Christoph Wlotzek
Future 50 Honoree of 2024
For making project management the foundation for seamless mergers and acquisitions at Siemens
Mergers and Acquisitions Project Manager at Siemens | Munich, Germany
Christoph Wlotzek describes his entry into project management as “somewhat unconventional.” Just a couple of years out of university working in Controlling (or finance), he found himself in a leadership role on a new project where he shined.
“I was entrusted to lead this new function and took on leadership of several projects. For me, it was a real 'learning by doing' experience, supplemented by Siemens' internal learning resources,” Christoph says.
Now a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) project manager for Siemens Software in Munich, Germany, he has successfully managed several post-merger integration projects.
He recounts a successful project he worked on a few years back, leading the integration of an acquired software business in South Africa as representing a good use of project management skills. Not only did they meet all their objectives, and significantly enhanced the company’s presence in the Middle East and North Africa, he learned a lot about managing people.
“The key to this success was the emphasis on people. By taking the acquired employees on a journey, addressing their needs and concerns, and fostering enthusiasm for being part of Siemens, we created a collaborative environment that truly made a difference,” Christoph says.
Collaboration has been key to much of his success, he says, crediting a network of supporters and mentors at Siemens over the years who have consulted with him and to whom he feels he owes a lot.
Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you. Focus on solutions, not problems, and focus on delivering value rather than simply completing tasks.
Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you. Focus on solutions, not problems, and focus on delivering value rather than simply completing tasks.
Though not a certified project manager, Christoph is grateful to PMI for connecting him to a broad network of professionals, where he’s received valuable opportunities to exchange best practices and insights on topics such as change management and the role of AI in project management.
Change management has become especially important in the work of mergers and acquisitions because they often bring uncertainty for the employees of the acquired company. “Addressing their concerns is vital. Since intellectual capital is one of the most valuable assets in software businesses, retaining talent during transitions is a top priority,” Christoph says.
By prioritizing open communication and support for employees, he has found that it’s possible to minimize uncertainty and help these employees embrace the new direction.
Of course, some amount of failure is still inevitable in any project. Rather than let them deter him, Christoph says, “embracing failure as a learning opportunity, rather than a setback, is key to fostering innovation within integration projects.”
What keeps the work exciting for him is the people, the entrepreneurial nature of the role, and the way each project presents its own sets of challenges, requiring all team members to be innovative and experimental in their approach to finding solutions.
He explains how during the integration phase of each project, they collect the lessons learned and best practices and review them upon completion. If these are deemed applicable to future integration projects, the insights will be directly incorporated into the integration framework and functional playbooks to ensure continuous improvement into the future.
He finds the most rewarding projects to be those where all participants are equally motivated and aligned around a common objective, adding, “Ultimately, achieving success as a team is far more fulfilling than doing so alone; it’s the collaboration and shared experience that make the journey truly enjoyable.”
Most of all, he tries to follow advice he’s been given over the years, namely: “Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you. Focus on solutions, not problems, and focus on delivering value rather than simply completing tasks.”