Employee Spotlight: Mathis Schnauder

Question: What consulting stereotype does not apply to you?

Mathis: The stereotype of the man in a suit who always knew he wanted to work in consulting. Who only talks about the job and doesn’t look left or right.

How did you get into consulting?

I did my undergraduate degree in economics at the University of Konstanz and then went on to do a double degree master’s at the University of Essex and the University of Konstanz. I have always found analytical and strategic issues particularly exciting, but I didn’t initially set out to become a consultant. This developed during my time as a working student in an energy network company. I came into contact with project work and found it exciting to coordinate a large number of tasks in a team so that everything could be completed on time.

Mathis in London’s trendy Soho district. During his time at the University of Essex, it was only a stone’s throw to the British metropolis.

And how did the contact with grosse-hornke come about?

A friend of mine had already worked here and told me about his work. It sounded interesting and I knew exactly what to expect. That’s how I came to grosse-hornke.

What do you like about your work?

The variety. I have insight into different fields. I can’t imagine doing the same thing for years. And as I said, I like the challenge of projects: Defining steps, communicating with stakeholders, managing processes, from planning to completion.

What are you currently working on?

We are currently working on an IT project in the financial sector. We are optimizing the customer’s Identity and Access Management, or IAM. In simple terms, it’s about which people get which access rights to certain systems. My job is to develop authorization concepts with the various organizational units and ensure that all measures are implemented. There are hundreds of organizational units in total – a huge challenge.

You wrote your master’s thesis on artificial intelligence. How does AI affect your work with clients?

I see great potential for AI, especially in IT security and process automation. In particular, AI can help with manual tasks that still take a lot of time today. My project is not currently using AI, but I think this will change in the future.

When you think back to your childhood, what was your dream job?

Soccer Manager. Many people want to become players, but I preferred to pull the strings in the background – transfers and strategy.

A complete break from everyday life: Mathis was on vacation in the Italian Alps in 2023. On tours lasting several days, you can spend the night in a “Bivacco” – the blue shelter in the picture.

Do you play soccer yourself – or what do you like to do in your spare time?

No, but I’m a big VfB Stuttgart fan and often go to the stadium. I prefer other sports. In the past it was basketball, now it’s Thai boxing. What I like about Thai boxing is that it’s very physically and mentally demanding. When you’re in the ring you can’t think about anything else, you have to be 100% focused.

Your advice to future consultants?

You learn a lot in consulting, but only if you are open to listening and accepting feedback. And it’s important to keep a cool head in stressful situations. When the pressure is on, you need to prioritize your tasks, and it’s better to postpone something for a quiet minute than to make an unnecessary mistake.

Mathis 2022 in Vorarlberg on the Kanisfluh mountain.

A good book that you can recommend?

I like reading novels in which you immerse yourself in the lives of the characters. I think you can draw insights for your own life from them. For example, I can highly recommend “The End of Loneliness” by Benedict Wells.

2025-02-14, grosse-hornke

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