Recommended expert
Thomas Gaiser
Interim Digital Product Manager
Experience
Apr 2025 - Nov 2025
8 monthsInterim Digital Product Manager
Novartis Pharma GmbH
- Define and establish a clear product strategy and roadmap to align product development with business goals and market trends
- Lead and prioritize product requirements from cross-functional, international stakeholder groups (TA, Brand Family, content managers, legal)
- Efficiently manage the development process in international, agile teams to deliver critical product releases on time and within budget
- Lead product launch and marketing activities in coordination with channel orchestration experts
- Monitor and analyze product performance metrics (KPIs) for data-driven optimization and maximization of business value
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
5 monthsDigital Platform Manager
Novartis Pharma GmbH
- Develop and integrate digital platforms for a coherent, cross-channel customer experience
- Design and implement IT systems in an agile way for efficient marketing and sales management
- Evaluate automation potentials and bring forward-looking ideas for process optimization
- Plan and deliver change management and training for field sales and marketing to ensure system adoption
- Manage external international vendors and agencies to achieve goals
- Drive digital knowledge transfer across the organization to promote digital transformation
Mar 2024 - Present
1 year 11 monthsGermany
Lecturer for Digital Business Models
HfWU Nürtingen
- Lead the course "Digital Business Model Transformation" (bachelor level)
- End-to-end development of digital business models using the lean approach, including hands-on use of relevant business model tools
- Teach in English to strengthen engagement with international teams and stakeholders
- Write the book chapter "Developing a Digital Business Model" for the Springer anthology "Digital Management Handbook"
Oct 2023 - Dec 2023
3 monthsInnovation Consultant / Venture Developer
Grubengold GmbH
- Design and initial implementation of the end-to-end product roadmap to measure development milestones
- Develop the customer journey and conduct user interviews for in-depth market research
- Manage project and process communications for internal and external stakeholders to provide targeted information and alignment
- Prepare market research, user insights, and product strategy in presentations for top management as decision-making support
Feb 2023 - Aug 2023
7 monthsDigital Platform Manager
Novartis Pharma GmbH
- Define and implement the platform vision and roadmap to significantly improve user experience
- Precisely define requirements as user stories and acceptance criteria to guide agile development processes
- Continuously monitor KPIs and run iterative tests for data-driven performance optimization
- Manage interfaces between local and global teams, IT, and partners
- Oversee technical and administrative processes, project planning, and coordination of CMS migration
- Coordinate external vendors and agencies to deliver the roadmap effectively
Mar 2021 - Present
4 years 11 monthsGermany
Location Manager / Strategic Consultant
Neckar Hub Stuttgart – My hub network by Neckar Hub GmbH
- Strategic development of the business model to tap new analog and digital revenue streams
- Consulting, coaching, and mentoring of startups in the region from concept to scale-up
- Brand and network building in the Stuttgart area, along with strategic analysis and acquisition of partners
Mar 2020 - May 2023
3 years 3 monthsCo-founder / Team Lead / Product and Project Manager
DEalog – Top 20 project in the #WirVsVirus hackathon by the German Federal Government
- Developed a dual information platform (back office for institutions and an app for citizens) to close information gaps in the government-organized warning infrastructure (BBK/NINA)
- Coordinated the backlog in close collaboration with the development team; conducted market and customer analyses including interviews and created user stories to guide feature development
- Validated the MVP in the Arnsberg district (NRW) and negotiated with the city of Heilbronn for the rollout of the live application
- Analyzed and secured cooperation partners, and managed complex stakeholder relationships (government, authorities, municipalities)
- Secured funding from the BMBF and a three-month engagement scholarship through ProjectTogether gGmbH
Nov 2019 - Dec 2019
2 monthsGermany
Strategic Consultant
Next Shed by the Eberspächer Group GmbH & Co. KG
- Participated in developing a new digital service offering in the smart home / smart city sector
- Strategically designed the architecture and feature set of an IoT platform as the technological foundation for a new ecosystem
- Delivered a conceptual blueprint as a decision-making tool for investments and the setup of the new business unit
Feb 2015 - Dec 2017
2 years 11 monthsGermany
Product Manager
J. Schmalz GmbH
- Supported the further development of the online shop in close collaboration with the eCommerce department
- Responsible for content management of the online shop and all sales materials
- Optimized and established processes for creating content to improve efficiency and quality
- Coordinated interfaces for internal standardization and guided technical draftsmen in creating product documentation to ensure compliance and quality
Jan 2013 - Jun 2020
7 years 6 monthsGermany
Founder
insightity – Development of data-driven fan services
- Conceptualized data-driven business models to diversify offerings and create new revenue streams
- Managed end-to-end requirements based on the full customer/fan journey in cooperation with VfB Stuttgart, 1. FC Köln, and SC Freiburg
- Conducted market and stakeholder analyses to validate the business idea within the context of the Bundesliga
- Identified concrete opportunities to boost the profitability and sustainability of the fan service offering
Summary
As a freelance expert in product strategy and digital transformation and an experienced interim product manager for digital products, I bring 12 years of hands-on expertise in agile development and validation of digital products (web portals, apps) using a lean approach. My particular strength is my deep knowledge of AI applications, which allows me to design and optimize new digital products with a focus on modern automation and AI marketing strategies.
My guiding principle is to create value in a structured way by strategically combining existing elements, new ideas, and a touch of creativity. This strong entrepreneurial mindset and action, among other things through my own startup experience and startup consulting, as well as my strong knowledge of interface roles between business and IT, always ensure a strategic overall view and the management of complex projects to achieve successful outcomes.
My proactive hands-on mentality is reflected in the design and implementation of innovative solutions, where transparency and close collaboration with all stakeholders are the keys to success.
Skills
- Hard Skills End-to-end Product Management: Agile Product Development (Scrum/kanban), Product Roadmapping & Backlog Management (Jira / Confluence)
- Requirement Management: Lean Startup / Mvp Validation, Web/app Design (Wireframing, Prototyping)
- Business Transformation & Innovation: Ai Strategy, Ai Marketing Applications, Automation, Business Model Innovation
- Consulting & Coaching: Interface Management (Business / It / Ux), Teaching Assignment (Digital Transformation)
- Soft Skills Strategic Overview: Holistic Perspective, Customer Orientation, And P&l Focus
- Communication & Alignment: Stakeholder Management, Conflict Management, And Transparent Cooperation
- Conceptual Strength: Analytical Mindset, Creative Problem Solving, And Structured Approach
- Proactive Execution: Independent Work, Initiative, And Strong Result Orientation
- Software: Microsoft 365 Products, Google Workspace Products, Slack, Teams, Zoom, Miro, Confluence, Jira, Trello, N8n, Make.com, Manus, Text, Audio, Video Ai Tools (Chatgpt, Gemini, Claude, Etc.)
Languages
German
NativeEnglish
AdvancedSpanish
IntermediateFrench
IntermediateEducation
Oct 2004 - Feb 2012
University of Stuttgart
Diploma Engineer in Technology Management · Technology Management · Stuttgart, Germany · 2.3
Certifications & licenses
Professional Scrum Master I
scrum.org
Professional Scrum Product Owner I
scrum.org
Prompt Engineering For ChatGPT
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