Sebastian Schaper

As a Senior Consultant at Schaper Consulting, I support companies through demanding transformation and growth phases, focusing on interim IT leadership (CTO / Head of IT) as well as strategic project and program management. Drawing on my more than 25 years of experience in senior IT positions (including Head of IT, CTO, CIO), I help align IT organizations for the future, accelerate technological modernization, and achieve sustainable operational results.

In addition to optimizing IT operating models, delivery structures, and cloud/DevOps capabilities, a key focus is on expanding AI consulting and scalable AI services. I support clients in identifying AI use cases with measurable business value, building a robust data and platform foundation, and integrating AI solutions into the organization in a secure, compliant, and production-ready manner. My work combines strategic corporate and stakeholder management with operational implementation, budget responsibility, international leadership experience, and effective remote management.

• Lead IT transformation and modernization initiatives to increase system efficiency, reduce technical debt, and sustainably lower operating costs.

• Manage strategic programs from conception to implementation including governance, roadmaps, business alignment, and risk management.

• Promote cloud, DevOps, and agile delivery models to improve time-to-market, stability, and quality in development and operations. Manage and lead international teams to enhance project execution efficiency and strengthen remote collaboration.

• Establish AI services and operating models (AI Operating Model ), including MLOps/LLMOps, monitoring, security, compliance, and scaling into regular operations.

• Guide international teams and stakeholders safely through change processes , strengthen collaboration in hybrid structures, and ensure long-term partnerships as well as follow-up assignments.

In my role as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the music support group, I was responsible for the operation and provision of the international IT system landscape, the management of agile software development as well as the management and implementation of the associated IT projects. I made a significant contribution to the transformation and modernization of our IT infrastructure. A key success was the adoption of DevOps practices, relying on Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our main cloud platform. This transition allowed us to respond to market needs more quickly and efficiently by seamlessly integrating the development and operation of our applications. Another milestone was the implementation of Jira and Confluence. These tools significantly improved our project management and collaboration processes by promoting transparent and efficient communication both within the IT department and across the company. The introduction of Microsoft 365 and Teams marked another important step in our digital transformation. These platforms significantly improved internal communication and collaboration, allowing us to work effectively in an increasingly distributed work environment. Finally, migrating various systems such as Exchange and Active Directory to the cloud was a complex but worthwhile undertaking. This migration streamlined our IT infrastructure, improved data security and increased the flexibility of our IT resources. Overall, these projects have not only increased the efficiency and effectiveness of our IT operations, but also made a significant contribution to the music support group's overall business strategy. I lead a national team of 10 employees (remotely). I reported to the CEO and the Directors Board of the music support group.

As Senior IT Project Manager in the BNPL division, I am responsible for the technical integration of major customers into AfterPay's payment systems. My other tasks include the definition, introduction and optimization of relevant interfaces between the required departments as well as the implementation of the associated process flows. The support of the agile software development teams in the further development (CI / CD) of the product portfolio is also part of my area of responsibility. I report to the head of implementation management at arvato Financial Solutions.