Dirk Hellmuth - Head of Individualization Initiative

Q: Where is Dirk based?

Dirk is based in Lohmar, Germany .

Q: What languages does Dirk speak?

Dirk speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Dirk have?

Dirk has at least 35 years of experience. During this time, Dirk has worked in at least 25 different roles and for 18 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 5 months . Note that Dirk may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Dirk's latest experience?

Dirk's most recent position is Head of Individualization Initiative at Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH .

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

In recent years, Dirk has worked for Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH , Natsana GmbH , INFOnline GmbH , DEKRA SE , and Boomerang Reisen GmbH .

Q: Which industries is Dirk most experienced in?

Dirk is most experienced in industries like Information Technology , Professional Services , and Tourism . Dirk also has some experience in Media and Entertainment , Insurance , and Automotive .

Q: Which business areas is Dirk most experienced in?

Dirk is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology , Project Management , and Strategy . Dirk also has some experience in Product Development , Human Resources , and Sales .

Q: Which industries has Dirk worked in recently?

Dirk has recently worked in industries like Professional Services , Information Technology , and Tourism .

Q: Which business areas has Dirk worked in recently?

Dirk has recently worked in business areas like Project Management , Strategy , and Information Technology .

Recommended expert

Lohmar, Germany

Experience

Oct 2024 - Present

1 year 6 months

Germany

Head of Individualization Initiative

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH

Responsibility for the Individualization Initiative to develop and implement a new travel product category
Setting up the cross-functional organization at strategic, tactical and operational levels
Aligning the initiative with the company's strategic goals (OKRs)
Preparing decision papers and recommendations for management and advisory board
Operational management of the technology work package

Jul 2023 - Dec 2024

1 year 6 months

Germany

Interim Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH

Overall responsibility for delivering and strategically developing the IT services
Contributing to shaping the company's overall strategy
Reorganizing the organizational structure and processes
People management
Selection and onboarding of a successor

Achievements:

Close alignment of IT services and their development with the business roadmap
Initiation and management of strategic initiatives to modernize the IT landscape
Active involvement in reorganizing the entire organizational structure

Apr 2023 - Dec 2024

1 year 9 months

Germany

Project Management and IT Consulting for New eCommerce Infrastructure

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH

Project management for the selection, design and implementation of a new eCommerce infrastructure
IT strategy consulting at C-level and IT leadership
General project management tasks (budgeting, risk management, steering committees, expectation management)
Management of technical design and implementation as Chief Product Owner

Achievements:

Structured and transparent selection of the strategic partner
Successful contract negotiations
Go-live of the websites berge-meer.de and aldi-reisen.de on time, quality & budget
Transition of the project organization into a product organization for continuous development

Nov 2022 - Apr 2023

6 months

Germany

Establishment of the Organization Development Division

Natsana GmbH

Subject-matter and organizational setup of the Organization Development division
Initiator and lead for developing organizational maturity (structure and process organization)
Establishment of internal services
OKR management
Project portfolio management
Continuous optimization and department support
Company-wide change management
Member of executive management responsible for organizational development
Staff selection and leadership

Achievements:

Development of an outline for the future Natsana OS organization
Initialization of an adapted OKR process
Establishment of agile methods in team and service development
Visible impact of the services after just a few weeks

Feb 2022 - Apr 2023

1 year 3 months

Germany

Establishment of the Digital Business Platforms Division

Natsana GmbH

Subject-matter and organizational setup of the Digital Business Platforms division
Priority 1 project: Implementation of a D2C platform based on various Salesforce Clouds and integration via MuleSoft Cloud
Vendor management and project management
Functional design and oversight as Functional Architect
Change management for Natsana D2C strategy
Staff selection and leadership

Achievements:

Go-live of the Salesforce D2C platform within 5 months
Initialization of a digital product organization
Establishment of procedures for implementing the corporate strategy according to SAFe and OKRs

Aug 2021 - Apr 2022

9 months

Germany

Business Development Build-up

INFOnline GmbH

Development of a sustainable business development workflow to expand the service offering
Combination of Design Thinking, Lean Portfolio Management and other approaches
Hands-on involvement: customer interviews, ideation workshops
Management consulting for organizational integration

Successes:

Initial workflow design
Creation of an idea backlog and validation with customers
Establishment of a continuous improvement workflow

Dec 2020 - Mar 2022

1 year 4 months

Germany

Agile Coaching in the Global Customer Experience Program

DEKRA SE

Designing the agile working model for technical solutions (Salesforce CRM, customer portal)
Bringing together multiple projects into a business- and customer-value-focused program organization
Implementing a scaled agile organization based on SAFe®
Agile coaching at the program and team levels
Organizational consulting at interfaces to the existing organization

Successes:

Further development of an agile product organization for the CX program
SAFe® readiness check and organizational development roadmap 2022
Coaching on agile methods and leadership at all levels

May 2020 - Jun 2022

2 years 2 months

Trier, Germany

Project Lead for Selection and Implementation of Reservation System

Boomerang Reisen GmbH

Selecting new reservation and mid-office systems
Analysis, concept development and support of implementation (mindset, processes, technology)
Vendor management
Change management

Successes:

Developed a custom vendor selection model based on value creation
Successful negotiations with service providers
Introduced agile approaches for fast value delivery

May 2020 - Jun 2022

2 years 2 months

Germany

Agile and Leadership Coaching in the FII/FIT IT Infrastructure Division

Porsche AG

Facilitating the strategic development of the 1IO One Infrastructure Initiative (about 600 employees)
Analyzing provided services and team work models
Designing and implementing value-oriented work models (from classic to SAFe®)
Sparring partner for agile product teams
Individual 1:1 coaching sessions

Successes:

Established the 1IO initiative based on the current situation and vision/strategy
Rolled out situationally adjusted work models (Waterfall, Lean, Scrum, Kanban, SAFe®)
Initiated and coached the LACE team for SAFe® Agile Release Trains
Received positive feedback from employees on the 1:1 coaching sessions

Apr 2020 - May 2022

2 years 2 months

Germany

IT and Digitalization Consultant

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH

Facilitating and providing input for the update of the IT strategy
Supporting software selection (financial accounting, mid-office)
Project management and product ownership of various topics
Agile and team coaching for multiple IT teams

Successes:

Maintained stable IT operations during the COVID-19 crisis
Developed post-pandemic strategies for restarting after COVID
Provided situational, flexible role and area deployment

Jan 2020 - Mar 2020

3 months

Germany

Interim Management (CIO)

Berge & Meer Holding GmbH

IT and digitalization strategy at group level
Opening IT to support acquisitions
Initiation of a leadership program

Apr 2018 - Dec 2019

1 year 9 months

Germany

Project Manager for CRM System Selection and Implementation

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH

Led the selection process for a CRM system
Led the Salesforce CRM integration project (from 03/2019)
Product owner for parts of the CRM system

Achievements:

Structured and objective system evaluation
Successful contract signing with vendors and partners
Fast implementation of initial Salesforce components through an agile setup

Jul 2017 - Feb 2018

8 months

Germany

Product Owner and Agile Coach

Porsche Digital GmbH

Product ownership for prototype development of an intelligent digital assistant for Porsche customers
Cross-functional agile coaching
Interface between management, stakeholders, and development team

Achievements:

MVP for a complex digital assistant within a few months
Established agile ideation, requirement, and development processes

Oct 2016 - Dec 2019

3 years 3 months

Germany

Interim Management (CDO) and Strategy Consulting

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH

Advised executive management on digitalization, IT strategy, and modern organizational models
Interim head of the digitalization division (03/2018–09/2019)
Further developed IT teams and the Project Management Office

Achievements:

Embedded digitalization and leadership aspects in TUI's M&A process
Integrated digitalization into the organization
Transformed classic management models to leadership
Increased the quantity and quality of IT deliveries through agile methods

Nov 2011 - Present

14 years 5 months

Managing Director / Independent IT and Organizational Consultant

Infinite GmbH

Interim management (CDO / CIO)
Strategy consulting on leadership and digitalization
Project management for strategic IT projects
Product ownership for digital solutions
Agile coaching (SAFe®, Scrum, Kanban, Lean Startup)

Aug 2011 - Nov 2011

4 months

Principal Portal Consultant Enterprise 2.0

btexx Technologies UG & Co. KG

Feb 2011 - Jul 2011

6 months

Wermelskirchen, Germany

Business Development Manager

Memotech GmbH

Mar 2008 - Feb 2011

3 years

Bonn, Germany

Head of Projects & Consulting

INFOnline GmbH

Apr 2007 - Feb 2008

11 months

Hennef, Germany

Senior Consultant IT Systems Management & Deployment

CONET Solutions GmbH

Oct 2006 - Mar 2007

6 months

Stuttgart, Germany

Head of Technical Team

circular Informationssysteme

Apr 2006 - Sep 2006

6 months

Hennef, Germany

Head of Infrastructure & Services

daGama Business Travel GmbH

Sep 1998 - Mar 2006

7 years 7 months

Hennef, Germany

IT Consultant, Project and Department Manager

CONET AG

Jul 1995 - Aug 1998

3 years 2 months

Olpe, Germany

Staff Member in the IT Department

Heller & Köster GmbH

Nov 1994 - Jun 1995

8 months

Dortmund, Germany

PC Technician

Vobis Computer

Aug 1991 - Oct 1994

3 years 3 months

Koblenz, Germany

Apprenticeship and permanent hire as IT clerk

Debeka Versicherungen

Product Owner, Agile Coach and IT Project Manager

Various clients

Clients:

DER Touristik GmbH
Lufthansa AG
Thomas Cook AG
Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH
GfK
INFOnline / AGOF / IVW / ÖWA
DHPG

Industry Experience

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

Experienced in Information Technology, Professional Services, Tourism, Media and Entertainment, Insurance, and Automotive.

Information Technology

Professional Services

Tourism

Media and Entertainment

Insurance

Automotive

Business Area Experience

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

Experienced in Information Technology, Project Management, Strategy, Product Development, Human Resources, and Sales.

Information Technology

Project Management

Strategy

Product Development

Human Resources

Sales

Summary

We have more knowledge and technical capabilities today than ever before. I want us to use these possibilities in a positive way for people, society and businesses.

My contribution is to use a combination of experience and modern thinking in practical project work to advance digitalization, leadership and modern organization, to both fulfil the task and help the people I work with grow.

Skills

Interim Manager
Project Manager
Coach & Consultant
Product Owner
Lean Startup
Digitalization
Leadership
Modern Organization
Business Agility (Safe®)
Digital & Agile Mindset
Openness And Empathy
Pragmatism
Broad Know-how And Cross-functional Thinking
Broad It Know-how
Salesforce Ecosystem
Ecommerce Shops
Data Analytics
Tourism It
Trust And Responsibility As A Foundation
Servant Leadership
Digitalization Is A Tool, Not An End In Itself

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Education

Aug 1991 - Oct 1994

Debeka Versicherungen

IT Clerk · IT Clerk · Koblenz, Germany

Certifications & licenses

Professional Scrum Master (PSM I by scrum.org)

Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I by scrum.org)

SPC SAFe® 5 Program Consultant

Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS by scrum.org)

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 26

Experience in Information Technology 28 y

Avg length 2 y 1 m

Longest experience 14 y 4 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 1 (Germany)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Head of Individualization Initiative, Interim Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Project Management and IT Consulting for New eCommerce Infrastructure

Main industries Information Technology, Professional Services, Tourism

Main business areas Information Technology, Project Management, Strategy

Qualifications

Certifications earned 4

Profile

Created

February 2025

Last Update

March 2026

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Frequently asked questions

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

Where is Dirk based?

Dirk is based in Lohmar, Germany.

What languages does Dirk speak?

Dirk speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Dirk have?

Dirk has at least 35 years of experience. During this time, Dirk has worked in at least 25 different roles and for 18 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 5 months. Note that Dirk may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Dirk be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Dirk would be well-suited for roles such as: Head of Individualization Initiative, Interim Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Project Management and IT Consulting for New eCommerce Infrastructure.

What is Dirk's latest experience?

Dirk's most recent position is Head of Individualization Initiative at Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH.

What companies has Dirk worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Dirk has worked for Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH, Natsana GmbH, INFOnline GmbH, DEKRA SE, and Boomerang Reisen GmbH.

Which industries is Dirk most experienced in?

Dirk is most experienced in industries like Information Technology, Professional Services, and Tourism. Dirk also has some experience in Media and Entertainment, Insurance, and Automotive.

Which business areas is Dirk most experienced in?

Dirk is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Strategy. Dirk also has some experience in Product Development, Human Resources, and Sales.

Which industries has Dirk worked in recently?

Dirk has recently worked in industries like Professional Services, Information Technology, and Tourism.

Which business areas has Dirk worked in recently?

Dirk has recently worked in business areas like Project Management, Strategy, and Information Technology.

What is Dirk's education?

Dirk attended Debeka Versicherungen for IT Clerk.

Does Dirk have any certificates?

Dirk has 4 certificates. Among them, these include: Professional Scrum Master (PSM I by scrum.org), Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I by scrum.org), and SPC SAFe® 5 Program Consultant.

What is the availability of Dirk?

Dirk is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Dirk?

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