Hey there, I'm Max.
Always the same job. It just looks different every time.
Presales consultant for OT networks, consultant for IT/OT convergence, industrial security expert, founder, programmer. Five different jobs on paper. In reality it was always the same one: I develop topics. I build systems.
What draws me to industrial security isn't the firewall, it's the structure behind it: plants, networks and people that all have to talk to each other. What draws me to programming isn't the code, it's the architecture. Building one app is easy. Building fifty apps that scale... Now that's a challenge.
Yes, I spilled something on my shirt. I'll still give you a really good talk.
For me, professionalism has always shown in the work, not in the suit and not in the long words. I talk straight, and I'm human: I make mistakes. I've given more than one talk with goulash on my shirt because I hit the canteen before my slot like a rookie. Went great anyway.
But I'm also the one who thinks the whole thing through again from scratch when it isn't working. You can call me on a Friday evening with something that's still a mess in your head. You can throw unsorted requirements at me. I'll structure it.
I'm the guy who spends a weekend writing software to plan his week.
I'd tried everything before that: Excel, Airtable, Notion, Fibery, Trello, Asana, Todoist, Obsidian, Wunderlist, Budibase… and those are just the ones I can think of right now. Nothing fit my week, so I built it myself. Programming was never the goal, always the means. At some point it turned into a second career: since 2023, a small software company with my oldest friend.
I need challenges. Not every day, but consistently. A year ago I moved our entire company and tool landscape to open source. Every tool, every server, every AI, EU-sovereign. Because I want to know where our customers' data sits.
I can write concepts. That alone doesn't challenge me anymore.
Building a table is boring. Designing a factory that builds tables is exciting. That's the level that challenges me: defining how concepts get written. In definitions and in software.
I'm interested in the places where it's decided how work gets done. Whether that's called architecture, portfolio or strategy doesn't matter to me. I'm sure you've already come up with a cool name for it.
They're ususally not this nice.
»What I appreciate about Max is how direct and honest he is. He says it clearly when something doesn't sit right with him, but he's just as open about it when he likes something. You can absolutely rely on him. And the fun doesn't fall short either, ideally over a relaxed beer 😉«
»Lots of doing, few words, and when there are words, they're clear and direct. Working with Max isn't just fun, it creates clarity. He decides, he speaks up, he structures and, most importantly, he'll tell you when something doesn't fit or is heading in the wrong direction. Either you reject his way of working as unconventional, or — and I can say this from my own experience — you love tinkering away with him on your own goals and results. Max doesn't work, he creates projects and turns visions into reality in his field.«
»Max always knows exactly what he wants and keeps his goals firmly in sight. I can come to him any time with whatever is on my mind and ask for advice. He always has an open ear for me. And his taste in music is top notch 🤘«
CV.
- 2018 – today
Self-employed
Consulting and architecture for IT/OT: zone concepts, industrial security, workshops and talks
- 2018
Manager Cyber Risk
Deloitte GmbH: industrial cyber security, presales and portfolio responsibility
- 2016 - 2018
IT Consultant
Computacenter AG: blueprints, migration plans and OT networks
- 2014 - 2016
Presales Consultant
SIEMENS AG: SCALANCE, network design for production facilities, training for sales and end customers
- 2012 - 2014
Staatlich geprüfter Industrietechnologe
SIEMENS Technik Akademie: automation engineering with a focus on process data processing.
Yes, I did those once
CCNP Routing & Switching · CCNA Routing & Switching · CISSP Associate · Cisco IoT Manufacturing System Engineer · Siemens Certified Professional for Industrial Networks (Switching & Routing, Wireless LAN)
Not renewed.
I like working with …
- Managers who sometimes have oil on their shoes because they went down to the production line to check on something.
- Engineers whose eyes light up when they explain how some niche solution nobody understands made them two percent more effective.
- Team leads who showed up half an hour early so the coffee is ready when the workshop starts.
- Workers who make plenty of mistakes but take something away from every single one.
Coffee's on me.
Tell me what it's about. I'll get back to you, usually the same day.