Technology & Transformation Operating Partner
Operating partner and executive for investors, family offices and leadership teams in utilities, defence and critical infrastructure — across Europe, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. I turn investment theses into executable technology agendas and measurable value. Trusted sparring partner — and accountable executive when it counts.
"Partly grown up in Saudi Arabia, I learned that the world can be very different and beautiful — even when we don't yet know or understand it."
Recommendations
Full recommendations on LinkedIn. Statements from clients, principals and colleagues across 25 years.
Value Creation
I work with decision-makers who need someone who has genuinely done it at scale — as trusted sparring partner, operating partner or accountable executive on a defined mandate.
You’re driving a transformation that must deliver measurable value — platforms, AI, cyber and operating model in utilities, critical infrastructure or defence-related industries. You need someone who has operated at the same altitude: as sparring partner, or as the executive who owns delivery.
Owner-led, family-office and sovereign-backed businesses in Europe, the UAE and Saudi Arabia that want to become more digital, resilient and international — from investment case and due diligence to operating model and new platform ventures. Discreet, long-horizon partnership.
Operating partner for portfolio value creation: technology & AI due diligence, first 100 days, carve-outs, integration and exit readiness — plus executive mandates as CTO / CDTO / COO. Sector depth in utilities, industrial tech and dual-use. Board-grade reporting.
Sectors · Markets
I work where technology is not a support function but the operating core of the business — and where security, resilience and scale are non-negotiable.
Smart metering, IoT and grid platforms, water and district heating, field-service automation, AI in billing and customer operations. Operator of the world’s largest cloud-native IoT sub-metering platform (~65m devices).
Europe’s ability to defend itself matters to me — I served as a Panzergrenadier and tank driver in the German Army. What I bring is the technology and operating backbone: secure platforms, cyber and Zero Trust, IT/OT resilience, data and AI platforms, industrialization and international scale-up. Mission expertise belongs with military domain experts — I build every defence engagement in close partnership with them.
Connecting European IP, engineering and industrial depth with the GCC’s ambitions in AI, energy transition and defence localization — building local capability rather than permanent external dependency.
Engagement
I take on a small number of executive mandates with clear ownership, accountability and a defined value case.
Embedded with an investor, family office or holding. Portfolio-wide technology and AI value creation, due diligence, 100-day plans and management alignment.
Chief Transformation Officer, CTO / CDTO or Managing Director for a defined transformation, carve-out, integration or scale-up — with full line accountability.
Executive role in a new platform company or joint venture — connecting technology and IP, capital, anchor customers and local execution capacity.
Selected board, advisory board and senior advisor roles alongside an executive mandate.
Based in Greater Munich · Working across Europe and the GCC
Expertise
Hands-on experience across each area. Complementary advisory.
End-to-end IoT platform design and operation at scale — smart metering, property management systems, and industrial IoT. Cloud-native architecture on global hyperscalers, legacy system transformation, API-first design, microservices, and real-time data pipelines processing billions of events annually.
Practical deployment of generative and agentic AI in production — not pilots. Agentic customer interaction (automated service flows, intelligent billing, multi-channel), agentic partner interaction (field-service orchestration, portal automation), and AI-native software delivery across international engineering organizations.
Joint-venture leadership, subsidiary build-up, post-merger integration and carve-outs across Europe, the US and Asia. Technology due diligence for PE and strategic investors in building technology, energy services, and industrial tech. Corporate venture experience in Silicon Valley.
Re-financing, valuation uplift, cost-out and margin expansion. Full P&L at significant scale. Building international DevOps organizations with near- and off-shoring hubs in Southern and Eastern Europe. Experienced with banking consortia, supervisory boards, works councils, and investor-grade reporting.
IT/OT convergence, cyber resilience and Zero Trust, secure data and sensor platforms, ERP and legacy modernization in regulated and security-sensitive environments. Industrialization and international scale-up of software-defined products — for utilities, infrastructure operators and defence-related industries.
Career
Every role hands-on. Full details and case studies available on request.
Beyond the Mandate
Technology leadership without a sense of responsibility is not sustainable. People are making the difference. Always.
World-class education for rural Africa. Co-launched the "Open Academy" with Stanford University; scaled from 350 to ~10,000 learners per week. Applying the same platform-thinking used in enterprise IoT to educational access — a decade of commitment to equity through technology.
goodworkfoundation.org →Mentoring young professionals navigating career transitions and leadership challenges — investing in the next generation, not only in technical competence but in character and resilience. Based in Munich, connected globally.
icf-muenchen.de →FAQ
Karl Kornwolf is a German technology and transformation executive based in Greater Munich with 25+ years as CIO, CTO, COO and Managing Director at companies including Techem, ista, Siemens and Deutsche Telekom. He works as an operating partner and executive for investors and leadership teams in utilities, defence and critical infrastructure across Europe, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Operating partner roles with investors and family offices, 18–24-month executive mandates (Chief Transformation Officer, CTO/CDTO, Managing Director), executive roles in new platform companies and joint ventures, and selected board and advisory roles. He does not offer hourly consulting.
Yes. Karl works across Europe and the GCC, with a focus on Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh. He partly grew up in Saudi Arabia and connects European technology and engineering depth with GCC ambitions in AI, energy transition and defence localization.
Karl is not a defence career professional. He brings the technology and operating backbone that defence and dual-use companies need to scale: secure platforms, cyber resilience, IT/OT, data and AI platforms, industrialization and international scale-up. He completed his military service as a Panzergrenadier and tank driver in the German Army, is committed to strengthening Europe's defence capability, and builds defence engagements in close partnership with military domain experts.
He led the technology of two European market leaders in energy and water sub-metering (Techem, ista), operating one of the largest cloud-native IoT platforms in its segment with ~65 million devices, and led digital grid strategy and an IT/OT joint venture at Siemens.
Contact
For operating partner roles, executive mandates and venture builds in Europe and the GCC. I work best with people who value directness, substance and a long-term perspective. If that fits — reach out. I respond personally.
I respond personally, typically within 24 hours. All conversations are treated as confidential.