From self-employment to product management:
Ira's path to Local Brand X  

Hello Ira, nice of you to take the time for the interview today.   
Please introduce yourself briefly.

Hello, my name is Ira, I was born in Baden-Württemberg and studied printing technology at the Stuttgart Media University. I've lived and worked in the Rhine-Main area for over 30 years and have always been professionally involved in media production and marketing technologies.

Before Local Brand X, you were already working as a freelance consultant with software solutions in the field of web-to-publish and marketing management systems. How did this interest come about and what fascinates you about these systems?

As a consultant, I dealt with the topic of automation in media production and this brought me into contact with web-to-print over 15 years ago. I found the far-reaching end-to-end automation in the production chain that this made possible exciting. Even back then, there were already a large number of software providers and areas of application, which motivated me to create transparency here. This also resulted in the ‘Market overview of web-to-publish systems’

After such a long time in self-employment, what motivated you to join Local Brand X?  
 
I have been able to follow the development of Local Brand X from the very beginning and I have always been impressed by the dynamic development that the company has undergone. I also always had the impression that requirements are implemented very quickly at Local Brand X and don't just exist on paper. This simply made me curious and I am therefore delighted to now be able to experience this ‘behind the scenes’ and help shape it.

What exactly are your tasks as a Product Manager/Internal Consultant?

As a product manager, I am responsible for a whole range of tasks. These include creating concepts for Local Marketing Platform functions, which are then programmed in IT, as well as integrating service providers and supporting the demo portal and the Knowledge Centre. The Knowledge Centre is a very important source of information for our customers, but also for internal employees. My tasks as an Internal Consultant include developing strategies for platform development and supporting the marketing and sales department, as I have been running an expert portal myself for over 20 years.

How did you decide to pursue this career path and what was your dream job as a child?

There was actually a special occasion in my childhood. My father always designed the artwork for the club booklets of his football and tennis club. The pages were glued together as templates from individual parts and photographed in the print shop for the printing plates. That impressed me and my father was my role model in this respect. 

One of my dreams as a child was also to become a teacher and I was later able to realise this in various ways with teaching activities. I held seminars and organised workshops. I also worked as a lecturer at the university for a few years, which I really enjoyed.

What would you like to achieve professionally in the future and what goals do you think you have already achieved?

I would like to make my contribution to making Local Brand X even more successful. I can contribute my many years of experience in the field very well and my expertise from the print and media industry helps me to better understand many processes and functions. 
And what have I already achieved? In my opinion, I have already been able to contribute some ideas to Local Brand X and I am looking forward to implementing them together with the team.

And last but not least: What do you like to do in your free time or what are your hobbies?

I like to do sport in my free time. I regularly go to yoga and Zumba classes. I also enjoy jogging, swimming and hiking. Being in nature helps me to stay in balance.

Thank you Ira. I wish you continued fun and success with Local Brand X!