Innovating digital & AIoT solutions with agile teamwork

How it all started…

What do physics, IT and ducks have in common? For Johanna, who holds a degree in physics, it’s quite obvious: “Ducks can do a little of everything: diving, swimming, flying, and walking. The same is apparently true for physicists.” But Johanna has always done more than ‘a little of’: she not only used her knowledge of physics and chemistry for her diploma thesis; she also programmed C++ drivers for sensors and analyzed experimental data with the help of Matlab scripts. The interest in correlations and numbers brought Johanna to the Bosch world, and ultimately to Bosch.IO.

Her career @ Bosch

Johanna joined Bosch in 2012 through the Junior Managers Program. During the two-year scheme, she got to know various areas of the company in Germany and abroad, including Bosch Software Innovations, one of the predecessors of Bosch.IO. Two years later, a challenging and interesting job in portfolio management brought Johanna back to Bosch Software Innovations. In 2019, she seized the opportunity to get involved in the “Bosch Digital” project, where she supported the conceptual design and change project management through to the establishment of Bosch.IO. “I knew I wanted to take on operational responsibility.” And Johanna knew she had come to stay with Bosch.IO.

As Head of Project Delivery, Johanna is right where she wants to be. She leads a global organization with over 200 employees in Berlin, Immenstaad, Ludwigsburg, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sofia. “It’s this regional and cultural diversity that sets us apart and enables us to achieve better results.”

Everyday working life

Ever since her school days, Johanna likes using quotes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous “Faust” for all kinds of situations. One of her favorite quotes perfectly sums up the standard she sets herself for her job: “The words you’ve bandied are sufficient; ‘tis deeds that I prefer to see”. She wants to put things into practice, develop and implement strategies. No two of her days are alike. It’s impossible to list all her many tasks and responsibilities that range from business planning to customer meetings. Currently, Johanna and her leadership team are focused on creating an environment where agile teams have the best possible working conditions to generate the highest possible value for their customers within the Bosch Group. This includes a good working atmosphere and enjoying daily tasks. “My main challenge in this cosmos of opportunities is that every day only has 24 hours!”

When she has to finalize documents under time pressure, Johanna has a trick up her sleeve that never fails her: Rammstein (a famous German band) as background music. Nevertheless, the most important aspect of her work has to do with communication and personal contacts. “My job as leader includes recognizing the needs of the different teams and individuals. Only then can I support and encourage them in the best possible way. This requires constant personal interaction.”

Looking towards the future

While Johanna is now particularly fascinated by her tablet, her father’s computer used to capture her attention with programs and games like Paint and Maths Blaster. When asked what our world is going to look like in twenty years, and what the future holds for AIoT, Johanna does not immediately think of autonomous, highly intelligent machines. “Machines will end up supporting us in many ways to make us faster and better at what we do. But it is the combination of humans as creative and social beings, and machines that never forget and are so much faster than we are, that will have us witness exciting developments.”

For her own future, Johanna has a very clear vision: “I want to shape interesting and relevant issues with people, and for people – and use this interaction to help Bosch move forward. I also want to continue to live by my values that are not negotiable and guide me like an inner compass: honesty, responsibility, respect, and reliability.”