he studied electrical engineering and computer sciences from 1984 to 1990 at the university of stuttgart and kansas state university. in 1994, he received his ph.d. at the university of stuttgart on complexity control during the product life-cycle. from 1994-2007, he worked at alcatel: first in stuttgart, then, in 1996, in antwerp, and, as of 2001, in paris. as director of engineering, he had global responsibility for software platforms and technology. recognizing his contributions in productivity improvement, systems engineering, and product lifecycle management, he was named member of alcatel's technical academy. in 2007, he founded vector consulting services, where he is managing director and partner.