Ralf Gerhardt, Ph.D.

My journey in the petroleum industry began before the turn of the millennium. Like other sectors, this industry has been going through strong change, especially in recent times. Technological innovations are enabling new business models, while at the same time traditional industry definitions are starting to become blurred. Society’s expectations, especially in environmental terms, require fresh approaches and suggest cooperations with organisations from other sectors in the medium term. These are not limited to the automotive industry; great potential is also conceivable in cooperation with the chemical and electricity industries. There are hardly any limits to the imagination.

My career began in the petrol station division of ExxonMobil, where I performed a wide variety of tasks for over 10 years. I then joined Accenture in Oil & Gas Management Consulting and expanded my horizons to include other areas of the downstream value chain, with exciting projects worldwide. I then joined Diebold Nixdorf as a Global Account Manager looking after Shell Petroleum International. The task was to help the customer gain competitive advantage with integrated IT solutions. The range of services included POS and payment software, hardware, professional services and other services.

The accelerating changes in this environment are very challenging. Supporting the transformation processes is exciting and a lot of fun. consistency is a player that understands the industry and can provide technical support as well as drive the necessary transition to agile culture and ways of working.

I received my education at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, where I graduated with a degree in business administration. During a stay abroad in the U.S.A., I earned an M.B.A. at Wayne State University.  While working, I supplemented my academic career with a doctorate at the University of Regensburg.

„We cannot solve a problem by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. “

Albert Einstein