Head of Global Shared Services IT NA | Stuart Samples

Head of Global Shared Services IT NA

„I’m a qualified biologist. Many people wonder why I got into IT. But for me, there are many parallels: both fields require patience, working in a focused way and, above all, a willingness to keep learning new things.”

Being offered and taking up opportunities

It wasn’t easy for me at all to switch to thyssenkrupp. I was completely satisfied at my old job. But then I met the managers at thyssenkrupp and they explained to me the big changes that were coming, and that I had the chance to work on important issues for the future at thyssenkrupp. After that I was sold, and I haven’t regretted my decision once. On the contrary: at thyssenkrupp, I can make changes and play an active role in deciding how things are done, and I have the opportunity to grow as a person. My managers do their best to encourage and support me. Five years ago, for instance, when I thought I needed a new challenge, I simply talked to my boss. I wanted to learn more about the operative procedures worldwide at thyssenkrupp. He supported me and I worked very hard. Since then, I have visited over 20 countries and have met thousands of brilliant colleagues all around the world. I even spent two years in Germany with my family.

My challenges - turning the big wheel

Right now we’re doing nothing more and nothing less than fundamentally changing the way thyssenkrupp cooperates internationally. The path from intricate and heterogeneous structures to digital and worldwide uniform structures is difficult in any business. But we at thyssenkrupp have set the wheels in motion. Being involved in and helping design such radical changes – that’s probably an opportunity you’re only given once in a lifetime. At the same time, it’s a big challenge that I and everyone here are facing.

My typical working day - motivating people to perform at their best

My job is to make sure that our service providers and IT infrastructure always deliver top performance. And, given the big change we’re going through, that’s not always so easy. Our entire IT landscape is being restructured. This presents many opportunities to improve operative procedures and processes. Together with my colleagues from various business divisions, I work every day towards recognizing and taking advantage of this potential for optimization.

Our tagline is "engineering. tomorrow. together.". For me, "together" means...

cooperating with specialists from different cultures and fields to launch and realize global initiatives. Together, we can make the world we live and work in a better place.

Gaining unique insights

The special thing about working at thyssenkrupp is that I have the opportunity to experience different cultures and management styles as well as meet new people when I travel. When you work on what are probably some of the most complex technical issues in the world, you get the feeling that it’s not just about solving a particular problem, but about finding answers to the key questions related to global cooperation. The best teacher in the world couldn’t teach you what you learn and experience doing this.