12/08/2024

A day in the life of Stefanie Eibl – Digital Strategy Director at IBM iX Berlin

Authors: Luise Kluttig & Sandra Klopp

Bild einer Frau - Stefanie Eibl

Stefanie Eibl has been working at IBM iX for almost 10 years. She became aware of (the company then known as) Aperto through friends while doing her Master’s and started as a working student in project management for the public sector. The student job gave her many insights and she enjoyed working at the digital agency. However, her studies, which were highly strategic and conceptual, taught her that her professional focus lay in a different direction in the future.

Stefanie’s Path to Becoming a Digital Strategist – from working student to executive

The desire to solve problems hands-on with and for customers and to contribute more to projects tugged at Stefanie. She decided to pursue this goal and took on her current role as a Digital Strategist in January 2018. Since then, she has primarily advised clients from the automotive and industrial sectors. The projects are extremely varied and have evolved over the years – from designing individual digital touchpoints such as websites or apps to implementing complex digital ecosystems, commerce solutions and accompanying communication measures. Stefanie is mainly involved at the beginning of a project: understanding customer requirements, aligning them with current market developments and, as a result, deciding which fields to work on.

For about three years now, Stefanie has also been managing a team of strategists specializing in digital and communication strategy as well as business design, advising clients in various industries. Ensuring cross-industry exchange among her team members is important to Stefanie – for her, this is the only way to develop true expertise, identify the right topics and leverage synergies. Empathy and communication skills are her other top priorities as a team lead. She has recently started using these skills across the company by supporting a team that communicatively accompanies changes within the organization.

At IBM iX, Stefanie fills several roles. For her, this is a crucial factor in staying with the same employer for so long – it never gets boring, she can continuously learn and she constantly faces new challenges.

9:00 am
First things first

A typical workday for Stefanie starts around 9 am at the office. Although she enjoys spending some days on focused work in her home office, she looks forward to being on-site several times a week to meet colleagues face-to-face. She spends the first 30 minutes responding to the most urgent emails and preparing for the day’s appointments, all while enjoying her breakfast of overnight oats and coffee.

9.30 am
A Marathon of Meetings

By 9:30 am at the latest, the first appointments begin. Daily meetings for pitches and projects, working sessions with the team and client meetings might all be on the agenda. Stefanie likes to use her days in the office for teamwork and personal interaction.

1.00 pm
Wednesday is Tartee-Flamée Day!

Stefanie enjoys meeting with her colleagues for lunch. The area around the Berlin office has plenty of restaurants for them to choose from. However, Wednesdays are always the same – she and her long-time strategy colleague enjoy tarte flambée together, combined with a mix of team discussions, mutual mentoring and personal updates.

 

2.00 pm
Team Lead Responsibilities

In the afternoon, Stefanie has several more appointments lined up. It often happens that she needs to address a different topic every half hour. As a People Lead responsible for a multi-member team, her afternoons frequently include check-ins and one-on-one meetings with her team members, where she supports them with helpful advice and assistance. There’s also a community meeting with her entire team every two weeks.

Besprechung mit mehreren Personen vor einem Board

4.00 pm
Time for Focused Work

Whenever possible, Stefanie regularly blocks out time in her calendar for focused and concentrated work on current projects. As other colleagues and clients start to wrap up their day, Stefanie often begins her most productive period. She can work through tasks and prepare for the next day without interruptions.

6.00 pm
From Laptop to Creative Studio

Around 6 pm, Stefanie’s calendar signals that it’s time for her to finish off her day. Plans with friends, meeting her partner for dinner or getting some exercise in help her to truly set aside her work. If nothing else is scheduled, Stefanie also enjoys using her evenings for one of her many creative hobbies. At the moment, she is learning how to sew and is upcycling old furniture she’s found at flea markets on the weekends. These creative activities provide a good balance to her analytical and strategic work routine.

No Day Is Like Any Other – from the desk to the film set

And if this array of tasks wasn’t enough already, special appointments also occasionally pop up in Stefanie’s calendar. Just recently, she had the opportunity to swap her laptop for a stool in front of a film camera when she participated in our “Human Factor” image video.

 

When asked what the Human Factor means to her, Stefanie said: “Our campaign confirms what I always tell our clients and strive to embody in my role as a leader.” For her, the Human Factor represents the empathy that companies show toward their customers and the ability to put yourself in their shoes. This is precisely what she highlights as a unique feature of IBM iX on the market. And it’s exactly why she loves working here.

You also want to become a part of the team at IBM iX? Have a look at our open positions here.

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