Our new interviewee, Eva, brings a lot of passion to our cause, and we couldn't be more excited to have her on board.
Please share a short biography
I am a 34-year-old German living in Berlin with a strong passion for the intersection of sustainable urban development, data-driven solutions and smart organisations. I have been working for cities and administrations in digitalisation projects for over 7 years, right now in the role of Head of Consulting at DKSR GmbH. My academic backgound is a Master of Science in Urban Design, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Cultural Management with a minor in Economics & Business Administration. My academic journey included studying abroad in Tasmania, Tel Aviv, and Milan, broadening my global perspective. Additionally, I completed a Design Thinking program at HPI, enhancing my problem-solving skills.
Please provide a short overview of your job and its relation to STEM. What is your current job? What is the field about?
I work as head of the consulting team at DKSR GmbH. Our Mission at DKSR is to use data to make the systemic complexity of cities and regions understandable and manageable. In this way, we enable political and municipal decision-makers to weigh up options for action based on evidence in order to make our living spaces resilient and sustainable. Our main product is a modular, user-friendly data hub with a strong metadata catalogue that can be combined with an Open Sourcen urban data platform.
My job is to empower our customers, which are mainly cities and municipalities in Europe, to handle data securely and to show them all the great opportunities that exist in using data to better manage cities. I structure approaches and develop practical solutions for complex urban challenges. Therefor I a build a lot of bridges towards our product team and the data analysts who are doing the data magic and create great insights.
Who or what inspired you to follow this career path / start this job?
The question who can we use data to create more liveable and sustainable cities. In 2015, during my bachelor's degree, I immersed myself in the world of smart cities. The topic also accompanied me on my Master's degree programme in Urban Design at HafenCity University in Hamburg. Here, I delved deeper into the question of how open data can help a vibrant urban society to generate new knowledge. This focus then led me into strategic consulting in the field of Smat City and the digitalisation of administration.
What does your typical working day look like?
Typically, there are three components: Calls with my team to coordinate our work sprints. Appointments and workshops with customers – on-site or digital – that can sometimes be more creative. And time for conceptualisation and management.
Please give an overview of your study path and how you got into this career. If you could start all over again, how you would change the career path? Has there been an educational experience (formal/informal/traineeship/...) that helped you? Did your colleagues follow similar study and career paths?
Main Steps:
Bachelor of Arts – Communication and Cultural Manageent, with a Minor in Economics & Business Administration
Master of Science – Urban Design
Studied abroad in Tasmania/Australia, Tel Aviv/Israel, Milan/ Italy
Design Thinking HPI
What are the professional & personal key skills needed to do your job?
This is my main business to get to the core of our customers needs
Analytical reasoning
Consulting
Critical thinking
Data analysis
Problem-solving
Research
Find new business opportunies
Business development
Consulting is a lot about Communication and understanding customers needs.
Presentation
Active listening
Social skills
I am a Manager – all Management skills are important, especially when you are leading a team.
Coaching
Customer Relationship Management
Delegating tasks
Leadership
Negotiation
People management
Project management
Strategic planning
Consulting is a people business. It’s a dynamic field, so most of personal and social skills are valuable.
Creativity
Flexibility
Self-reflection
Public Speaking
What are the main challenges in your job?
To focus on solutions with real impact, never forget the customer needs and “language barriers” between customers & tech.
What is your advice to students?
Start with a broad programm – in Germany, there is a “Studium Generale”.
How can teachers and parents support their students / children?
Listen to them.
Stimulate curiosity.
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