David Thiel

Digital Growth and Strategic Partnerships (part time)

Hamburg, Germany

Experience

Oct 2023 - Present
1 year 10 months
Germany

Digital Growth and Strategic Partnerships (part time)

AskBrian

  • Developed a strategy for product-led growth in the B2C business for the AI-assistant Brian
  • Led the self-serve business and developed a stellar customer journey
Jan 2021 - Feb 2023
1 year 2 months
Germany

Co-Founder and COO

ReturnHeroes

  • Returnheroes was a startup that aimed at solving the return parcel problem in e-commerce leveraging machine learning and operational efficiency.
  • Developed the business and financial plan for the company.
  • Pitched to VC, corporate VC and Business Angels.
  • Ran a small scale project for proof of concept.
Dec 2020 - Feb 2022
1 year 3 months
Germany

Director Global Operations & Twinner RD

Twinner Group

  • Shaped the global expansion of the business and setting up global teams for operations, customer sup- port and technical field services.
  • Drove the reorganisation of the Operations and R&D teams.
  • Led a team of 30 hardware engineers developing the Twinner Space for vehicle digitalisation.
  • Developed the Hardware and Software Product Roadmap for the organisation.
Jun 2020 - Present
5 years 2 months

Self-employed strategy consultant & startup advisor

&Thiel Consulting

  • Led the project management of the legal processes in a battery joint venture of 4bn$ investment.
  • Developed the competitive strategy for an EV company, resulting in a 1bn$ acquisition project.
  • Designed operations processes to scale an autonomous vehicle fleet to > 500,000 active vehicles.
  • Developed a competitive strategy for a micro-mobility company for M&A activities.
  • EU Business Development for The Routing Company, a SAAS solution for on-demand transit authorities.
  • Finance and Operations for Pure plus mobility, an urban mobility company.
Oct 2018 - Jun 2020
1 year 9 months
Berlin, Germany

General Manager, JUMP Bicycles Berlin

Uber Technologies

  • Launched e-bikes and scooters in Berlin, the fastest growing city in JUMP history resulting in global #1 trip volume with >10m$ annual revenue while outperforming unit economic targets.
  • Shaped the JUMP policy and comms effort to support unlocking business in Germany, a key market for the Uber business. Additionally, representing JUMP on panels at events such as the IAA
  • Built and led a local team of 150 people in Berlin and recruited talent across Europe for the business
Nov 2016 - Sep 2018
1 year 11 months
Netherlands

Head of Marketplace Efficiency & Product Experience EMEA

Uber Technologies

  • Defined the 2017/18 strategy for Marketplace & Product experience in EMEA.
  • Scoped and rolled out product features to reduce the risk exposure of the business model in EMEA.
  • Increased profitability by centralising critical marketplace analytics, processes and decisions saving up to 30% of marketplace related headcount in the region.
May 2016 - Oct 2016
6 months
Netherlands

Regional Operations Manager Quality and Efficiency EMEA

Uber Technologies

  • Built and rolled out a Quality management process for partner drivers in EMEA improving the quality experience for riders as well as for drivers while saving 100h+ weekly Ops time in the region.
  • Standardised and centralised the city backend tech setup for 100+ cities in 45 countries in EMEA.
  • Developed a strong cross-functional network with global and regional stakeholders (e.g. Tax, Legal, Marketing, Support, Product, Operations).
Jun 2014 - Apr 2016
1 year 11 months
Switzerland

Operations & Logistics Manager Germany and Switzerland

Uber Technologies

  • Led the business setup, partner acquisition and operations with hundreds of drivers in Düsseldorf.
  • Led the standardisation and rollout of quality and efficiency processes in WestCH.
  • Developed partnerships with large businesses and regulators.
Apr 2013 - May 2014
1 year 2 months
Germany

Consultant

Porsche Consulting GmbH

  • Developed & Implemented restructuring efforts at a factory for a leading automobile manufacturer.
  • Reduced product- & process-related cost in industrial products and consumer goods.
  • Built a scaled-up business plan for fuel cell technologies in the automobile industry.
Apr 2011 - Jul 2011
4 months
Germany

MBA Intern

Porsche Consulting GmbH

  • Identified and negotiated key performance indicators for a global project organisation at a leading au- tomotive manufacturer.
  • Analysed the cost structure of products and developed recommendations for cost reduction of up to 30% based on benchmark activities.
May 2010 - Feb 2011
10 months
Belgium

Quality Engineer

Toyota Motor Europe

  • Initiated and coordinated a cross-functional team to improve the quality image reflected in European automotive rankings. As a result, Toyota achieved several No 1 rankings in European magazines.
  • Increased office efficiency by 30% in the European Headquarter by developing a training module, train- ing-the-trainer and conducting workshops for 400+ employees.
Oct 2008 - Apr 2010
1 year 7 months
Belgium

Trainee Program

Toyota Motor Europe

  • Managed Pan-European projects to reduce vehicle quality concerns through activities such as initiating field parts recovery, forming working groups with technical specialists and local sales and marketing staff and coordinating the implementation of quality improvement activities in production.

Summary

My peers describe me as a self-starter with strong analytical skills, ’no bs’ mentality, and the skill to get complex projects with large stakeholder groups done fast. At the foundation of my actions, I live and work by the values of respect, integrity and humility.

Languages

German
Native
English
Advanced

Education

Aug 2012 - Dec 2013

Duke Fuqua School of Business

MBA Exchange Program · United States

Aug 2011 - Dec 2013

ESADE Business School

Master in Business Administration · Business Administration · Spain

Jul 2007 - Dec 2008

University of the South Pacific

Fiji

Certifications & licenses

Certificates in Leadership and Strategy

ESADE Business School