Ronja (Lars) Wilkening
CTO
Experience
CTO
plazz AG
- Led a 20-headed team, managing to establish a leading event platform on the German market, including the maintenance and development of the market-leading „Mobile Event App“.
- Developed a second SaaS product, „Polaris“, dedicated to internal company communication tools (social intranet), implementing modern architectures in front ends, back ends, and infrastructure.
- Established various teams for product development: Mobile App Development, Web Development, Backend/API, Quality Assurance, and DevOps.
- Alternated between Scrum Master and Product Owner roles in software development, working closely with development teams.
- Made key architectural decisions and developed product roadmaps and backlogs as part of product management.
- Managed the department's internal IT, data protection, and information security.
- Led the implementation of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) certified according to VDA ISA (TISAX) and later ISO27001.
Software Developer
plazz AG
- Developed various custom apps for iOS, gaining broad experience in projects including game development (creating entertaining applications, understanding interactive iOS games) and event solutions (integrating mobile apps into live event processes, creating user experiences).
- Focused on IoT development, integrating software into physical devices and networking IoT devices, deepening technical skills in this area.
- Participated in an international IoT project involving multiple international teams in a “Scrum of Scrum” framework; implemented „Scrum“ practices.
- Acted as Product Owner Proxy in the IoT project, ensuring communication with other teams and the client, requiring technical know-how, project management, and intercultural communication skills.
Mobile App Development
Freelance (part-time)
- Developed various individual customer projects as a freelance and part-time mobile app developer, managing diverse app development projects.
- Worked on a variety of areas, from entertainment apps to complex projects requiring hardware connectivity.
- Successfully implemented a project involving developing an app, implementing the hardware connection, and the associated communication protocol for a credit card reader, significantly expanding skills in system integration and efficient communication protocol development.
Student Assistant
Bauhaus Universität
- Supported the „Media City“ conference, demonstrating organizational skills and gaining insights into structured event design.
- Contributed to hardware design for the parallelization of depth cameras at the Chair of Virtual Realities, developing a hardware-related system for their simultaneous operation and deepening knowledge of spatial sensing and image processing technologies.
- Acted as a tutor for the “Programming Languages and Software Design” course, consolidating subject matter understanding, developing teaching skills, and passing knowledge to subsequent student cohorts.
Summary
I am someone with a strong focus. This lets me pursue my tasks and goals with a clear sense of direction. My good self-organization and team organization skills help me work efficiently both on my own and with others and overcome challenges successfully.
I keep a positive mindset in all life situations. Even when things get tough, I actively look for solutions and always find an optimistic view. This approach is not only my personal strength, but also adds to a positive team atmosphere.
My high resilience and stress tolerance are also key traits of mine. I don’t see setbacks or stressful moments as insurmountable obstacles, but as chances to grow. In busy times, I stay calm and keep a clear head, which helps me act effectively and purposefully.
I also stand out for my ability to reflect and understand others’ perspectives. This not only builds a deeper understanding of people around me, but also makes teamwork easier. I handle conflicts well by respecting different viewpoints and looking for constructive solutions.
Overall, I bring a balanced mix of focus, a positive mindset, strong self- and team-organization, resilience, stress tolerance, and empathetic conflict management. These traits are the foundation of who I am and guide me in successfully handling both professional and personal challenges.
Languages
Education
IU International University
Master of Business Administration · Bad Honnef, Germany
Bauhaus University
Bachelor of Science · Media Systems · Weimar, Germany
TU Dresden
Diploma, Minor in Neuro Computing · Media Informatics · Dresden, Germany
Certifications & licenses
Agile Leadership
Lean Development
Product Management
ISM, DPM
Strategic Management
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