Rufus (Josef) Henneken
Independent Consultant & Manager
Experience
Independent Consultant & Manager
Henneken Consulting
- Supports companies and teams in designing and implementing strategies and projects
- Drives the necessary organizational development and change for a VUCA world
Projects & key activities:
- Led a company-wide digital transformation project at an insurance company (≥10,000 employees) to boost the use of digital delivery channels, targeting cost reductions of around €5 million
- Provided management consulting on agile corporate management and project control for an architecture and engineering firm
- Led a digitization project at an insurance company to use digital delivery channels, reducing costs by around €3.5 million
- Designed and oversaw the company-wide introduction of Print & Follow, Follow Me Print, and pull printing at an insurance company
- Designed and implemented an audit-proof compliance process (FATCA & CRS) at an insurance company
- Led an output optimization project at an insurance company, reducing costs by €1.2 million
- Managed the relocation and setup of a new data center infrastructure for a healthcare service/software provider
- Supported the acquisition of an underwriting agency by a foreign investor (change management, process optimization)
- Co-led a company-wide reporting implementation project (metric collection) at an insurance company
- Led the preliminary study for a company-wide output optimization project at an insurance company
- Provided consulting and design in agile corporate management and project control for an architecture and engineering firm
- Continued the digitization project to roll out a digital document management system (DMS) at AOK
Senior Consultant
Sinopsis AG
- Advised on digitization and change initiatives from strategic planning to implementation support at the C-level
- Conducted regular results analysis and presentations, and identified optimization opportunities
- Developed new client relationships
Projects:
- Led a company-wide digitization project at AOK to implement a digital document management system (DMS) for paperless processing
- Carried out a strategy project to realign the sales strategy at HJ Schryver & Co. using a scenario-planning process
Consultant
Henneken Consulting
- Provided consulting and design for strategy and digitization for a construction company
- Conducted a series of workshops with shareholders and the management team
- Analyzed market trends with a focus on an omnichannel strategy
- Developed action areas to increase revenue through digitization
Branch Representative / Executive Assistant
Syncro24-Assekuradeur GmbH
- Managed one or two underwriting agencies in the property insurance sector
- Developed and marketed products, optimized in-house rate calculators, and partnered with comparison portals
- Managed and expanded the distribution partner network, negotiated with risk carriers, handled claims management, and oversaw collections
Projects & key activities:
- Co-led the project to acquire and merge an underwriting agency (change management, digitization, process analysis, implementation of a unified policy administration system including DMS, restructuring claims and application processing, opening new distribution channels)
- Served as project lead for process optimization and best-practice development in claims prevention and processing (current-state analysis, implementation of cross-company standards, staff training, and knowledge transfer)
Account Manager Public Services
Hays AG
- Placed IT freelancers for the public sector in eastern Germany
- New client acquisition (75%), existing client management and cross-selling (15%), and tender processing/project management (10%)
- Expanded the hospital and health insurance sector
- Conducted market and demand analyses to develop a sales concept
- Candidate management: identifying suitable candidates, preparing profiles and offers, and negotiating rates
- Tender and project management
- Monthly reporting on client development, revenue, and profit margins
Consultant (Volunteer)
NESsT
- Supporting nonprofit organizations in designing and implementing sustainable business models
- Market research for products from social projects
- Developing new sales channels and marketing strategies
- Assisting with implementing the Business Model Canvas
Corporate Network Development Intern
CLAAS Group
- Supporting a marketing campaign for the Eastern European market
- Conducting market analyses using databases (ruslana BvD software)
- Detailed analysis of customer data and campaign reports generated by surveys
Consulting Intern
German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce (AHK Chile)
- Advising German and Chilean companies to promote economic relations
- Helping organize and run the German-Chilean Economic Days 2011
- Recruiting staff, preparing and evaluating candidate interviews for a German solar company
- Contributing to a study on critical raw materials (e.g., lithium) in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, including presenting results
Junior Accountant
PricewaterhouseCoopers Chile
- Working on all three stages of the external audit process for national and international companies (e.g., B. Braun AG, British American Tobacco, CMPC S.A.)
- Internal auditor for CMA CGM Group: analyzing departments, developing optimization strategies, and presenting to management
- Analyzing various industry sectors for developments, trends, opportunities, and risks
- Developing and preparing detailed customer and market insights
- Introduction to advisory services and new client acquisition
Administration and Project Controlling Intern
GOLDBECK Solar GmbH
- Assisting with the construction of a solar park in Murcia, Spain, for a German-Spanish investor consortium
- Coordinating subcontractors (German and Spanish) to ensure timely and cost-effective implementation on site
Summary
My career path has led me through various roles in companies – including consulting, project management, organizational development, sales, and executive management – across a wide range of industries – including insurance, the public sector, services, logistics, and mechanical engineering – and through several countries: from Germany to the UK to Chile and back again. In each organization, I not only discovered and valued new rules and systems but also new team cultures, ways of working, and values, and I actively helped shape them.
I'm looking forward to more of that!
Skills
Professional Focus Areas:
- Change Management
- Project Management
- Business Agility
- Digital Transformation
- Process Optimization
Industry Focus Areas:
- Consulting (10 Years)
- Insurance - Private And Public (10 Years)
- Public Sector (4 Years)
Soft Skills:
- Appreciative Leadership
- Servant Leadership
- Hands-on Mentality
It Skills:
- Excellent Knowledge Of Ms Office, Outlook, And Crm Software
- Excellent Knowledge Of Jira (Atlassian)
- Good Knowledge Of Planisware
- Basic Knowledge Of M/text (Kühn & Weyh - Kwsoft®)
- Basic Knowledge Of Smart Fix & Smart Flow (Insiders Technologies Gmbh)
- Basic Knowledge Of Kibana (Elastic Search)
- Basic Knowledge Of Collibra
- Basic Knowledge Of X-out
- Basic Knowledge Of Oscare® (Sap)
- Basic Knowledge Of Kofax® Applications
- Basic Knowledge Of Fp Sign Mentana Claimsoft
- User Skills In Sap Bi
- Good Knowledge Of Ams (Assfinet)
- Knowledge Of Various Software Solutions (Insis, Guidewire, Bip, Autobav-dwerk Gmbh, Nafi Gmbh)
- Excellent Skills In Internet Research, Seo, And Social Media (Xing/linkedin)
- Knowledge Of Document Management Software
- Knowledge Of The Eu Ai Act
Familiar Methods:
- Team Development
- Facilitation
- Change Management
- Prince2
- Itil
- Scrum
- Kanban
- Okrs
- 4 Mat
- Design Thinking
Languages
Education
Aston Business School (AACSB and Equis accredited)
MSc Strategy and International Business · Strategy and International Business · Birmingham, United Kingdom
Giggleswick School
A-Level | Abitur · Settle, United Kingdom · Avg. 1.3
Aston Business School (AACSB and Equis accredited)
BSc (Hons) International Business and Spanish · International Business and Spanish · Birmingham, United Kingdom
Certifications & licenses
Change Management Specialist
IHK
Data Protection and Security Specialist
IHK
Flight Levels System Architecture Training
LEANability GmbH
Foundation in Agile Project Management Certification
TÜV Süd
Leadership & Change
OEZPA
Prince2 Agile® Foundation Certificate In Agile Project Management
PeopleCert
Professional Scrum Master
ITEMO
Scenario Planning Masterclass
Aston University
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