I've learned so much about real estate in that time. Not by the books. But by doing it. And about what it takes to be a good real estate agent (and what it takes to be the opposite). This was the nucleus of my ambition. My ambition to become one of the best real estate agents in Munich

Group Lead Data Protection and IT Security SolutionsLeading a portfolio of 6 different projects. Managing the switch to Security by Design, Privacy by Design --> defining new strategy and aligning it with various parties.Leading team of 15 - 30 employees.Group Lead for Commerical Finance ITLeading team of 14 People.In parallel initiator for innovation feature "DiscoverNearby" for BMW automotive customers.Project Lead:Implementing EU data protection law at BMW Bank, the Financial Services branch of BMW Group, with the focus on deleting obsolete personal data out of a portfolio of approx 100 applications across several markets. Key challenges include: 1) variety of applications, including CRM of-the-shelf solution, custom build tools, data warehouse2) complex dependencies between applications3) business is of course not keen on loosing data!BMW Group has really great people and of course cool products - however it drove me crazy to see, how long it takes to make bold decisions in a consensus-oriented company. After many years in IT, I wanted to do a radical change in my live. I had a strong desire to setup my own company - so it was time to move on.

I did a lot of important stuff (mostly) and earned quite a lot of money - but nearly paid for it with my health due to extreme working hours. I've learned a lot about myself, about leadership, about cultures. And about being careful on my wellbeing. Highlight were my overseas assignment: Bangalore, India (6 months) and especially Singapore (3.5 years), where my daughter was born. Do I enjoy tropical weather? Yes! Do I enjoy it for every day after 3.5 years? No - I miss the seasons! --> Time to move back to Munich!!!

Volunteer work as IT teacher for rural school children. What a humbling experience: mostly no electricity, no running water, eating food with your hands. I definitely didn't care about my social media status these days - it was just nice simple life! I've thaught basics - like hardware, and what they can do with a PC, like paining the Nepalese flag.

Supported development of an e-marketplace and assisting in the re-design of cycosmos.com - yes these were the days when Google and Amazon were still unkown to most people in Germany :-) Coding in Java.

Designed and implemented web-based application with Java Server Pages and SQL. Right next to Times Square. New York City before 9-11. One of the most exciting places to work! I've enjoyed the fast pace of NYC, the cultural meltung pot. And I had a very inspiring boss - who led by targets, not by tasks.

I had no clue - so I've bought some books, learned and applied. Designed and implemented re-launch for company website (HTML, JavaScript, Adobe Photoshop). My first time in Asia. Fell in love with the cuisine. And with my later wife. Enjoyed using my creativity and appetite for learn new things, to help the company setting upa cutting-edge website. At least it was cutting edge in 1999 ...