Thomas Lücke - Interim Director of Telecommunications Operations

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 Interim Director of Telecommunications Operations 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

Interim Director of Telecommunications Operations

Plusnet

Leading and restructuring operations departments
Transforming into a digital ISP
Managing 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 provider
Analyzing required actions based on commercial criteria
Developing recommendations for the executive board and supervisory board
Coordinating personnel measures with legal and HR
Initiating change and transformation
Establishing a SOC (Security Operations Center)
Converting a hardware data center to cloud operations
Managing IT operations for 400 external customers
Leading daily IT infrastructure operations
Managing SAP application operations
Optimizing the IT organization
Strategically aligning data center operations
Transforming operations
Digitizing application service processes
Strategically aligning SAP production in the cloud (RISE and Azure self-managed)
Leading transition teams for cloud services
Managing 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 the portfolio
Representing the company
Digitizing the end-to-end customer process (CRM tool)
Leading the technical divisions: cloud infrastructure operations, IT operations project management, and fiber/network deployment
Fiber product management
Voice services

Oct 2019 - Mar 2022

2 years 6 months

Head of Service Management (interim)

F-ITS

Leading the decentralized department in 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 a carve-out
Developing separation strategies
Planning network separation for change of control
Reporting on critical tasks and the critical path

Nov 2018 - May 2019

7 months

Director IT Infrastructure and Service Desk (interim)

TeamViewer

Leading 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
Managing tickets (incident management)
Introduction of a change process
Management of 1st and 2nd level support
ITIL processes including KPI definition
Phone system and lines
Management of infrastructure operations
Management of admin teams: VM farm, routers and networks, storage systems
Management of security issues (patch levels, CISO reports)
Management of the monitoring team

May 2018 - Oct 2018

6 months

CEO/CFO Startup (interim)

Circet Frankreich

Creating the commercial framework for the German branch: GmbH formation with notary/lawyer, commercial register entries
Collaboration with banks and tax advisors
Establishing accounting processes and reporting
Building the workforce (from recruiting to payroll accounting)

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, planning, workshops
Developing the solution design
Bid manager for a carve-out of mainframe operations at an automotive manufacturer (>100 million euros)
Management of internal resources to prepare the proposal

Dec 2016 - Oct 2017

11 months

Head of Project and Order Management (interim)

F-ITS

Project management of all infrastructure projects for banks
Order management for end customers
Project responsibility for projects (100–5000 person-days)
Department budget >10 million euros
Line management with personnel and budget responsibility
Recruiting and resource management for filling project manager roles in all T&T projects
Managing external providers
Managing tickets and orders according to ITIL processes
Establishing and controlling KPIs
Controlling and ensuring implementation of audit-relevant project management methodologies
Setting up a department structure and further developing the organization
Leading 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 digital and innovative e-commerce solution for the airlines of the Lufthansa Group
Set up project structure and schedules
Workshop moderation
Preparation of status reports

Jun 2012 - Aug 2015

3 years 3 months

Head of Data Center Operations (interim)

Volksbanken / Fiducia IT AG

Line management with personnel and budget responsibility
Management of the Backup & Storage department (16 staff)
Representation in the Desktop & Client, Linux/Cloud & Virtualization departments
Project leader and ticket management (incident and change)
Establishment and monitoring of KPIs
Operation of storage and backup systems (NAS, SAN, TSM) and ensuring high availability, KPI compliance and SLA conformity
Responsible for the operation and development of cloud storage systems and virtualization
Head of the Collaboration & Application department (32 staff) and representation for Unified Communication (25 staff)
Operation of Lotus Notes mail server and applications including release and patch management
Lead of agile application development for bank-related 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 frameworks (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 and hydroelectric power
Project management and bid management for EON/HP IT infrastructures
Project manager for software implementation for nuclear power plant operations management
Project manager for setting up SAP BW infrastructure
Project manager for energy trading software release upgrade
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 Siemens carve-out
Management of the global separation of SAP and non-SAP systems to ensure change of control
Development of 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 SAP transition of over 100 SAP systems from the data center of the former provider to the new provider
Development of transition methodology: consolidation, migration and integration
Drafting of contractual documents
Planning of system/infrastructure relocation
Setup, planning and execution of the transition (schedules, budget)
Conducting steering committees

Oct 2007 - Feb 2009

1 year 5 months

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

Lufthansa Systems

Proposal preparation and coordination between outsourcing clients and departments (banking: Sal. Oppenheim, DZ Bank, DWP Bank, Union Invest)
Business analysis (customer requirements), service specification creation
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) from 4.6 to ECC 6.0
Project management & costing 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

Project Manager Technical Platform Web Frontend

T-Online

Project office (schedule creation, project documentation)
Supplier evaluation
Requirements specification creation
Technologies: PHP, Portal Server, storage solutions

Mar 2005 - Jul 2007

2 years 5 months

Munich, Germany

Senior IT Consultant Data Center Competence Centre Manager

Siemens CIO (Corporate Information and Operations)

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

Oct 2004 - Dec 2004

3 months

Nuremberg, Germany

Project Manager GSM/UMTS Roll Out

Eplus (SAG-ABEL)

Analysis and structuring of project processes to optimize the roll-out
Troubleshooting and development of solutions
Creating reports, status reports
Reporting to the project manager Germany
Project management for 200 base stations

Jan 2004 - Aug 2004

8 months

Munich, Germany

Senior IT Consultant SAP Data Center Consolidation

Siemens CIO (Corporate Information and Operations)

Preparation of decision-making foundations for the division board regarding the consolidation, transition, and migration of SAP data centers in Europe
Analysis of the impact of the email transition (180,000 mailboxes) on the WAN
Reporting and informing the involved groups

Oct 2003 - Nov 2003

2 months

Nuremberg, Germany

Interim Manager Mobile Network Deployment

Eplus

Analysis, structuring, and optimization of project processes for the roll-out
Reporting to division management in Germany
Creation of status reports and forecasts

Aug 2002 - Aug 2003

1 year 1 month

Austria

Radio Network Team Leader

Master.talk (Siemens/Verbund)

Developed a service definition document with processes between the Republic of Austria and master.talk
Created a manual with regulations, requirements, standards, definitions, responsibilities, quality assurance
Project management and coordination of site managers in the network rollout area (Western Austria)
Negotiation and contract drafting with vendors
Optimized workflows for cost efficiency and faster implementation

Jul 2001 - Jul 2002

1 year 1 month

Rendsburg, Germany

Program Manager International Mobile Test Coordination

mobilcom (Orange)

Testing and acceptance of network elements (MSC, HLR, VLR, SMSc, RNC, Node B, Gateways, GGSN, SGSN, OSS)
Coordination of the test environment (OMC, NMC, MSC)
Use of fault tracking, measurement and performance tools
Testing and support in service deployment
Reporting to Director of Operations, executive management, technical Director of Orange Group
Coordination and reporting among European operators

Jan 1999 - Jun 2000

1 year 6 months

Munich, Germany

Business Unit Head for Facilities and Mobile Network Construction

MC GmbH

Business unit management for planning and design
Acquisition and contract preparation
Point of contact for clients
Supervisory responsibilities for staff
Consulting and coordination for 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, utilities, authorities and landlords
Billing, documentation and monitoring
Integration Manager for Nokia Switzerland (Orange project): team management, resource planning, reporting

Apr 1997 - Dec 1998

1 year 9 months

Vienna, Austria

Mobile Network Rollout Group Leader

max.mobil (T-Mobile A)

BTS base station rollout
Coordination, planning and implementation of base stations
Negotiations with suppliers, utilities, authorities and landlords
Defect detection and resolution
Billing, documentation and monitoring
Preparation and analysis of bill of quantities
Training of new employees
Provider control of microwave link (SDH/PDH)
LOS testing, relay station search, security technology
Implemented a solar repeater station with 100% availability

Jan 1992 - Apr 1997

5 years 4 months

Darmstadt, Germany

Project Controller

Elektrowatt Engineering

Prepared and presented status reports for the management of a waste incineration plant
Schedule control (reviewing and creating schedules)
Contributed to the cost information system of a large coal-fired power plant with a budget of DM 0.6 billion
Cost controlling (payment deadlines, documentation, bid evaluation)
Developed preliminary design 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 coverage (interim) management - leadership functions restructuring and transformation project & program management IT operations (infrastructure, service management, outsourcing) Datacenter, Cloud operations Commercial (Startup, Due Diligence, Business Case) Telecommunications

Skills

Soft Skills:

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

IT:

Data Center 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 Networks

Commercial:

Cfo Controlling, Due Diligence, Business Case Creation And Evaluation, Pre-sales, Proposal Creation And Evaluation, Bid Management, Supplier Management, Risk Management

Mobile Communications:

Mobile Device Management Rollout (2g, 3g, Tetra, Public Safety Networks), Radio Network Planning 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

Last Update

February 2026

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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: Interim Director of Telecommunications Operations, Managing Director (CIO role, interim), CTO and COO (interim).

What is Thomas's latest experience?

Thomas's most recent position is Interim Director of Telecommunications Operations 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.