Björn Kowarsch - Epic Owner, Business Process Consultant

Q: Where is Björn based?

Björn is based in Munich, Germany .

Q: What languages does Björn speak?

Björn speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary), Russian (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Björn have?

Björn has at least 17 years of experience. During this time, Björn has worked in at least 15 different roles and for 12 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 2 months . Note that Björn may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Björn's latest experience?

Björn's most recent position is Product Owner at ING Retail Bank .

Q: What companies has Björn worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Björn has worked for ING Retail Bank , Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG , equensWorldline SE , DG Nexolution (formerly DG Verlag) , and Bertelsmann BFS Finance GmbH .

Q: Which industries is Björn most experienced in?

Björn is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance , Information Technology , and Telecommunication . Björn also has some experience in Media and Entertainment , Retail , and Aerospace and Defense .

Q: Which business areas is Björn most experienced in?

Björn is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology , Product Development , and Project Management . Björn also has some experience in Quality Assurance , Business Intelligence , and Legal .

Q: Which industries has Björn worked in recently?

Björn has recently worked in industries like Banking and Finance and Telecommunication .

Q: Which business areas has Björn worked in recently?

Björn has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology , Quality Assurance , and Product Development .

Recommended expert

Munich, Germany

Experience

Aug 2025 - Feb 2026

7 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Hybrid

Product Owner

ING Retail Bank

Organizational and technical process development and design of the digitization and online use of bank mandates. Responsible for accurately capturing requirements in Epics and User Stories, including backlog management, MVP, implementation support, and end-to-end testing of the implementation according to the SAFe Agile Framework methodology, creating process and interface documentation, and sprint demos. Established a knowledge management system based on Confluence and SharePoint, including employee training and workshops.

Dec 2022 - Dec 2024

2 years 1 month

Munich, Germany

Epic Owner, Business Process Consultant

Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG

Conceptual migration and organizational/technical process development of payment and billing processes from legacy systems to a new B2B and mass market technology stack.
Responsible for accurately capturing requirements in Epics and User Stories, blueprinting, implementation support, and end-to-end testing of the implementation according to the SAFe Agile Framework methodology.
Creating process and interface documentation and conducting sprint demos.
Building a knowledge management system based on Confluence and SharePoint, including employee training.

Dec 2021 - Aug 2022

9 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Business Analyst, Solution Consultant

equensWorldline SE

Conceptual migration of card processes (issuer migration) and client reporting to banks and card schemes from legacy systems to a new platform.
Organizational and technical process development for taking over mandatory and required reporting and implementing it in a new output system.
Standardization of the service and reporting portfolio and related processes.
Building a knowledge management system based on Confluence and SharePoint, including employee training.

Sep 2021 - Dec 2021

4 months

Wiesbaden, Germany

Provider Management and Consulting

DG Nexolution (formerly DG Verlag)

Supported the provider management department in ensuring IT security requirements (BAIT, MaRisk, KWG) for outsourcing.
Created internal emergency plans (BCM, DR) and control systems (ICS) to ensure and further develop compliance.
Handled VISA and Mastercard mandates.

Sep 2020 - Sep 2021

1 year 1 month

Gütersloh, Germany

Product Owner, Business Analyst, Solution Consultant

Bertelsmann BFS Finance GmbH

Conceptual development of a fully automated, AML-compliant company and business partner identification platform module with determination of the beneficial owner(s).
UI/UX design of a web interface for controlling and configuring the module as well as template-based output of results.
Organizational and technical process development for GDPR-compliant data processing.
Reading, understanding, and applying various regulatory requirements and capturing them in Epics and User Stories for software implementation.
Fork for alternative scenarios, such as supply chain/sustainability legislation.

Jan 2020 - Jun 2020

6 months

Wiesbaden, Germany

Project Management, Product Management Support, Consulting

DG Nexolution (formerly DG Verlag)

Project management and product management support for an HCE-based Android payment app to achieve certification from the industry association.
Project management for a new physical credit card program (personalization and production, validation and approval).
Consulting and support in setting up a provider management department and managing service providers.

Jan 2019 - Oct 2019

10 months

Gütersloh, Germany

Data Analyst / Interface Analyst

Bertelsmann BFS Finance GmbH

Analysis of regulatory and business requirements for creating a data warehouse of corporate data provided by the market-leading credit agencies.
Analysis, testing, and business intelligence of corporate data and interface specifications for technical integration.
Advising the client on regulatory requirements and technical implementations for a GwG-compliant credit agency.

Jan 2018 - Dec 2018

1 year

Munich, Germany

Senior Product Consultant

Wirecard Bank

Analyzing regulatory and business requirements and creating implementation proposals and concepts.
Coordinating and agile project management of technical integrations and improvements around the core banking system and card-based banking products.
Implementing regulatory requirements (NPP, POG, MaRisk).
Standardizing the product portfolio and processes.
Advising FinTech companies in lending and factoring, like Billie and Face Value.

Sep 2013 - Dec 2017

4 years 4 months

Germany

Senior Technical Consultant

Wirecard Technologies

Analyzing regulatory and business requirements and creating implementation proposals and concepts for card-based financial products.
Agile project and product management in financial services, such as issuing, acquiring, payment gateways, and mobile payment apps and wallets.
Handling RFIs and RFPs.
Coordinating and leading technical integrations and customer projects in eCommerce, savings & loyalty, credit cards, and mobile payments with HCE and NFC.
Advising FinTech companies like Savedroid, N26, and others.

Sep 2012 - Aug 2013

1 year

Germany

Software Development Project Manager

RatePAY GmbH

Implementing payment and credit decision solutions into customer and partner systems.
Enhancing shop plugins and interfaces.
Managing internal and external development resources.

Nov 2011 - Aug 2012

10 months

Germany

Technical Integration Project Manager eCommerce

RatePAY GmbH

Integration of credit bureaus, risk management systems and payment service providers (PSP) into the systems of RatePAY GmbH and the Otto Group.
Integration with systems of online retailers and marketplace platforms.

Sep 2009 - Apr 2011

1 year 8 months

Germany

Technical Consultant

it-testpro GmbH

Requirements analysis and test case creation for the trial operation of the European train control and signaling system ETCS / ERTMS on the Munich-Ingolstadt-Nuremberg test line.
Setting up an in-house software and hardware testing department and test automation for VoIP network devices and services.
Coordination and execution of quality assurance and acceptance tests for eCommerce and CRM systems.
Leading the Quality Assurance and User Acceptance Testing team for Adidas AG in Herzogenaurach.

Feb 2009 - Aug 2009

7 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Subproject Lead System Integration

Lufthansa Systems AG

Subproject lead for system integration in the large-scale "Refactoring Miles & More" loyalty platform project.
Collaboration with Loyalty Partner Solutions in Munich (Payback).

Aug 2008 - Jan 2009

6 months

Los Angeles, United States

QA Analyst and Team Lead

Jamba GmbH / Fox Media Entertainment

Launch of the music download platform "MySpace Music" for the MySpace corporate division.
Quality assurance of WAP and SMS services, mobile music & video streaming, content delivery & mobile billing for the Fox Media Entertainment markets in Canada, the USA, and Brazil via mobile network operators.

Aug 2006 - Jul 2008

2 years

Berlin, Germany

Quality Assurance Analyst

Jamba! GmbH

Quality assurance of Content & Platform for the launch of the music download platform "Jamba Music".
Quality assurance of WAP and SMS services, mobile music & video streaming, content delivery & mobile billing for all German providers: E-Plus, Vodafone, T-Mobile, and O2 (Telefonica).

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Banking and Finance, Information Technology, Telecommunication, Media and Entertainment, Retail, and Aerospace and Defense.

Banking and Finance

Information Technology

Telecommunication

Media and Entertainment

Retail

Aerospace and Defense

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management, Quality Assurance, Business Intelligence, and Legal.

Information Technology

Product Development

Project Management

Quality Assurance

Business Intelligence

Legal

Skills

Extensive Knowledge Of Standard Industry Solutions, Web And Application Servers, Databases And Operating Systems, As Well As Network Technologies And Protocols, Interfaces (Apis), Virtualization And Container Solutions, Cloud Solutions And Blockchain Technologies, Including Smart Contracts.
Highly Experienced In Using Jira & Confluence, Including Many Plugins, And In Remote Work Via Ucc, Even Before The Pandemic.

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Elementary

Russian

Elementary

Education

Apr 2003 - Sep 2004

TU Berlin

Materials Science · Berlin, Germany

Oct 2001 - Mar 2003

FHTW Berlin

Telecommunications Electronics · Berlin, Germany

Certifications & licenses

MMAI - Master Management with AI

MMAI / SGO Business School

PMP Project Management Professional

ITIL V3 IT Service Management

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 15

Experience in Banking and Finance 11 y

Avg length 1 y 1 m

Longest experience 4 y 3 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 2 (Germany, United States)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Product Owner, Epic Owner, Business Process Consultant, Business Analyst, Solution Consultant

Main industries Banking and Finance, Information Technology, Telecommunication

Main business areas Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management

Qualifications

Certifications earned 3

Profile

Created

January 2023

Last Update

March 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Björn based?

Björn is based in Munich, Germany.

What languages does Björn speak?

Björn speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary), Russian (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Björn have?

Björn has at least 17 years of experience. During this time, Björn has worked in at least 15 different roles and for 12 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 2 months. Note that Björn may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Björn be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Björn would be well-suited for roles such as: Product Owner, Epic Owner, Business Process Consultant, Business Analyst, Solution Consultant.

What is Björn's latest experience?

Björn's most recent position is Product Owner at ING Retail Bank.

What companies has Björn worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Björn has worked for ING Retail Bank, Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG, equensWorldline SE, DG Nexolution (formerly DG Verlag), and Bertelsmann BFS Finance GmbH.

Which industries is Björn most experienced in?

Björn is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance, Information Technology, and Telecommunication. Björn also has some experience in Media and Entertainment, Retail, and Aerospace and Defense.

Which business areas is Björn most experienced in?

Björn is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Product Development, and Project Management. Björn also has some experience in Quality Assurance, Business Intelligence, and Legal.

Which industries has Björn worked in recently?

Björn has recently worked in industries like Banking and Finance and Telecommunication.

Which business areas has Björn worked in recently?

Björn has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology, Quality Assurance, and Product Development.

What is Björn's education?

Björn attended TU Berlin for Materials Science.

Does Björn have any certificates?

Björn has 3 certificates. These include: MMAI - Master Management with AI, PMP Project Management Professional, and ITIL V3 IT Service Management.

What is the availability of Björn?

Björn is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Björn?

Björn's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.