Tom Rudolph - Head of Innovation Electronic Systems (Gütersloh, Brasov (Rumania))

Niederaula, Germany

Experience

Aug 2023 - Present

1 year 11 months

Gütersloh, Germany

Head of Innovation Electronic Systems (Gütersloh, Brasov (Rumania))

Miele & Cie. KGA, “Smart Home / Electronics Plant”

The “Smart Home/Electronics Plant” is an internal supplier for all electronic components, electro-mechanical systems and software for all kind of Miele B2C and B2B appliances. It develops and produces on 2 sites - Gütersloh and Brasov (Rumania).
Responsible for concept development, architecture (HW/SW/Mechatronic), development and realization of new strategic future projects as POC up to miniseries.
Business case design and development for future cloud-based services based on Miele appliances.
Prototyping support for all product units and central design department regarding Hardware, Software, display/optics and mechanical design for various appliances.
Responsible for competitor analyses and reverse engineering regarding architectures, systems, process, and detailed cost analyses.
Driving definition, POCs and implementation of various AI tools for product definition, development, test etc. to improve process and development efficiency.
Responsible for IT-Department and Process Management Office.
Responsibility: 20 employees (Gütersloh/Brasov/extern) | up to €3 m budget p. a.

Apr 2018 - Jul 2023

5 years 4 months

Gütersloh, Germany

Head of Electronics Product and Platform Development (Gütersloh, Brasov (Rumania))

Miele & Cie. KGA, “Electronics Plant”

The “Electronics Plant” is an internal supplier for all electronic components, electro-mechanical systems and software for all kind of Miele B2C and B2B appliances. It develops and produces on 2 sites - Gütersloh and Brasov (Rumania).
Responsible for platform development of Miele Electronic Hardware-/Software development and mechanical design for all kind of B2C and B2B appliances.
Platform preparation for future “Edge AI Application” of Miele appliances.
Transformation and reorganization of the current R&D organization in a new agile development organization.
Implementing hybrid agile development processes especially in HW related development teams.
Built-up a new development center in Brasov (Rumania) for Embedded HW/SW development.
Rich cross domain Miele Appliance Building Set (Mechatronic/SW Platform) as basis for future product development projects for 6 business units (washing machines, dryer, ovens, steam ovens, coffee maker etc.).
Successful transformation of SW/HW-Teams into an agile working setup based on Scrum.
Responsibility: 100 employees (Gütersloh/Brasov) | up to €20 m budget p. a.

Mar 2017 - Mar 2018

1 year 1 month

Berlin, Germany

Head of Web- and Mobile App Development for all Testo Cloud Solutions and Smart Devices/Probes

Testo SE & Co. KGaA

Testo manufacture and calibrate measurement instruments for HVAC, Refrigeration, Catering, Food Processing, Indoor Climate Monitoring, Pharmaceutical Industry and many more. Combining 60 years’ experience of sensor manufacturing, intuitive software and support services, Testo Saveris Restaurant provides food service operators the ultimate cloud solution for quality and food safety management.
Responsible for development and operation (DevOps) of all new cloud-based Software Solutions for Food and Pharma Applications.
Responsible for Mobile App development of/for all Smart Devices and Smart Probes for HVAC, Food and Pharma products and applications.
Cross platform (Sensors/Smart Devices/SW) requirement definition and management.
Technology/Innovation Scanning and Technology Feature Roadmap definition.
Transformation and reorganization of dedicated Testo R&D teams (from “SW-Startup” à professional agile SW development departments).
Build-up and growing of a new SW development site in Berlin (120 developers planed).
First Testo Software Cloud Solution for food market (restaurants) market launch in 12/2017.
SW development site successful established (up to now 70 developers).
Responsibility: 70 employees (Titisee/Berlin) | up to €10 m budget p. a.

Jun 2015 - Feb 2017

1 year 9 months

Kassel, Germany

CTO UAV Systems and Solutions

Aibotix GmbH

Development and production of UAVs (robotic Hexa-Copter), 50 employees.
Leica Geosystems is part of Hexagon, a leading global provider of information technologies across geospatial and industrial enterprise applications. Hexagon’s solutions integrate sensors, software, domain knowledge and customer workflows into intelligent information ecosystems that deliver actionable information. They are used in a broad range of different industries.
Responsible for definition and development of Embedded HW/SW and UAV cloud-based data management systems and services (Business Model development).
Responsible for design and development of mechanic concepts (carbon fiber technology) for UAV Systems.
Responsible for product/feature definition and development of UAVs and UAV based commercial system solutions for applications like geo-mapping, inspections, farming and forestry.
Technology/Innovation Scanning and Feature Roadmap definition.
Driving of government founded research projects with universities and consortiums.
Transformation and reorganization of R&D team (from Start-up à professional R&D).
First commercial UAV with integrated High Precision Global Navigation Satellite System Solution (HP GNSS), market introduction (12/2015).
First successful flight of next Gen UAV prototype Aibot X6 V2.
Responsibility: 10 employees | up to €1 m budget p. a. and €1 m project volume.

Feb 2010 - Jun 2015

5 years 5 months

Niestetal, Germany

Head of Competence Centre Communication Solutions (10/2014 – 06/2015); Head of Solution Unit Energy Management & Online

SMA Solar Technology AG

World market leader for photovoltaic inverters, 5,000 employees, €790 m sales volume p. a.
Head of Product Management and Development for Communication Systems solutions and standardization of technologies (platform for data models, protocols, data and system security).
Responsible for all SMA-wide energy management systems and development of a new architecture (system/equipment) for future energy management solutions.
Development of the eBusiness strategy for the monetization of cloud applications.
Strategic reorganization and further development of all SMA online portal solutions for system monitoring, monitoring of power generation and storage systems.
Redevelopment and optimization of the SMA’s PV-System simulation/project tools.
Preparation of realization concepts, development of portal applications and ensuring operation as well as maintaining portal solutions.
Definition and expansion of the product portfolio, consistent orientation of activities on the market taking modern technologies for product design and production into account.
Collaboration and coordination with product management, purchasing, suppliers and production.
Strategic orientation and optimization of the Communication Systems division including its products as well as all hardware and software development activities for data loggers, communication modules, energy management systems, visualization products and web portal solutions for photovoltaic systems for instance.
Coordination of the SMA activities and cooperation with external organizations for the networking of power plants and energy consumers (EEBUS) taking international communication standards into consideration.
First fee-based SMA portal application for the professional monitoring and error analysis of PV systems as well as worldwide rollout (2014), 1st monetization of portal applications for SMA AG.
Launch of the “Sunny Home Manager“, a smart energy management system for PV systems, to increase internal consumption (Smart Energy Award 2013, Hessen).
Launch of the worldwide first PV inverter with an integrated battery, to increase internal consumption (winner of the Intersolar Award 2013 in Munich).
Definition and development of the new SMA data logger “Clustercontroller” (2012).
Founding and board member of the EEBus e.V. for worldwide standardization of interfaces and protocols, to control power plants and consumer devices in the Smart Home/Smart Grid environment.
Responsibility: Between 50 and 140 employees and 4 to 6 managers | up to €25 m budget p. a. and €15 m project volume.

Apr 2006 - Jan 2010

3 years 10 months

Bad Hersfeld, Germany

Director Global R&D / Member of GmbH Executive Team (04/2008 - 01/2010); Director Platform Development / Member of GmbH

Hypercom GmbH / Thales e-Transactions GmbH

Leading supplier of electronic payment systems, 1400 employees, $470 m sales volume.
Global responsibility (US, Germany, France, Spain, UK) for HW platform and system definition and development, among other things for chip card terminals (Point of Sales), PIN pads (ATMs), eHealth terminals (medical application).
Definition/Implementation of innovative projects (e.g. contactless payment, touch technology).
Implementation of security processors with external chip suppliers.
Project management und controlling.
Definition and realization of 3d design and architecture for eHealth terminals.
Responsible for platform and product development of chip card terminals, PIN pads, payment solutions for machines, ticket terminals and medical applications.
Hardware/ Software system definition (memory & security solutions, mechanical structural concepts, production and test concepts).
Development process improvement for global development activities, improvement of collaboration between locations and compilation of a mutual planning process.
Supplier management and production support.
Development of the terminal family “medline“, to use the electronic health (insurance) card for the German market.

Nov 1996 - Mar 2006

9 years 5 months

Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Program Manager Hardware / Head of Hardware Development Beijing (10/2005 - 03/2006); Director Digital HW Development (with

Siemens AG (BU Siemens Mobile)/BenQ

Leading supplier of cellular phones, 6000 employees, approx. €4 bn sales volume.
Definition of hardware platforms and hardware concepts for cellular phone products based on existing product requirement documents.
Review of the concepts in close cooperation with Technical Project Management (TPM).
Definition of strategic/long-term preliminary development issues.
Ensuring a smooth transition from platform to product development.
“Challenger“ of the individual R&D competence center (objective: “Best in Class”).
Active driving force of the “Design to Cost” activities.
Selection of suppliers and technologies for components and modules.
Local coordination of development activities in Peking as well as supplier management, production support and realization of the existing global hardware development processes.
Reactivation and stabilization of know-how transfer to Peking.
Mobile Phone Platform/Products C25/S25, C/M/S/SL 35/45/55/65/75.

May 1990 - Oct 1996

6 years 6 months

Grünkraut, Germany

Engineer for HW / SW Development / Layout / Prototype / Production

Hoffmann Electronic GmbH

Responsible for HW / SW development, layout, prototype, and production.

Mar 1988 - Feb 1990

2 years

Jena, Germany

Engineer for Development / Test / System Integration of Astronomical Equipment

Carl Zeiss / "Astro" Division

Responsible for development, test, and system integration of astronomical equipment.

Sep 1986 - Feb 1988

1 year 6 months

Hermsdorf, Germany

Research Engineer

Technical College for Electrical Engineering & Ceramics

Worked as a research engineer.

Summary

Innovative Leadership and Strategy Development: Demonstrated innovative and strong leadership and management skills with over 25 years of experience in product definition, portfolio management, IoT, smart home products and systems, 3D-Design, electrical/electronic/SW engineering, telecommunications, cloud-based services and solutions, renewable energies/energy management systems (consumer/commercial), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (robotics/UAVs), and household appliances. Proven track record in developing and executing strategic initiatives that drive business growth and market expansion.
Strategic Expertise in Product and Business Development: Extensive strategic know-how in Product/Project/Innovation/Change Management, Agile Research & Development and Agile Transformation. Expertise in hardware, software, and mechanical development with a focus on mechatronic devices/systems, cloud-based solutions, and mobile apps. Skilled in identifying market opportunities and translating them into actionable business strategies.
Transformational and Strategic Leadership Style: A transformational management style that emphasizes inspiring, motivating, and empowering teams. Act as a consultant and coach, promoting innovation, creativity, and personal responsibility. Skilled in leading organizations through periods of growth, as well as restructuring, by transforming processes into AI driven agile and efficient organizational forms.
Pragmatic and Solution-Oriented: Known for a pragmatic and solution-oriented approach to project execution and day-to-day operations, ensuring that strategic goals are met efficiently and effectively.
Proven Success in Dynamic Environments: Successfully navigated challenging times of dynamic change, including both growth and restructuring phases. Examples include leading teams through agile transformations and spearheading strategic initiatives that align with evolving market demands.
Global Team and Financial Management: Build-up and Managed R&D units up to 150 employees worldwide and held budget responsibility for up to €40 million annually. Proven ability to align cross-functional teams with strategic business objectives and drive results in complex, international environments.