Thomas Lücke - Director of Operations Telecommunications (interim)

Q: Where is Thomas based?

Thomas is based in Vienna, Austria and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Thomas speak?

Thomas speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Thomas have?

Thomas has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, Thomas has worked in at least 25 different roles and for 23 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 3 months . Note that Thomas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Thomas's latest experience?

Thomas's most recent position is Director of Operations Telecommunications (interim) at Plusnet .

Q: What companies has Thomas worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thomas has worked for Plusnet , All for One , HLkomm (PYUR business) , and F-ITS .

Q: Which industries is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in industries like Information Technology (IT) , Telecommunication , and Banking and Finance . Thomas also has some experience in Energy , Professional Services , and Automotive .

Q: Which business areas is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in business areas like Project Management , Information Technology (IT) , and Operations . Thomas also has some experience in Accounting , Finance , and Procurement and Purchasing .

Q: Which industries has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in industries like Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication .

Q: Which business areas has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in business areas like Operations , Information Technology (IT) , and Project Management .

Recommended expert

Vienna, Austria

Experience

Sep 2024 - Present

1 year 6 months

Director of Operations Telecommunications (interim)

Plusnet

leading and restructuring the operations departments
transformation into a digital ISP
leading support for telecommunications services (FTTx, xDSL, voice, DWDM, access)
network operations center (NOC)
managing customer satisfaction

Apr 2023 - May 2024

1 year 2 months

Managing Director (CIO role, interim)

All for One

restructuring IT operations and service management into a service-oriented operator
analyzing required actions based on commercial factors
developing recommendations for the executive board and supervisory board
setting up personnel measures with legal and HR
initiating change and transformation
establishing a SOC (Security Operations Center)
converting the hardware data center to cloud operations
managing IT operations for 400 external customers
overseeing daily IT infrastructure operations
managing SAP application operations
optimizing the IT organization
setting strategic direction for data center operations
transforming operations
digitizing application service processes
strategic direction for SAP production in the cloud (RISE and Azure in-house)
leading the cloud services transition teams
leading SAP basis operations
project management

Mar 2022 - Feb 2023

1 year

CTO and COO (interim)

HLkomm (PYUR business)

providing and operating internet connections (FTTH/FTTx) and Tier 3 data centers
restructuring projects and portfolio
representing the company
digitizing end-to-end customer processes (CRM tool)
leading technical areas: cloud infrastructure IT operations, IT operations project management, and fiber/network deployment
fiber product management
voice

Oct 2019 - Mar 2022

2 years 6 months

Head of Service Management (interim)

F-ITS

technically leading the decentralized department regarding ITIL processes: change management, problem management, availability management (service operation management), capacity management, complaint management
SLA reporting
implementing ServiceNow to digitize ITIL processes
establishing release and patch management to close security-relevant gaps

Jul 2019 - Oct 2019

4 months

Senior IT Consultant Carve Out Management

Siemens AG

preparing the non-SAP application landscape for carve-out
developing separation strategies
planning network separation for change of control
reporting critical tasks and the critical path

Nov 2018 - May 2019

7 months

Director IT Infrastructure and Service Desk (interim)

TeamViewer

Management of the Service Desk (UHD)
Desktop and client operations (IMAC: supplying internal users with PC devices including refresh cycle)
Sponsor of the Desktop Operation Outsourcing project
Management of tickets (incident management)
Implementation of a change process
Management of 1st and 2nd level support
ITIL processes including KPI definition
Telephone system and lines
Management of infrastructure operations
Management of admin teams: VM farm, routers and networks, storage systems
Management of security topics (patch levels, CISO reports)
Management of the monitoring team

May 2018 - Oct 2018

6 months

CEO/CFO Startup (interim)

Circet France

Creation of the commercial framework for the company's German head office: formation of a GmbH with notary/lawyer, commercial registry entries
Cooperation with banks and tax advisors
Development of booking processes and reporting
Development of staff (recruiting to payroll)

Feb 2018 - May 2018

4 months

Project Manager Citrix Cloud and Bid Manager Mainframe Outsourcing

FiduciaGAD IT AG

Project management for migrating a large Citrix environment to the IT cloud (Windows Server 2007/2012)
Project initiation, project planning, workshops
Development of the solution design
Bid manager for a carve-out of mainframe operations at an automotive manufacturer (> €100 million)
Management of internal resources for proposal development

Dec 2016 - Oct 2017

11 months

Head of Project Management and Order Management (interim)

F-ITS

Project management of all infrastructure projects – banking sector
Order management for end customers
Project responsibility for projects (100–5000 person days)
Department budget > €10 million
Line management with personnel and budget responsibility
Recruiting and resource management to fill project manager roles for all T&T projects
Management of external providers
Management of tickets and orders according to ITIL processes
Establishment and management of KPIs
Controlling and ensuring the implementation of audit-relevant project management methodologies
Setting up a departmental structure and further development of the organization
Leadership of 15 internal and 60 external employees

Nov 2015 - Dec 2016

1 year 2 months

Project Director Program Management Digital Transformation (e-commerce)

Lufthansa AG

Program to build a digitized and innovative e-commerce solution for the Lufthansa Group's airlines
Setup of project structure and schedules
Workshop moderation
Creation of status reports

Jun 2012 - Aug 2015

3 years 3 months

Interim Head of Data Center Operations

Volksbanken / Fiducia IT AG

Line management with staff and budget responsibility
Head of the Backup & Storage department (16 employees)
Acting manager for the Desktop & Client, Linux/Cloud & Virtualization departments
Project manager and ticket management (incident and change)
Establishing and managing KPIs
Operating storage and backup systems (NAS, SAN, TSM) and ensuring high availability, KPIs and SLAs are met
Responsible for operating and further developing cloud storage systems and virtualization
Head of the Collaboration & Application department (32 employees) and acting for Unified Communication (25 employees)
Operating Lotus Notes mail server and applications including release and patch management
Managing agile application development for banking collaboration applications
Mobile device management in connection with collaboration services
Coordination with department heads, division heads and the board
Participation in steering committees and responsibility for assigned projects
Ensuring banking compliance (MaRisk, KWG44, SfO, access rights)
Escalation point for internal and external customers
Manager on duty during reorganization and company merger

Aug 2011 - May 2012

10 months

Interim Project and Bid Manager Outsourcing

HP / EON

Transition after the carve-out of EON IT to HP
Specialist in nuclear power plants and hydropower
Project and bid management for EON/HP IT infrastructures
Project manager for software implementation for nuclear power plant operations management
Project manager for building SAP BW infrastructure
Project manager for energy trading software release upgrades
Proposal creation, business analysis (customer requirements), resource management

Aug 2010 - Jul 2011

1 year

Senior Program Management Office - Carve-Out

Siemens IT Solutions und Services/Atos

Senior project manager for the sale of SIS to Atos after the carve-out from Siemens
Managing the worldwide separation of SAP and non-SAP systems to ensure change of control
Developing the critical transition path
Application management and PMO tasks
Project control (schedules, budget)
Planning of infrastructure relocation

Apr 2009 - Jun 2010

1 year 3 months

Project Manager Transition and SAP Consolidation

O-S (T-Systems/fraport) / Continental

Project management of the SAP transition of over 100 SAP systems from the data center of an outgoing provider to the new provider
Developing the transition methodology: consolidation, migration and integration
Drafting contractual documents
Planning system/infrastructure relocation
Setup, planning and execution of the transition (schedules, budget)
Conducting steering committee meetings

Oct 2007 - Feb 2009

1 year 5 months

Project Manager SAP Release Upgrade, PreSales Manager Outsourcing (Finance & Industries)

Lufthansa Systems

Proposal creation and coordination between outsourcing clients and specialist departments (Bank: Sal. Oppenheim, DZ Bank, DWP Bank, Union Invest)
Business analysis (customer requirements), service specification
Midrange server, storage (SAN) transition, migration concepts and project management
Data center operations, disaster recovery, SLAs/KPIs, reporting and monitoring
Trader workstations, desktop, service management
Project management of SAP release upgrade (infrastructure) 4.6 to ECC 6.0
Project management & cost calculation for Boarding Gate certification
Project management & costing of systems for booking optimization, load balancer web portal, email system migration for Thomas Cook travel (AIDA, Hapag-Lloyd)

Jul 2007 - Sep 2007

3 months

Darmstadt, Germany

Technical Platform Web Frontend Project Manager

T-Online

Project office (schedule creation, project documentation)
Supplier evaluation
Creation of requirement specifications
Technologies: PHP, portal servers, storage solutions

Mar 2005 - Jul 2007

2 years 5 months

Munich, Germany

Senior IT Consultant, Datacenter Competence Center Manager

Siemens CIO (Corporate Information and Operations)

Preparation of the carve-out of SBS/SIS
Conducting due diligence on all data centers
Defining datacenter-specific services, SLAs and processes for standardization
Creating a business case and negotiating with the provider
Supporting the IT infrastructure outsourcing (transition, transformation, migration planning)
Technical implementation and project support

Oct 2004 - Dec 2004

3 months

Nuremberg, Germany

GSM/UMTS Rollout Project Manager

Eplus (SAG-ABEL)

Analyzing and structuring project processes to optimize the rollout
Troubleshooting and developing solutions
Creating reports and status updates
Reporting to the Project Manager Germany
Project management for 200 base stations

Jan 2004 - Aug 2004

8 months

Munich, Germany

Senior IT Consultant SAP Datacenter Consolidation

Siemens CIO (Corporate Information and Operations)

Developing decision-making basis for the division board on consolidation, transition and migration of SAP data centers across Europe
Assessing the impact of the email transition (180,000 mailboxes) on the WAN
Reporting to and informing the involved groups

Oct 2003 - Nov 2003

2 months

Nuremberg, Germany

Interim Manager Mobile Network Deployment

Eplus

Analyzing, structuring and optimizing project processes for the rollout
Reporting to the German division management
Preparing status reports and forecasts

Aug 2002 - Aug 2003

1 year 1 month

Austria

Team Leader Radio Network

Master.talk (Siemens/Verbund)

Drafting a service specification document with processes between the Republic of Austria and master.talk
Creating a manual with regulations, requirements, standards, definitions, responsibilities, and quality assurance
Project management and coordination of site managers in the network rollout area (Western Austria)
Negotiation and contract management with suppliers
Optimizing processes for cost efficiency and faster implementation

Jul 2001 - Jul 2002

1 year 1 month

Rendsburg, Germany

Program Manager for International Mobile Test Coordination

mobilcom (Orange)

Testing and acceptance of network elements (MSC, HLR, VLR, SMSc, RNC, Node B, gateways, GGSN, SGSN, OSS)
Coordinating the test environment (OMC, NMC, MSC)
Using fault tracking, measurement, and performance tools
Testing and supporting the launch of services
Reporting to the Director of Operations, executive management, and technical director of Orange Group
Coordination and reporting among European operators

Jan 1999 - Jun 2000

1 year 6 months

Munich, Germany

Business Unit Manager for Site and Mobile Network Construction

MC GmbH

Managing the planning and design business unit
Acquisition and contract drafting
Point of contact for customers
Supervisory tasks for staff
Consulting and coordination on tele.ring (Vodafone) projects and special mobile projects in Northern Austria
Network rollout management, planning, and implementation of base stations including microwave links
Negotiations with suppliers, utility companies, authorities, and landlords
Billing, documentation, and monitoring
Integration Manager for Nokia Switzerland (Orange project): team management, resource planning, and reporting

Apr 1997 - Dec 1998

1 year 9 months

Vienna, Austria

Group Leader Mobile Network Deployment

max.mobil (T-Mobile A)

BTS base station deployment
Coordinating, planning, and implementing base stations
Negotiations with suppliers, utility companies, authorities, and landlords
Identifying and fixing defects
Billing, documentation, and monitoring
Creating and evaluating specifications
Training new staff
Managing microwave links (SDH/PDH)
LOS testing, relay node search, and security technology
Implementing a solar-powered repeater station with 100% availability

Jan 1992 - Apr 1997

5 years 4 months

Darmstadt, Germany

Project Controller

Elektrowatt Engineering

Preparing and presenting status reports for the management of a waste incineration plant
Schedule control (reviewing and creating timelines)
Working on the cost information system of a large coal-fired power plant with a budget of DM 0.6 billion
Cost controlling (payment due dates, documentation, and bid evaluation)
Developing preliminary plans for electrical and control technology for a waste bunker

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Information Technology (15 years), Telecommunication (8.5 years), Banking and Finance (5.5 years), Energy (5.5 years), Professional Services (2.5 years), and Automotive (1.5 years).

Information Technology

Telecommunication

Banking and Finance

Energy

Professional Services

Automotive

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Project Management (25.5 years), Information Technology (18 years), Operations (16 years), Accounting (5.5 years), Finance (5.5 years), and Procurement (4.5 years).

Project Management

Information Technology

Operations

Accounting

Finance

Procurement

Summary

Vacancy bridging (interim) management - leadership roles restructuring and transformation project & program management IT operations (infrastructure, service management, outsourcing) datacenter, cloud operations commercial (startup, due diligence, business case) telecommunications

Skills

Softskills:

Leadership Experience, Conflict Management, Team Player, Willing To Travel, Resilient, Goal-oriented, Communicative, Reliable, Works Independently

IT:

Datacenter Operations, It Service Management, Enterprise Infrastructure And Sap Basis Operations, It Strategy (Governance), Outsourcing, Transition & Transformation, Merger & Acquisition, Consolidation, Storage And Backup Systems, Itil Process And Sla Management, Wan Network

Commercial:

Cfo Controlling, Due Diligence, Business Case Development And Evaluation, Presales, Proposal Creation And Evaluation, Bid Management, Vendor Management, Risk Management

Mobile:

Mobile Device Management, Rollout (2g, 3g, Tetra, Bos), Network Deployment And Operations, Special Sites (Repeaters, Tunnel Coverage)

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Elementary

Certifications & licenses

ITIL Foundation

Prince 2 Foundation

Profile

Created

February 2025

Need a freelancer? Find your match in seconds.

Try FRATCH GPT

Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Thomas based?

Thomas is based in Vienna, Austria and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Thomas speak?

Thomas speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Thomas have?

Thomas has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, Thomas has worked in at least 25 different roles and for 23 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 3 months. Note that Thomas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Thomas be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Thomas would be well-suited for roles such as: Director of Operations Telecommunications (interim), Managing Director (CIO role, interim), CTO and COO (interim).

What is Thomas's latest experience?

Thomas's most recent position is Director of Operations Telecommunications (interim) at Plusnet.

What companies has Thomas worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thomas has worked for Plusnet, All for One, HLkomm (PYUR business), and F-ITS.

Which industries is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in industries like Information Technology (IT), Telecommunication, and Banking and Finance. Thomas also has some experience in Energy, Professional Services, and Automotive.

Which business areas is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in business areas like Project Management, Information Technology (IT), and Operations. Thomas also has some experience in Accounting, Finance, and Procurement and Purchasing.

Which industries has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in industries like Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication.

Which business areas has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in business areas like Operations, Information Technology (IT), and Project Management.

Does Thomas have any certificates?

Thomas has 2 certificates. These include: ITIL Foundation and Prince 2 Foundation.

What is the availability of Thomas?

Thomas is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Thomas?

Thomas's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.