Hendrik Kahmann is a business development manager at Axians Germany. He develops innovative business models and partnerships built around ICT. His method involves curiosity, listening and collaboration.
When it comes to ICT and 5G, Hendrik Kahmann has plenty to say. As Business Development Manager at the VINCI Energies ICT brand, Axians Germany, this young 38-year-old manager is currently devoting much of his time to the development of private 5G networks for the logistics and industrial sectors. This rapidly growing service type aims to guarantee sites with high-capacity needs, such as airports or connected factories, optimal security and flexibility along with constant network availability.
“In conjunction with other VINCI Energies business units, including Actemium and Omexom, we have established a private 5G network demonstrator in the form of an initial proof of concept for co-creation purposes”, explains Hendrik Kahmann, who is passionate about the numerous possibilities that 5G offers in the industrial sector, both in terms of autonomous robots and remote inspection and maintenance.
On this topic he works in close collaboration with colleagues from other VINCI Energies business units and entities. Collaborative working is one of the things Hendrik Kahmann most appreciates in his day-to-day work. “Being able to talk things over with other professionals is very important to me”, he says. “Recently, we had the opportunity to take part in a meeting with colleagues from VINCI Airports, a business line completely different from mine. We talked about a multitude of subjects we could potentially collaborate on. It opens up so many opportunities”. He feels that this way of operating is perfectly aligned with an important VINCI Energies value: “the spirit of entrepreneurship that enables us to develop new products and new business models with agility”.
Curiosity and listening
Hendrik Kahmann also appreciates that his business development work, leading a team of five, brings him into contact with people from different backgrounds: marketing, sales, technology, suppliers, etc. “I really like working with different people to find and provide solutions to our customers. Curiosity is an essential quality in my job. Keeping abreast of new trends, especially technology trends, and constantly listening to customers are the best ways of providing them with solutions to meet their needs, as they sometimes don’t know exactly what they want or need”.
“Being able to talk things over with other professionals in different verticals is very important to me. It opens up so many opportunities.”
Hendrik Kahmann developed this interest in technology as a teenager, when he organised gaming events for his equally computing-obsessed friends. “I naturally decided to pursue my studies in this field”, he recalls. “But the courses I took were a mix of economics and computing, because I wanted a broader vision”.
Contributing to the environmental transition
He began his career in 2004 at EWE, a group based in Oldenburg in northwest Germany and specialising in energy, telecommunications and information technology. Starting as an intern, he secured a permanent contract as an IP/MPLS network specialist before becoming a technical product manager: “What I particularly enjoyed during my 10 years with the group was moving from a technical role to a more cross-functional role where I had a better grasp of the changing market and its complexity”.
For personal reasons, he decided to relocate eastward to Dresden, where he spent five years discovering a completely new universe in the digitalisation of points of sale: “I learned a very important things about the software market and digitization”.
But in 2019, he felt the need to re-enter the universe of IT and joined Axians in Hamburg: “With the explosion of digital, I absolutely wanted to be part of this transformation. In addition to the purely technological aspect, working in this sector is also an opportunity to contribute to the environmental transition by developing connected IT and industry that is more efficient, less energy-intensive and more sustainable”.
These are major challenges and complex missions that demand plenty of engagement and energy. But that does not prevent Hendrik Kahmann from continuing, outside work, to co-develop urbandoo, a company that markets anti-pollution scarves. The business has been launched in April 2019, and of course was heavily impacted by the covid-crisis.
16/05/2023
