Without a healthy spine, the finger doesn't move

Interview with Dr. Carin Bornschein-Grass about her role as CIO and CPO at Lufthansa Industry Solutions

Norderstedt, March 5, 2018 – Dr. Carin Bornschein-Grass, computer scientist with a doctorate in economics, has been CIO and CPO at Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND) for two years. LHIND is a service provider for IT consulting and system integration with more than 1,300 employees. Bornschein-Grass is the head of IT infrastructure, IT systems and workplace services in line with the company's strategy and using Lufthansa group synergies. This also includes the security of the entire IT landscape. As a CPO, she is also responsible for transparent and consistent processes within the company. In short, she is responsible for the entire IT of an IT consulting company.

What challenges do these functions entail?

You can already hear it from the enumeration. It is a variety of processes and systems that need to be monitored and continuously developed. We are not only pushing ahead with digitization at our customers' sites, we are also doing so in our own rows. This includes, for example, the implementation of a "Digital Workplace" concept focusing on collaboration, communication and knowledge management as a central platform with integration of the essential business processes.

If the background structures and systems do not fit together, the colleagues at the customer's cannot work successfully, or to put it another way: without a healthy spine, the finger does not move.

Even if you are at one with IT: What do you do if you are faced with a technical problem or cannot figure out a connection?

I try to be patient and ask questions. I decided to study computer science, because I have always been looking for solutions to problems and I like to design. There is always a path and if it doesn't go straight, I turn and take a detour to reach the destination. This sometimes requires a long breath, but usually succeeds.

How do you feel as a female manager in a male-dominated environment?

Since my studies I have been used to be in the minority as a woman. So it doesn't really matter to me. Nevertheless, women are underestimated sometimes. But with patience, professional competence and passion for the job, we can achieve a lot.

About Lufthansa Industry Solutions

Lufthansa Industry Solutions is a service provider for IT consulting and system integration. This Lufthansa subsidiary helps its clients with the digital transformation of their companies. Its customer base includes companies both within and outside the Lufthansa Group, as well as more than 200 companies in various lines of business. The company is based in Norderstedt and employs more than 1,400 members of staff at several branch offices in Germany, Switzerland and the USA.