Mitarbeiterportrait - Dirk Michael Ockel

In 2018, I gave the impetus to found the company. As a result, a group of experienced specialists came together to pursue our vision: IT compliance, efficiency and security for large and very large companies and organizations.

My own consulting experience at that time already included 30 years of IT strategy, organization and efficiency improvement. The ten colleagues who came together to found the company combined around 110 years of consulting and service experience. Essentially, this team, which formed the first core of our company, is still together. Since then, we have gained outstanding new personalities, some with very different backgrounds and experiences.

My very first job was two years at the second largest IT hardware manufacturer at the time, Digital Equipment Corporation. The job consisted of having a good knowledge of the current CAD and ERP systems, presenting these systems to customers and recommending their use.

This was followed by ten years at a large American management consulting company. The projects there included rationalization, strategy development, reorganization and IT concepts.

I then continued my consultancy work independently for a few years before founding Complion's predecessor company. This foundation also brought together the current core team described above.

After seven years, we sold this, our first start-up, to the world's largest auditing company. The negotiations were initiated by the auditors, as they were very interested in our services and expertise. That's how we ended up there with all thirty of our colleagues. As a partner in the auditing firm, I took over the management of the Operational Risk division, which included our services.

Our time there lasted three years before our entrepreneurial drive to be our own boss again gained the upper hand and we finally founded Complion as a public limited company in spring 2018. Our customers, who had trusted us for so long, encouraged us to take this step, so we had a lot to do from day one. We were very grateful for this trust.

In addition to project work for our customers, I also perform the tasks of the Management Board. There are two appointed board members of the public limited company, so we share the administrative tasks. There are a whole range of administrative tasks in the company, such as responsibility for finances, taxes, social security contributions, official duties, etc. I am also responsible for ensuring liquidity in accordance with the German Stock Corporation Act.

My project tasks are no different from those of any other consultant. We all see ourselves as problem solvers for the project tasks assigned to us; this is what we live for. To put it modestly, we see ourselves as a driver of corporate change for our clients. We contribute to this; we are motivated by the change that is actually introduced (change management).

With my many years of experience, I often contribute to projects in the form of transferring the general consulting methodology: I have seen and learned most of the tasks that arise in my life as a consultant. This methodology initially comprises the precise definition of the problem ('problem recognized, problem solved'), then the development of the analytical procedure ('which data/facts do we want to collect qualitatively and quantitatively'), support in the conception of possible solutions for the customer ('scenarios including benefit and risk assessment') and the technically sound communication of our work results in a way that is also suitable for management.

Although I am responsible for the overall management as Co-CEO, this should not play a role in day-to-day business. One of our most important maxims in our dealings with one another is 'Equality in Idea Generation', i.e. equal rights in professional discussions. We believe in the creativity and problem-solving skills of every individual at our company, whether they have a lot or little professional experience.

One of my most important tasks is to be available as a contact person for anything that concerns colleagues. These can be professional or personal concerns. Anyone can turn to me (or anyone else, of course) and have a confidential discussion.

In addition, I have many tasks in representing Complion externally. These include marketing, conferences, tasks in the Association of IT Users in Germany and communication with the three members of our Supervisory Board, which a public limited company must form by law.

If you see yourself as an entrepreneur who lives for the business, i.e. the customers, the employees, the reputation and the future of the company, the boundaries between work and leisure often become blurred. People who know me would say that I rarely switch off mentally. I don't see this as a burden at all. In addition to a number of fixed appointments in my calendar, I am very free to organize my working day as I wish. I exercise this freedom on my own responsibility. This can be demanding, because it means that (as all resources are limited) I often have to prioritize and decide what needs to be done for the company, when and in what quality in order to achieve the best overall result. This personal responsibility also includes ensuring that a balance is maintained between all interests (including one's own).

In addition to my many years of experience as a consultant, I am a qualified commercial pilot and also fly for aviation companies. I am able to balance this activity so that I have around 20 to 30 working days a year (often at weekends). As a flight instructor for multi-engine aircraft and for prospective professional pilots, I spend a similar amount of time.

As you can guess, I have a lot to do throughout the year, both 'inside' and 'outside' our company. For me, my satisfaction comes from activity, and my motivation comes from striving for constant improvement.