Build lasting friendships and agile careers

Jeremia’s and Usman’s journey: Friendships at work are priceless

Jeremia and Usman became friends while working on a project. Living in Hamburg, they would travel together to the client’s site early in the week and return later in the week. This arrangement gave them ample time to collaborate, communicate and enjoy each other’s company. Despite taking different career paths as agile coaches for different companies, Jeremia and Usman maintained their friendship and professional connection. When Usman began working at the company, he shared his experiences and the transformative nature of the Data & Digital Team. Recognizing the need for Jeremia’s skills, Usman invited him to join the team, to which Jeremia agreed.

The first significant project both Jeremia and Usman worked on together was centered around unifying the Data & Digital Team. They felt a lack of cohesion and alignment within the teams, leading them to push for the establishment of a joint vision and mission. This process required intensive discussions and two days of work with the leadership team. The resulting vision and mission served as a guiding framework for organizational development initiatives.​​​

Can you tell me what your roles are here with us and what your objectives are?

We support teams, departments, and the organization in becoming self-organized at every level to reduce bureaucracy, and increase value by increasing adaptability and responsiveness in the face of change. We work with different teams and organizations within the group that want to solve difficult problems and enable them to do so. This includes the preparation, facilitation and even initialization of: Vision & Mission, Strategy, Goal Setting, Culture, Dependency management, Teamwork, and a large focus on modern product management with empowered product teams.

What are your current roles and how did you both get here?

Usman: I’m a Senior Agile Coach. I studied Materials Science and thought I would become a Semiconductor Researcher. So even during my studies this company was high on my list of employers! However, during the end of my studies I came to realize that I don’t want to do a PhD or research. To get into a more practical space, I did an Internship at Mercedes-Benz Cars and later wrote my Thesis at Bosch. I started my work as a consultant right after my studies and got thrown into automotive companies. This time however, on large scale (SAFe) digital products that were built and consulted as well as hands-on supporting Product Owners in doing their job well. At the same consultancy I later worked as a Scrum Master for a pharmaceutical software client and learned that you can do and be agile even in the GXP Space. I realized I didn’t want to be in the consulting space anymore since I felt disconnected from the work and impact I was having as well as not having any real long-term responsibility. So, with having gained software pharma experience and a hefty interest in Data Science and Data Analytics I regularly checked the company’s website. And one day, I saw an opening. And soon afterwards I started here as a Senior Agile Coach.

Jeremia: I’m a Scrum Master / Agile Coach. I studied Business Administration in International Tourism in Breda in the Netherlands and then completed a Masters’ in Business Administration and Management. In between and during my studies I did various internships such as in Tourism Product Development and Supply Chain Management for a Rural Reconstruction Movement in Manila. I was also a work student researching Whale Shark Tourism in cooperation with the WWF and the local municipal government in the Philippines, followed by Market Research and financing for the Sea & River Cruise Industry. I was also a Motivation Coach for non-working people. I did my Master thesis at Bayer to implement an augmented reality solution approach to a self-developed process management solution for a liquid packaging process of pipettes. After my MBA my first job was as a Consultant for Agility at GPI Consulting working with clients in the Automotive industry. I then switched to become a Project Management Business Partner for Agility at ALTEN Technology with Airbus as a client.​