I’ve always been fascinated by technology and how it can create value for business and society. For me, Data Analytics is a diverse and fascinating field in which the interplay between technology and management is becoming more important than ever.
As a Strategic Data Analyst at Siemens Mobility in Munich, I use data to derive strategic implications and support the strategy team with insightful and reliable analysis.

From the countryside to a city of millions

“Where are you from?” I bet everyone reading this has been asked this question at least once in their life. Well, for me, answering this question usually takes a little longer than for others since my background is quite diverse:
My parents are from the south of China, but I was born in Germany, more precisely in Saarbrücken. However, I lived in China until I was two years old before my parents moved to a small town in Lower Bavaria. So, when people ask me where I’m from, I say “Roots in China, born in Saarland, grew up in Bavaria, home in Munich.” Simple, right?

Hiking at the Eibsee, one of numerous lakes around Munich

Even though I enjoyed my childhood in a small town very much, I knew quite early that I wanted to live in a big city after finishing high school.

So, I moved to Munich, where I did my bachelor’s and master’s in Management and Technology at TU Munich.
What I immediately liked about Munich was the internationality and cultural diversity that the city offers. You notice that especially at the annual Oktoberfest, when 2 million people from all nations come together and celebrate.

Although Munich was my home port, my university gave me the opportunity to study and live abroad in other major cities such as Beijing and London. This allowed me to meet people from different regions and cultures and to develop personally.

Study abroad at University College London (UCL), 2017

How my fascination with data started

During my studies, I already enjoyed working with data and identifying new business opportunities that arise from it. It attracted me to find the needle in the haystack and gain insights with the help of statistical methods.

I wrote my bachelor thesis on the topic of “Applied Regression on Consumer Data” in which I analyzed the impact of political decisions on buying behavior. The topic fit perfectly with my interests and the thesis was even awarded by the chair of economics.

It was in 2015 – while I was doing an internship at an automotive manufacturer – that I first came across concepts such as Big Data. From then on, I gained more and more experience in different areas of Data Science, such as Data Engineering, Machine Learning and Data Visualization at different companies.

Work at the interface between technology and business

As a Strategic Data Analyst, I’m part of the Siemens Mobility central strategy team and support and guide strategic decision-making by processing, analyzing, and visualizing big data sets. In doing so, I drive market sizing and modelling as well as identify trends and improvement areas in complex data sets.
I find the work in the strategy department extremely exciting, as we combine market and competitor data with business understanding to answer inquiries and support top management.

What particularly attracts me to Siemens as an employer is the diversity of tasks and colleagues. Before Siemens Mobility, I was working in a very technical role as a Data Scientist at Siemens Financial Services (SFS) in Accounting and Controlling.
I decided to start my career in finance after graduation because data plays an extremely important role in this industry. Especially in combination with finance know-how, data analytics can make processes more efficient and transparent and decisions more data-driven.

Working at the interface between business and IT at SFS was a very valuable experience for me, which also helps me a lot now in my daily work in the corporate strategy of Siemens Mobility.

Colleagues from the Systemic Forecast Team at Siemens Financial Services

One of the larger projects I was working on at SFS was called “Systemic Forecast.” In this project, colleagues from different departments work together to make the forecasting process more transparent, data-driven and automated. We have programmed a tool specifically for this purpose, which is intended to make the work of the controllers more efficient.

The project has been well-received by senior management and was nominated for the SFS Award in the area of digitalization and business excellence.

Grow within Siemens

Siemens is an international company that is active in many industries and countries. As a result, you have the opportunity to see different areas of responsibility and industries without having to change company. So, you have an extremely wide range of development opportunities within the company.

What’s more, I really enjoy working with a wide variety of colleagues. At Siemens, there are colleagues from different areas with all kinds of backgrounds and interests. Whether young or older colleagues, managers or engineers, trainees or doctoral students, you can find every type of person a phone call away, and that’s what makes Siemens so diverse and fascinating.

Passion for movies

When I’m not programming or analyzing data, I like to spend time with friends and family. Munich has a lot to offer in terms of recreation, such as hiking, swimming, museums, concerts and bars/restaurants.

I am also an active blogger and enjoy writing about data and technology-related topics. I am privately well-connected with the data science community in Munich and regularly exchange ideas with people in this industry.

In addition, I am highly interested in movies. That doesn’t mean I’m constantly streaming movies and series on Netflix and the like, but I’m more interested in movies as an art form. When I was still at school, I used to make short films with friends in my free time, which we presented at school. I was also a member of the London UCL Film & TV Society while I was abroad where we met people from the film industry and learned the technical aspects of film production.

Concert by the rock band Imagine Dragons in Munich, 2013

Are you also keen to work with colleagues with all kinds of backgrounds and grow within one company? Then have a look at the digital career opportunities at Siemens.