Ronja (Lars) Wilkening

CTO

Erfurt, Germany

Experience

Jan 2013 - Mar 2024
11 years 3 months
Erfurt, Germany

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.
Aug 2011 - Dec 2013
1 year 5 months
Erfurt, Germany

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.
Oct 2010 - Mar 2013
2 years 6 months

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.
Nov 2009 - Mar 2011
1 year 5 months
Weimar, Germany

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 a person who is characterized by a strong focus. This allows me to pursue my tasks and goals with a clear direction. My good self- and team-organization skills help me to work efficiently both independently and in a team and to successfully overcome challenges.

A constantly positive mindset accompanies me through all situations in life. Even in challenging situations, I actively look for solutions and always find an optimistic perspective. This basic attitude is not only my personal strength, but also contributes to the positive atmosphere in the team.

My pronounced resilience and resistance to stress are further cornerstones of my personality. I don't see setbacks and stressful situations as insurmountable obstacles, but rather as opportunities to grow. In hectic moments, I stay calm and keep a clear head, which enables me to act effectively and purposefully.

The ability to reflect and classify other people's perspectives also sets me apart. This not only promotes a deeper understanding of those around me, but also makes it easier to work together as a team. I manage conflict situations well by respecting different perspectives and seeking constructive solutions.

Overall, I embody a balanced mix of focus, positive mindset, self- and team-organization skills, resilience, stress resistance and empathetic conflict management. These characteristics form the foundation of my personality and shape how I successfully deal with professional and personal challenges.

Languages

German
Native
English
Advanced
French
Elementary

Education

Nov 2013 - Dec 2019

IU Internationale Hochschule

Master of Business Administration · Bad Honnef, Germany

Aug 2011 - Dec 2013

Bauhaus Universität

Bachelor of Science · Mediensysteme · Weimar, Germany

Oct 2010 - Mar 2013

TU Dresden

Diplom, Minor Neuro Computing · Medieninformatik · Dresden, Germany

Certifications & licenses

Agile Leadership

Lean Development

Product Management

ISM, DPM

Strategic Management