Katrin Thiele

Cluster managerin IT

An open field

Since April 2014 Katrin Thiele is part of thyssenkrupp’s global Cluster Management, since October 2015 she works as Cluster Manager IT at thyssenkrupp AG and though takes responsibility for the companies’ strategical IT purchasing. With her team located in Essen she is – in close coordination with the ones in charge of IT and the purchasers all over the world - responsible for the development and implementation of the global purchasing strategy. Her job includes broad subjects and tasks and is anything but boring: For example, she and her team support technical departments from the purchase requisition up to making contracts, identify (saving) potentials, develop action plans, manage the suppliers portfolio and work closely with different departments to create added value for the companies and with that for the group. Thereby, they bear an immense responsibility and it is not rare that they are negotiating several millions.

To meet the high number of daily requirements an optimal self-management is of elementary importance for the trained language assistant and business administrator. “Setting priorities, focus and structure are just vital to effectively organize the daily work routine”, explains Katrin Thiele and continues: “but for that you need a team which permanently gets enabled to act independently for being able to react in a dynamic way”. Katrin Thiele finds peace and relaxation by spending time with her horse. Her mobile phone is turned off at the stable. “A good work-life-balance makes it easier for me to perform in the long term”. But it is also at the theatre and the opera that she zones out. She especially loves Mozart’s classic “The Magic Flute” which she already enjoyed in countless productions. When the 39-year old thinks back to her school life, she would never have expected to finally work in the field of purchase. “As a young woman I always wanted to work in journalism but as so often in live, it turned out differently”, she laughs. “I have always been a more pragmatic person so I preferred the training as language assistant and continuous further trainings instead of the rather theoretically based German studies. The principle of lifelong learning means a lot to me.” She sticks to languages until today which of course helps her in global Cluster Management.