What are your names and what are your professions?

Our names are Anne Müller and Ingrid Süßmann and we both work as IT project managers for the Droemer Knaur publishing group. Anne has been with the company since 2010, and Ingrid joined in 2014. Both of us completed the media manager program for junior managers, we now manage cross-publishing projects, such as the introduction of a new media asset management system (Ingrid) and the automation of preview creation (Anne).

What makes working as an IT Project Manager at the publishing house special for you?

When you think of work in a publishing house, IT is not the first thing you think of and yet we are right in the middle of it. We manage our publishing systems which are the heart of our work. This means that we have interfaces with all departments, know the needs of our colleagues, and can actively participate in shaping them. Together, we work both internally as well as across departments on the continuous improvement and further development of our systems.

What were some exciting projects you worked on?

The Holtzbrinck book publishers work closely together in all IT areas, always with the aim of creating joint solutions. The largest and, for Anne, most exciting project in this context was the introduction of our product information system “Pondus”. This project began with a requirements gathering, harmonisation and implementation phase and lasted several years. Anne managed this project for Droemer and is responsible, now as CPO, for the ongoing optimization of publishing work with Pondus and the embedding of it in the system landscape.

In 2017, Droemer acquired Groh Verlag, market leader in the gift book section. On the IT side, Ingrid managed the associated delivery services and system integration into the Holtzbrinck IT infrastructure. The project also had a strong change focus; the task was to bring together two publishing houses with very different cultures while harmonising workflows. An exciting challenge!

Why would you recommend working as an IT Project Manager to other people?

Working in a publishing house is meaningful. The importance of dependable information and opportunities for escapism became even more clear during the pandemic. Books offer both and much more. With our work, we make an important contribution to developing, producing and marketing these books.

At the same time, we are very fortunate to work on a great team, where we enjoy mutual support and trust every day. We work in an agile way where each of us has a lot of freedom and the possibility to work independently and with self-determination. We appreciate that very much.

What do you do after a day at work to take some digital time out?

After a day in front of the screen, with digital meetings and google spreadsheets, Anne likes to switch off her head by running, swimming or in the ceramic studio. Ingrid is the proud owner of a large vegetable and fruit garden and also does some beekeeping.