Dr. Michael SchymuraEvidence-led career profile
Research / Operations / Capital / Platforms
Four Worlds
Economist, industrial operator, and enterprise technology leader
Four worlds shaped how I think: research taught me to test claims; industrial operations taught me that evidence must survive contact with organizations; capital allocation taught me that strategy becomes real through investment decisions; platform technology taught me how those decisions scale.
Evidence last reviewed: 2026-08-07
Capability progressionFour disciplines, carried forward
Each world widens the decision context without discarding what came before.
World I / 2009-2014
Research
How do institutions, incentives, norms, and knowledge determine economic outcomes?
- Operating context
- Energy, environmental, and resource economics at ZEW, with doctoral work at the University of Regensburg and research periods at Yale and UC Berkeley.
- Responsibility
- Develop economic evidence, lead an energy economics research group and an international research program, and advise public institutions on energy and climate policy.
- Evidence and method
- Economic theory, econometrics, policy evaluation, peer review, and comparison of claims against observed institutional behavior.
- Decision or contribution
- Connected formal questions about incentives, knowledge, climate policy, and institutional design to publishable empirical and theoretical work.
- Observable outcome
- A summa cum laude doctorate, more than ten peer-reviewed publications, approximately 1,000 citations, and research used in public-policy advice.
Capability carried forwardThe discipline to separate an attractive claim from evidence that can actually support it.
Evidence recordInspect evidence1 measures9 sources / artifacts
Selected measures
- More than ten peer-reviewed publications and approximately 1,000 citations
- Period
- 2009-2026 review window
- Scope
- Energy, environmental, and resource economics publication record
- Role
- Author or co-author; research-group leadership during the ZEW period
- Disclosure
- public
- Source
- Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura
- Verification
- verified, reviewed 2026-08-07
Sources and artifacts
- Norms and the Development of New Knowledge as Determinants of Climate PolicyVerlag Dr. Kovac, Hamburg, 2013
- Expected Utility Theory and the Tyranny of Catastrophic RisksEcological Economics, 2012
- A Note on the Non-Stationarity of the Discount RateEconomics Letters, 2013
- Trade and the Environment: An Application of the WIOD DatabaseZEW Discussion Paper 13-005, 2013
- The Impact of a Feed-In Tariff on Wind Power Development in GermanyEnergy Economics, 2014
- Incidence and Extent of Co-authorship in Environmental and Resource EconomicsScientometrics, 2014
- Doctoral research programDoctoral work connecting norms, knowledge development, and climate policy.
- Yale research periodResearch on cost-benefit analysis of climate policy with Prof. John Roemer.
- UC Berkeley research periodResearch on renewable energy in Germany with Prof. Maximilian Auffhammer.
Verification: verified. Evidence: Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura. Last reviewed 2026-08-07.
World II / 2014-2018
Industrial Operations
Can analytical insight change how a real organization sells, forecasts, invests, and operates?
- Operating context
- International market building in industrial automation followed by applied data science inside the world's largest chemical company.
- Responsibility
- Launch and operate a US subsidiary, manage international markets, and build analytical products for sales, forecasting, controlling, and board decisions.
- Evidence and method
- Operational data, sales behavior, forecasting performance, user adoption, business-process constraints, and executive decision requirements.
- Decision or contribution
- Moved analytical work from models and presentations into deployed products, operating routines, and decision forums.
- Observable outcome
- A US operation launched from zero, analytical products adopted by operational teams at scale, and award-recognized sales and forecasting work.
Capability carried forwardThe ability to move from analytical correctness to operational adoption.
Evidence recordInspect evidence2 measures4 sources / artifacts
Selected measures
- From project start to live operations within three months
- Period
- 2015
- Scope
- New US industrial-automation subsidiary
- Role
- Founding project lead and first vice-president
- Disclosure
- public
- Source
- Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura
- Verification
- verified, reviewed 2026-08-07
- Adopted by hundreds of sales representatives
- Period
- 2015-2018
- Scope
- BASF data-driven sales product
- Role
- Product builder and scale-up lead
- Disclosure
- sanitized
- Source
- Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura
- Verification
- verified, reviewed 2026-08-07
Sources and artifacts
- US subsidiary launchA complete industrial market-entry and operating build from incorporation to live operations.
- Data-Driven SalesAn award-winning analytical sales product deployed to operational teams.
- PACE forecasting programGroup forecasting work recognized with the ICV Controlling Excellence Award 2020.
- Board AnalyticsDirect analytical support for strategic controlling and board decisions.
Verification: verified. Evidence: Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura. Last reviewed 2026-08-07.
World III / 2018-2022
Enterprise Capital Allocation
How should a complex industrial enterprise decide which technologies and transformation initiatives deserve investment?
- Operating context
- Economic evaluation, portfolio governance, and digital strategy at BASF, where technology proposals competed for capital and executive commitment.
- Responsibility
- Evaluate major digital and information-system proposals, shape portfolio methods, draft group digital strategy, and govern an annual investment portfolio worth hundreds of millions.
- Evidence and method
- Business cases, financial value, technological assumptions, organizational readiness, portfolio trade-offs, and executive governance.
- Decision or contribution
- Joined economic evaluation with strategy, data governance, OKR-based steering, and enterprise portfolio decisions.
- Observable outcome
- Board-level investment decisions, a group digital strategy, and governance models spanning divisions, functions, regions, and the corporate center.
Capability carried forwardThe ability to connect technology choices with capital allocation, governance, and enterprise value.
Evidence recordInspect evidence1 measures5 sources / artifacts
Selected measures
- An annual portfolio worth hundreds of millions
- Period
- 2021-2022
- Scope
- BASF group digital investment proposals and roadmap
- Role
- Portfolio allocation and prioritization owner
- Disclosure
- sanitized
- Source
- Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura
- Verification
- verified, reviewed 2026-08-07
Sources and artifacts
- Commission-I investment evaluationEconomic evaluation of major digital and information-system proposals.
- Product Family BudgetA portfolio budgeting model organized around enduring digital products rather than projects.
- BASF group digital strategyA board-approved framework for the group digital agenda.
- Group-wide OKR governanceA common steering framework spanning the enterprise.
- Data governance and data strategyEnterprise foundations for governed data and later AI deployment.
Verification: verified. Evidence: Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura. Last reviewed 2026-08-07.
World IV / 2023-present
Platform Technology
How can cloud and AI capabilities become measurable value across a global enterprise?
- Operating context
- Strategic account leadership at Microsoft across global industrial relationships, commercial models, platform adoption, and executive alignment.
- Responsibility
- Lead complex enterprise relationships, align business and technology executives, orchestrate cross-functional teams, and connect cloud and AI programs to adoption and value.
- Evidence and method
- Business cases, executive commitments, platform and data readiness, commercial alignment, governance, process redesign, adoption, and value measurement.
- Decision or contribution
- Rebuilt executive relationships, advanced enterprise cloud and AI agendas, and connected platform capability to the operating and commercial conditions required for scale.
- Observable outcome
- Material cloud and platform growth, global executive engagement, and enterprise AI adoption programs led through complex cross-functional organizations.
Capability carried forwardThe ability to translate model capability into enterprise value.
Evidence recordInspect evidence2 measures3 sources / artifacts
Selected measures
- Material cloud and platform growth within 18 months
- Period
- 2023-2024
- Scope
- Microsoft strategic account relationship with Linde
- Role
- Strategic account executive
- Disclosure
- sanitized
- Source
- Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura
- Verification
- verified, reviewed 2026-08-07
- A large global relationship led through a cross-functional organization
- Period
- 2024-present
- Scope
- Microsoft global relationship with BASF
- Role
- Global client director
- Disclosure
- sanitized
- Source
- Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura
- Verification
- verified, reviewed 2026-08-07
Sources and artifacts
- Strategic account leadershipGlobal orchestration across commercial, platform, support, adoption, and executive workstreams.
- Executive engagementC-level alignment and executive briefings connecting technology programs to business decisions.
- Enterprise AI adoptionOrganizational adoption work across readiness, governance, process change, and value measurement.
Verification: verified. Evidence: Verified CV supplied by Michael Schymura. Last reviewed 2026-08-07.
The synthesis
One capability, accumulated four times
- 01World I / ResearchTest the claim
The discipline to separate an attractive claim from evidence that can actually support it.
- 02World II / Industrial OperationsMake it work
The ability to move from analytical correctness to operational adoption.
- 03World III / Enterprise Capital AllocationDecide what deserves investment
The ability to connect technology choices with capital allocation, governance, and enterprise value.
- 04World IV / Platform TechnologyMake it scale
The ability to translate model capability into enterprise value.
Current thesis
AI value in heavy industry will not be decided by the laboratory alone. It will be decided through investment choices, operating models, adoption, governance, and the economics of implementation.
Formal CV / public chronology
Career chronology
The conventional sequence, generated from the same reviewed record as the Four Worlds narrative.
- Aug 2024 - Present
Global Client Director for BASF
Microsoft / Munich, Germany
Leads Microsoft's global relationship with BASF across commercial, cloud, AI, support, executive, and adoption workstreams.
- Leads Microsoft's global commercial and strategic relationship with BASF. Coordinates a large cross-functional organization through a severe industrial downturn.
- Orchestrates executive alignment, platform readiness, commercial structure, governance, and adoption for enterprise AI. Moved enterprise AI from technology availability toward scaled organizational use.
- Jan 2023 - Jul 2024
Strategic Account Executive for Linde
Microsoft / Munich, Germany
Rebuilt an industrial account relationship at executive level and advanced cloud, platform, and generative-AI programs.
- Rebuilt the customer relationship at CEO and CFO level after a difficult renewal. Re-established executive access and a credible cloud and generative-AI agenda.
- Applied hypothesis-led account strategy across cloud and business platforms. Delivered material cloud and platform growth within 18 months.
- Feb 2021 - Dec 2022
Head of Corporate Digital Development and Project Evaluation
BASF / Ludwigshafen, Germany
Owned group digital strategy, investment portfolio prioritization, data governance, and group-wide transformation steering.
- Drafted the group digital strategy for executive approval. Established a common enterprise direction for digital development.
- Allocated and prioritized an annual digital investment portfolio worth hundreds of millions. Joined investment evidence, platform priorities, organizational readiness, and executive governance.
- Established group-wide OKR steering, data governance, and data-strategy foundations. Created shared governance across divisions, functions, regions, and the corporate center.
- Nov 2018 - Feb 2021
Senior Expert Economic Evaluation
BASF / Ludwigshafen, Germany
Evaluated major digital and information-system investments and developed portfolio-level budgeting methods.
- Evaluated the group's largest digital and information-system investment proposals. Connected technological assumptions and financial evidence to board investment choices.
- Designed a product-family budgeting concept to replace project-by-project allocation. Shifted portfolio discussion toward enduring products and capabilities.
- Nov 2015 - Oct 2018
Senior Data Science Manager
BASF / Ludwigshafen, Germany
Built analytical products for sales, group forecasting, strategic controlling, and direct board support.
- Built and scaled an analytical product for industrial sales teams. The product was adopted by hundreds of sales representatives and received the BASF IS Award.
- Served as a core analyst for the group forecasting program. The program received the ICV Controlling Excellence Award 2020.
- Provided direct analytical support for board and strategic controlling decisions. Made analytical evidence usable in senior executive decision forums.
- Nov 2014 - Nov 2015
Senior Manager International Operations and Vice-President, United States
Bihl+Wiedemann / Mannheim, Germany and North Carolina, United States
Ran international operations and established the company's US subsidiary from incorporation through live operations.
- Established the company's US subsidiary from site selection through staffing, logistics, and warehousing. Moved the operation from project start to live market presence within three months.
- Ran international operations across multiple export markets. Joined account management, business analysis, reporting, and controlling in one operating role.
- Sep 2009 - Oct 2014
Researcher, Senior Researcher, and Head of Energy Economics
ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research / Mannheim, Germany
Progressed from researcher to research-group head in energy economics, leading policy advice and an international research program.
- Led the energy economics research group and an international EU-funded research program. Produced policy-relevant research and a sustained peer-reviewed publication record.
- Advised German federal ministries and the European Commission on energy and climate policy. Connected economic evidence with public-policy monitoring and decisions.
Education
- Mar 2010 - Dec 2012PhD in Economics (Dr. rer. pol.)
University of Regensburg and ZEW Mannheim / summa cum laude
Visiting researcher at Yale University in 2011, hosted by Prof. John Roemer.
Visiting researcher at UC Berkeley in 2012, hosted by Prof. Maximilian Auffhammer.
- Apr 2005 - Aug 2009Diplom-Volkswirt (Economics)
University of Regensburg / 1.6
Statistics, econometrics, environmental economics, and public-sector economics.
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