Klaus Straub

Klaus is an executive advisor, founder, serial CIO, and well-known executive in the global tech community with 20+ years of experience working with blue-chip companies, mainly in the automotive industry (Mercedes, Siemens, Audi, and BMW until 2020). His expertise covers a wide range of setting up strategies, business models, tech- and IT-future programs, digitalization, transformation, and cultural change. He has been awarded CIO of the Year several times, as well as CIO of the Decade. He was the initiator and driver of the agile transformation of the BMW Group IT organization and believes strongly that a positive error culture, giving people more responsibility, and decision-making freedom results in more joy and higher motivation at work—benefitting the company as a whole. Klaus's focus lies on increasing the quota of in-house software development, giving IT back to IT, and the exploration of new technologies to generate added value for customers and employees.

Communication is incredibly important in any digital transformation project. You must make sure that everybody understands the goals, the specific actions, and their responsibilities. Without clear communication, digital transformation is very hard.