming specialists and experts for subjects such as AI and data management. Professional expertise is what we look at most.
What general qualities should applicants have? An interest in our company’s products and services and in the people who provide them, curiosity about new technologies and the ability to make new technologies useful for the work our company does. We offer exciting responsibilities as part of a team of dedicated employees who are open-minded and enjoy developing solutions.
We cooperate closely with Production, which is one of the particular advantages of working with us. We aren’t limited to our own team. We’re able to use the skills of the entire company, i.e. the nearly 7,000 employees of the DB E.C.O. Group, including the international expertise of our design centers and sister companies. This diversity allows us to transfer technologies from different organizations to our core business.
The possibilities are virtually endless, and that’s really fun. It’s like having access to a huge supermarket where you can select whatever ingredients you need for your ‘project menu.’ This diversity of resources and skills makes our work especially exciting, effective and varied.”
