Christoph Kieslich
Work
  • Feb 2023 - Current
    IKEA
    Head of Engineering
    • Spearheaded the technology strategy for IKEA’s digital circularity products, including Buyback & Resell, Secondhand Online, and IKEA Preowned, driving sustainability efforts towards the company’s 2030 goals.
    • Directed an engineering organization of over 20 developers, both internal and external, to deliver cutting-edge circular economy solutions across multiple global markets.
    • Launched IKEA Preowned in Spain and Norway within one year, overseeing the entire process, including digital build vs. buy decisions, vendor selection, and due diligence.
    • Generated widespread media attention with over 1,000 news outlets covering the launch of IKEA Preowned, marking one of the largest media engagements for any IKEA initiative.
    • Streamlined the technology stack by consolidating from two public cloud vendors to one, increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs by 24%.
    • Scaled the Buyback & Resell and Secondhand Online platforms to 28 markets, doubling customer usage to 400,000 and facilitating the reuse of over 1,000,000 items in FY24.
  • May 2022 - December 2023
    adidas
    Director Software Engineering | Circular Services
    • Championed the launch of the “Made To Be Remade” initiative, transitioning adidas to a circular business model that incentivizes consumers to purchase, wear, and return items for rewards, successfully implemented in over 20 countries across EMEA, NAM, and LAM.
    • Navigated the complexities of setting up product and recycling attributes across various systems, enhancing operational efficiency from product creation to reverse logistics.
    • Assumed leadership of the Mobile Hype & Digital Retail backend development chapter during a colleague’s parental leave, effectively reorganizing workflows to boost team performance and deliverables.
    • Introduced quality standards and technical refactoring initiatives to ensure that microservices were primed for peak holiday performance, successfully launched high-demand events such as Singles Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.
    • 1Nurtured a culture of sustainability and innovation within the organization by collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize the integration of circular services into existing platforms.
  • Oct 2020 - April 2022
    McKinsey & Company
    Associate Tech Architect
    • Led initiatives to enhance Agile practices and empower client software development teams to adopt DevSecOps, driving self-sufficiency and full end-to-end responsibility for development processes.
    • Enabled clients to productize internal services, fostering a self-service model that allowed over 30+ teams to streamline processes and reduce customer waiting times, freeing up more resources for feature development.
    • Played a pivotal role in coaching 30+ teams in collaboration with the client’s transformation office, optimizing their ordering and fulfillment processes to boost efficiency.
    • Formulated and delivered hands-on DevSecOps training, integrating Azure DevOps for building, testing, and deploying modern web applications to the Azure public cloud, engaging hundreds of colleagues through company-wide hackathons.
    • Facilitated the DevSecOps Hackathon, training consultants in modern software development lifecycles, significantly increasing internal expertise and accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge DevOps practices across teams.
  • Jun 2017 - October 2020
    Reaktor
    Consulting Director
    • Pioneered client growth and success by specializing in e-commerce strategies, resulting in enhanced revenue streams and market positioning for key accounts.
    • Cultivated strong client relationships through effective communication and collaboration, significantly improving client satisfaction and retention rates.
    • Executed recruitment, resourcing, and staffing initiatives, optimizing team performance and ensuring the right talent was in place to meet project demands.
    • Secured new client acquisitions by showcasing case studies that highlighted successful project outcomes, contributing to a robust pipeline of business opportunities.
    • Fostered a culture of continuous learning and innovation within the organization by facilitating knowledge-sharing sessions with partners.