Thorsten Kranz

  • Data [Manager | Scientist | Analyst | Strategist | Evangelist | Artist | ... ]
  • Passionate mentor, growing the new generation of Data Scientists
  • Speaker at international conferences
  • Background in Physics & Neuroscience
  • Passionate Python-Developer with stackoverflow track record
  • Loving father and husband
  • Located in Bonn, Germany

 

Professional career

Head of AI Solutions @ Deutsche Post DHL Group (since 2022)

I lead the group-wide Generative AI initiative at DHL, overseeing the strategic direction, governance, and provisioning of interactive tooling for approximately 280,000 desktop workers. My role focuses on identifying and implementing high-impact use cases for Generative AI and ensuring the continued rollout of reusable AI solutions across all business units.

Our department remains the central engine for the company’s AI & Data Science Journey, delivering value through large-scale projects.

My responsibilities bridge the gap between high-level strategy and technical execution, ranging from defining AI governance and data strategy to guiding cross-functional teams in delivering production-grade AI solutions. We are moving beyond experimentation to ensure AI and advanced analytics remain core pillars of our corporate strategy, driving innovation and efficiency on a global scale.

Head of Data Science Implementation @ Deutsche Post DHL Group (2019-2022)

Working as Head of Data Science Implementation and Lead Data Scientist in the Data Analytics Center of Excellence of Deutsche Post DHL Group. 

Our team is driving the Data Science Journey of our whole company, being the central and largest Data Science Department with more than 40 Data Scientists of various background. We are running a lot of projects with all our business units, delivering value across the world. We shape the Data Strategy, drive skill building across various target audiences and build a community of Data Enthusiasts. 

We're taking our journey really serious, far beyond experiments and trying out things. Data Science and advanced analytics are central building blocks of our "Strategy 2025". We have already integrated Data Science in many different parts of our business, and seeking to extend it much further.

My obligations comprise a huge variety, reaching from strategy, management and people development over guiding other Data Scientists in our projects to doing "hands-on" Data Science myself.   

Director Analytics & Data Science @ Comma Soft AG (2011-2019)

At Comma Soft AG I went through multiple roles. Starting as a Software Developer and Consultant, then building up a Data Science team from scratch and grow it to 20+ persons and finally leading a whole department focussed on "Data Business" with 50+ colleagues in total.

In this time, our aim was to help companies across industries to leverage their data to improve their business and become more "data driven".

Riding on the first wave of Data Science across Germany, with all advantages and disadvantages associated to being an early adopter, I experienced and helped shaping a variety of approaches to building up this topic in a company.

Selection of projects:

  • Building up a Data Science team
    Mgmt. Consultant, Project Manager
    Global provider of urban transportation (elevators & escalators)
  • Transaction data analysis
    Project Manager, Lead Data Scientist
    Big german bank
  • Reducing complexity in production planning
    Top german car manufacturer
    Project manager & Data Scientist
  • Automated classification of inbound communication
    German insurance company
    Project manager

 

Neuroscience Researcher @ Clinic for Epileptology, University of Bonn (2007-2011)

Doing research in the fields of epileptology and cognitive neuroscience. I performed measurements using fMRI, EEG, ECoG and intracranial EEG and tried to answer different questions based on the analysis of the collected data. 

I developed and applied a huge variety of algorithms to those data, including machine learning, digital signal processing and calculating measures of nonlinear dynamics.

I contributed to multiple open source projects in the field of neuroscience, e.g., nipy, and created PyLocator.

List of publications: