Chief Data Officer · Munich
A working AI-governance system at Germany’s largest public insurer — and a voice in the industry working groups translating EU regulation into operational practice.
Current focus
An AI system registry, an EU AI Act–aligned risk classification, and review workflows embedded where teams actually build — not bolted on at release.
Data ownership and stewardship across business domains, plus the event-driven platform underneath Versicherungskammer’s Data Driven Transformation.
FiDA preparedness, active participation in industry working groups shaping German insurance AI standards, and translating evolving EU regulation into operational practice.
About
I lead AI and Data Governance at Versicherungskammer — Germany’s largest public insurer — building frameworks that make responsible AI adoption possible rather than preventing it.
My focus is a practical AI governance framework for EU AI Act compliance: an AI system registry, risk classification, and embedded governance workflows. The goal isn’t to avoid risk — it’s to make risk transparent and manageable from the start.
My scope includes data governance within Versicherungskammer’s Data Driven Transformation programme, and regulatory preparedness for FiDA as Europe’s financial data landscape evolves. In early 2025, I transitioned into Corporate Development to embed AI and data governance as a strategic function.
I represent Versicherungskammer in industry regulatory working groups and speak regularly at conferences on proportionate, embedded AI governance.
Earlier in my career: Head of Sales & Customer Success at think-cell, VP & General Manager EMEA at Unisys, SVP at T-Systems, Engagement Manager at McKinsey, and founding engineer at Socratix — a bioinformatics startup in Palo Alto.
Career
Built Versicherungskammer’s AI governance function from scratch: AI system registry, risk classification framework, and governance workflows for EU AI Act compliance. Leading data governance within the company-wide Data Driven Transformation programme and regulatory preparedness for FiDA. Transitioned into Corporate Development in early 2025 to embed AI and data governance as a strategic corporate function. Regular speaker at industry conferences and active in regulatory working groups.
Designed and implemented Versicherungskammer’s first enterprise-wide data governance framework, establishing organisational structures, roles, and processes for data ownership across business domains. Headed the implementation of the company’s first event-driven data platform — the technical foundation for the Data Driven Transformation.
Built the customer success initiative for think-cell’s largest accounts globally. Defined and implemented the outbound sales approach, initiated a partnering programme with a major statistics portal, set up an incentive programme with key resellers, and implemented a sales operations dashboard providing end-to-end transparency of the sales process and customer lifecycle.
Global P&L leader for all Life Sciences, Consumer Packaged Goods, and multinational clients in EMEA. Full responsibility for growth, revenue, profitability, and client satisfaction. Achieved 16% year-over-year top-line growth while improving profitability and NPS by +20 points year-over-year. General Manager of Unisys Enterprise Services GmbH in Germany.
Member of the Management Committee of ICT Operations, which delivered private cloud, data centre outsourcing, and end-user computing for multinational customers across 22 countries. Built and led an organisation of ~750 employees in Western Europe and four nearshore/offshore hubs. Led the development and operations of T-Systems’ Operations Support Systems (OSS) platform with an annual budget of ~€150M. Executive sponsor for ICT outsourcing transactions, including a “Big Deal” with transaction volume exceeding €100M. Established a worldwide project management organisation and PM standards for ICT Operations. Implemented a worldwide Six Sigma programme with 11 Master Black Belts and ~100 Black Belts running 100+ improvement projects concurrently.
Established Computacenter as a market player in Six Sigma training and consulting. Managed a reorganisation of the sales and service organisation in Germany, affecting ~3,000 employees. Responsible for all strategic process improvement, customer satisfaction, ISO certification (9001, 14001, OHSAS 18001), and company-wide knowledge management.
Led strategy, business building, IT architecture, and cost reduction engagements — predominantly in financial services (insurance, banking) with a strong focus on IT strategy. Engagements included IT department co-management, cost reduction programmes for insurers, project portfolio audits, global sourcing IT architectures, and corporate venturing strategy.
First employee of a seed-funded bioinformatics startup in Palo Alto. Developed core technology for integrating autonomous heterogeneous databases, building on Stanford research. Presented to VC firms on Sand Hill Road. Managed the company’s technical development plan and patent application process.
Speaking & Industry
Practical approaches to embedding EU AI Act compliance in a regulated environment — drawing on Versicherungskammer’s implementation experience with risk classification and governance workflows.
Building governance structures that accelerate responsible AI adoption — sharing lessons from designing a framework that serves innovation rather than impeding it.
Active contributor to working groups shaping AI governance and compliance standards across the German insurance industry, bridging regulatory requirements and operational practice.
Writing
Versicherungskammer hosted the Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik 2025 award ceremony. On the lineage of insurance, the cognitive foundation of AI governance, and why precise thinking matters more than compliance checklists.
Read →My father received Germany’s Federal Cross of Merit today. A reflection on five decades of civic engagement in a small Hessian town.
Read →An AI-generated film is impressive. But the AI decisions that matter in insurance — pricing, claims, underwriting — are invisible. That’s where governance counts.
Read →Why the debate should focus on legal certainty rather than deregulation — and what Baden-Württemberg’s data protection law shows is possible.
Read →Reflections from the Plug and Play Germany Summit on why governance is a design principle — not a filter at the end — and what that means for Europe’s AI advantage.
Read →Key takeaways from the CDO BFSI Exchange Europe keynote panel on making data and AI work for both compliance and competitiveness.
Read →Education
Research focus: information integration & query optimisation.
Fulbright Scholar · Schlumberger Fellowship
Scholar, German National Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes)
Recognition
ACM Symposium on Principles of Database Systems
ACM Symposium on Principles of Database Systems
U.S.–German Fulbright Commission
Stanford University
Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
U.S. Patent No. 6,178,416 — Granted January 23, 2001
Research
ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems
Journal of Logic Programming
Ph.D. Thesis, Stanford University
ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems
AAAI Workshop on AI and Information Integration
ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data
International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI)
AAAI National Conference on Artificial Intelligence
International Workshop on Intelligent Information Integration
ACM Symposium on Applied Computing
Contact
Whether it’s AI governance, data strategy, a speaking invitation, or a quieter board conversation — write directly.