WHOIS…? is a format in our tech blog where we present you the many faces of our tech community. These are the people, that work every day on our state-of-the-art technical solutions to make BurdaForward so unique.
What’s your name & what techie cliché is totally true for you?
My name is Stephan Brunhuber and if something is new and nerdy, I need to have it for sure.
What is your role at BurdaForward?
As I have been working for Burda for quite a while now (19 years and counting) I had several roles. Currently I’m working as a Team Lead for one of our service teams and I am a member of the Tech Board, my fancy job title is Executive Director.
What do you do as an Executive Director
If people ask me what I do, I always tend to say facility management, which reflects my definition of leadership and management. I always try to ensure people are able to work and focus on their tasks and that they do not have to deal with simple things like tech equipment or more complex things like contracts and the implications.
What is the job of your team at BurdaForward?
My team Data Products is building products and services based on the huge variety of data which we have in our company. Data is like oil: You might be sitting on a treasure but only if you start drilling, mining and - most important - refining, you will end up with products of added value.
When & Why did you start to work in tech?
My first computer was a used Olivetti 8086 XT and I stated coding in GW BASIC on that PC. All my friends had fancy and colorful C64 or Amiga 500 purely for gaming, but I liked to be able to do more interesting stuff and learn how computers and software work. When this whole internet thingy kicked off, I started doing web development, mainly in PHP and did some basic infrastructure and sys admin jobs beside studying. I always had fun, solving problems and finding solutions – and this still drives me today.
What is your favorite part about working in tech?
Simplified, I would say, finding solutions. I like designing architectures reflecting the bigger picture, but I also enjoy digging into and analyzing problems and finding solutions to fix those issues. In our days I very much appreciate all the endless possibilities and the broad range of technology that exists.
What is your “tech superpower”?
No real superpower when it comes to being an expert for a certain piece of technology, but as I have been working in tech for quite a while now, I think I have a good understanding of what is needed and what will work and what won’t work. There are always multiple ways on how to achieve a task, one might be better than the other, but the important thing is to find a consent for an approach in the team and stop fighting religious wars about this or that technology. I see my job primarily to bring experts together and make them talk to each other, which is always a bit challenging when working with techies.
And how did you use it recently? (Maybe insights to a recent project)
I have been organizing our annual tech conference for the last couple of years. Working in a distributed environment does not only have technical implications, but also social. I think it is absolutely necessary to have the chance to get insights of our projects and products as well as keep up to date on new technologies. A well-designed frame, like a conference, with the right balance of learning and networking helps us significantly to improve.
Our annual BurdaForward tech conference, TechForward, was a highlight of the year, gathering techies from all our locations. I still recall my first encounter with Stephan there as a BurdaForward newbie. For a glimpse into my TechForward debut, check out my story here: TechForward here: https://www.burda-forward.de/en/tech/blog/honey-i-shrunk-the-cloud-bills
In 2023, the TechForward evolved into the Burda.Product.Tech conference, now connecting techies from various companies within the Burda universe to spark even more innovation.
What advice would you like to give techies out there?
Three pieces of advice:
1) Don’t fight for technology: Have a look at the broader scope and decide based on facts and not abuse your favorite technology, if there are other and better options.
2) Don’t be shy: Share your knowledge, be an active part of our tech community and contribute.
3) Keep on learning: The tech world is evolving and changing on a very high pace. Don’t make the mistake and believe your knowledge of a certain technology will be needed forever.
Did you find any nice tool/software/technology/… recently that you would like to share?
Not really in terms of technology, but some people asked me how I generate those funny photos like making myself a Drill Sergeant for presentations. Well, it’s easy, you don’t need Photoshop, there is a little website for that purpose: https://www.faceinhole.com/scenarios
This lovely picture was Stephan’s “Call to Action” to register as a speaker for our tech conference. And I must admit, it was pretty effective!
Can we find out more about you on social platforms (LinkedIn, GitHub, Tech Blogs, Link to an article on our post…)?
Feel free to use Google ;-)