10 questions to
André Hellmann

Digital Business

1. Since when have you been part of the team?

Since the very beginning in February 2010. I was also part of the previous company zelect GmbH.

2. What do you like most about netzstrategen?

What I enjoy most are the many great, smart and motivated people I get to work with at our company and in our projects on the customer side. That’s really cool and, for me, sets us apart from other companies.

I also appreciate the great freedom with which I can do my work and the personal responsibility in my projects. We can organise so much for and with our customers and I am super proud that they trust us so much and rely on us. Of course, that also makes the work super varied.

And the reward for this is also simply great; namely the positive feedback that we receive almost always and everywhere. Not only about our own work, but also about that of our colleagues. The brand and the name simply have a positive connotation. That is just great and encourages me in the quality of our work and, above all, the way we work.

3. What is your daily business and in which field are you specialised?

I am part of the Digital Business and Digital Analytics team. We deal with data, analysing it and developing strategies based on it. We create the digital game plan for our customers and their projects so that everyone is clear about the direction the journey should take. On a day-to-day basis, I am therefore either up to my elbows in Google Analytics or another tool for analysing data – or I am involved in workshops to make decisions and drive projects forward.

Internally, I take care of our product and process development and support the teams in carrying out their tasks without major internal distractions.

4. What impresses you the most in your field?

I find it exciting to see what data can be collected about the users of digital services today. But it’s even more exciting – and exhausting – to draw conclusions from the data and develop solutions and strategies. When you then see that after a while, an idea based on data becomes a success and the plan works – that is mega.

5. How would you explain your job to your mum?

My mum runs a small online shop for cosmetic products herself at www.die-kosmetik.de and was already on the internet when I was still on my skateboard all day – she already knows what we’re doing. And she is also great with her mobile phone and tablet.

But in principle, it’s quite simple – no matter what you want to do; without a plan, it’s a matter of luck whether you do something meaningful and reach your goal. My job is to define goals and paths in the digital world with and for our customers – and then work with my colleagues to achieve them.

6. Any tip concerning your field you’d like to give away?

There is an incredible amount of data that is freely accessible. For example, on target group sizes, search queries, web traffic – you really only have to google it and you will often find what you are looking for. Nobody has to be fooled or make strategies “in the dark” any more – and even if you don’t analyse it all afterwards, you can at least validate your gut feeling – which I would always recommend to everyone.

André Hellmann's favorite Values

Deliver
Be proactive
React fast
Never stop
Exceed expectations

7. Which sources help you to stay up to date?

Nachrichten allgemein bekomme ich viel über die Morning Briefing Podcasts, die ich gerne höre oder im DLF auf der Fahrt ins Büro. Abends checke ich die SZ und die Spiegel App auf dem Handy.

Fachinfos lese ich ganz oft in unseren Slack-Channels, da teilen wir intern viele Branchen- und Tech-News und Updates. Sonst hilft der Blick auf Twitter und ein paar Branchen-Newsletter und der wichtigsten Tools, die wir im Team nutzen (v.a. Google Analytics & Data Studio).

I get a lot of news in general via the Morning Briefing podcasts, which I like to listen to, or on DLF on the journey to the office. In the evening, I check the SZ and the Spiegel app on my mobile phone.

8. Any Apps you couldn’t live without?

In fact, I’m trying to cut back a lot and have just thrown all the business and social network apps off my mobile phone – a great liberation! However, I still use the apps from our company applications (Slack, Asana, Google Workspace apps) and I haven’t got rid of WhatsApp and Telegram yet either.

Otherwise, I’ve had the Freeletics app on my home screen for a long time, which always reminds me (and motivates me) to get a workout in and clear my head. It has survived many radical decluttering manoeuvres on my mobile phones.

9. If someone would delete the internet tomorrow, what else would you do?

Professional racer. Or snowboard instructor. Mountain bike guide. Something else with cars. And for my retirement, I would like to have a bed & breakfast in the mountains and be active with the guests during the day.

10. Tell us a secret about yourself, something you haven’t told anyone yet!

I also don’t know what I always say and do. But I try to appear as confident as possible. 😀

Team Digital Business

Stephan Sperling
eCommerce-Strategian
Miriam Ochs
Project-Strategian
Christina D’Ilio
Digital Business-Strategian
Lars Grasemann
Marketing-Strategian
Daniel Kudwien
Product-Strategian
André Hellmann
Chief-Strategian
Anna Gienger
Marketing-Strategian
Joris Gugnon
Project Management Starter
Kristina Lange
Digital Business Starter