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Stefan Fischer-Senior Expert AI & Digital Transformation | Mobility & Logistics | EX-DKV Mobility

Stefan Fischer - Senior Expert AI & Digital Transformation | Mobility & Logistics | EX-DKV Mobility - profile avatar
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Essen, Germany

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Experience

May 2025 - Dec 2025
Essen, Germany
On-site

Founder & Product Lead

RideNow

Position Summary
Founder & Product Lead at RideNow
Industries
Automotive
Information Technology
Business Areas
Marketing
Product Development
Research and Development
  • Iterated an MVP for an autonomous vehicle platform in close collaboration with potential customers
  • Conducted comprehensive market research, persona analysis and validation tests
Apr 2022 - Jun 2024

Head of Strategic Partnership

DKV Mobility

Position Summary
Head of Strategic Partnership at DKV Mobility
Industries
Transportation
Business Areas
Information Technology
Product Development
Strategy
  • Led the development of a Transport Management SaaS model for SME-sized freight forwarders (budget €4.5 million): market research, product & business strategy, go-to-market & ecosystem integration
  • Built an IT nearshoring partnership: market analysis, selection of top 3 providers, SLA/KPI agreements & integration into internal product teams
  • Prepared strategic analysis and strategy paper for the Management Board
  • Developed an agile delivery standard to raise the outcomes of newly introduced product-based delivery model
Apr 2019 - Mar 2022

Project & Program Manager Digital Transformation

DKV Mobility

Position Summary
Project & Program Manager Digital Transformation at DKV Mobility
Industries
Transportation
Business Areas
Information Technology
Project Management
  • Program “Digitization of Customer Interfaces (Portal & App)”: successfully turned around the customer portal project, led a team of 20+ developers, managed €5.2 million budget, delivered go-live including data migration and sales team integration
  • Introduced new payment functionality (“Pay at Pump”)
  • Executed M&A projects and technology due diligence
Jul 2016 - Mar 2019

Team Leader Capacity Management

Magna Powertrain

Position Summary
Team Leader Capacity Management at Magna Powertrain
Industries
Automotive
Business Areas
Operations
Supply Chain Management
  • Leading a team to steer tactical supply chain planning processes (Direct: 2 FTE; Indirect: 5 FTE)
  • Digitisation of tactical supply-chain processes
Apr 2014 - Jun 2016

Project Manager

Pcubed

Position Summary
Project Manager at Pcubed
Industries
Professional Services
Business Areas
Project Management
  • Driving flagship quality improvement program

Industry Experience

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

Experienced in Transportation, Automotive, Professional Services, and Information Technology.

Transportation
Automotive
Professional Services
Information Technology
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Business Area Experience

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

Experienced in Information Technology, Project Management, Product Development, Operations, Supply Chain Management, and Strategy.

Information Technology
Project Management
Product Development
Operations
Supply Chain Management
Strategy
Profile match chart

Summary

I partner with mobility and logistics companies to translate strategic priorities into AI-native digital products, high-impact partnerships, and fully executed transformation initiatives — moving from undocumented legacy environments to fully automated, real-time process chains. My approach is deliberately AI-first:

I lead multi-agent AI systems that automate research, requirements engineering, gap analysis, and even parts of development outsourcing — delivering faster, higher-quality results with significantly reduced manual effort. At DKV Mobility, I successfully operationalized real AI use cases: intelligent PDF parsing for fully automated settlement processes, chatbots for customer claims handling, and seamless integration of complex TMS systems (e.g., WinSped). I combine this with 15+ years of hands-on operational and strategic experience from both corporate (DKV Mobility, Magna Powertrain) and startup environments (RideNow), including the end-to-end development of a Transport Management SaaS solution (€4.5 million budget), strategic nearshoring partnerships, and the successful turnaround of major digitalization programs.

The result for my clients:

Dramatically accelerated time-to-value through automated documentation and requirements capture Robust make-or-buy decisions based on genuine gap-fit analysis and AI-supported cost-benefit modeling Immediately actionable project setups that combine agile excellence with AI-powered product development

Skills

Key Focus Areas:

  • Ai-Supported Product Development & Digital Services

  • Strategic Partnerships & Nearshoring

  • Agile Transformation & Program Management

  • Go-To-Market Strategies & Product-Market Fit

  • Ai

  • Digital Transformation

  • Strategic Planning

  • Partnerships

  • Team Leadership

  • Change Management

  • Agile Leadership

Languages

German
Native
English
Advanced

Education

Sep 2006 - Jan 2010

FOM University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management

Diploma in Business Administration (FH) · Essen, Germany

Aug 2002 - Jun 2005

Trading School

Industrial Clerk · Essen, Germany

Certifications & licenses

Six Sigma Black Belt

Management Institute TEQ, Chemnitz

Prince2 Foundation

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 5
Experience in Transportation 5 y
Avg length 2 y 1 m
Longest experience 2 y 11 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 1 (Germany)
Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Founder & Product Lead, Head of Strategic Partnership, Project & Program Manager Digital Transformation
Main industries Transportation, Automotive, Professional Services
Main business areas Information Technology, Project Management, Product Development

Qualifications

Highest degree Bachelor
Certifications earned 2

Profile

Created
Last Update

Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Stefan is based in Essen, Germany and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.
Stefan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced).
Stefan has at least 11 years of experience. During this time, Stefan has worked in at least 5 different roles and for 4 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 2 months. Note that Stefan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.
Based on recent experience, Stefan would be well-suited for roles such as: Founder & Product Lead, Head of Strategic Partnership, Project & Program Manager Digital Transformation.
Stefan's most recent position is Founder & Product Lead at RideNow.
In recent years, Stefan has worked for RideNow and DKV Mobility.
Stefan is most experienced in industries like Transportation, Automotive, and Professional Services. Stefan also has some experience in Information Technology.
Stefan is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Product Development. Stefan also has some experience in Operations, Supply Chain Management, and Strategy.
Stefan has recently worked in industries like Transportation, Automotive, and Information Technology.
Stefan has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Product Development.
Stefan holds a Bachelor in Industrial Clerk from Trading School.
Stefan has 2 certificates. These include: Six Sigma Black Belt and Prince2 Foundation.
Stefan is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.
Stefan's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.
To hire Stefan, click the Meet button on the profile to request a meeting and discuss your project needs.

Average rates for similar positions

Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.

1200
900
600
300
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Market avg: 856-1016 €
The rates shown represent the typical market range for freelancers in this position based on recent contracts on our platform.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.