#DigitalMindsKA - the people behind karlsruhe.digital: Markus Losert
The karlsruhe.digital initiative brings together Karlsruhe stakeholders from science, business, culture and administration with the aim of advancing Karlsruhe as a driver of digitalization – for competitiveness, quality of life and sovereignty. It pools expert knowledge, promotes networking and addresses topics holistically in order to actively shape the digital future of the city. And there are people behind it. People who are committed, who are passionate about something and who use their time, their ideas and their expertise for precisely this reason. We want to make visible who these people, the digital minds, are. Once a month, we ask the Digital Minds what drives them and what visions they have. In the tenth part of our series, we visit Markus Losert, Head of the Office for Information Technology and Digitization, CIO and CDO of the City of Karlsruhe.
A hot day in Karlsruhe
It’s hot in Karlsruhe, the sun is beating down on the roofs and streets as we make our way to our appointment with Markus Losert. The air shimmers over the asphalt and even the air conditioning in our car struggles against the oppressive heat. Our satnav guides us purposefully through the city, but suddenly it becomes clear that something is wrong. The familiar voice announces: “You have reached your destination”, but all that lies ahead of us is an old, locked company building.
It quickly becomes clear that we are in the wrong place. We frantically type the address into our smartphone again – and are relieved to see that our destination is only two streets away. Just three minutes later, we follow the winding driveway of the parking garage up to the fourth floor. Still surprised that the IT department of the city of Karlsruhe is located here, between concrete and parked cars, we enter the building and are given a friendly welcome. We go straight into a – fortunately air-conditioned – meeting room.
A relaxed start with Markus Losert
Markus Losert is already waiting for us there, looking at his watch with a friendly smile and casually waving off our lateness. We take a seat at the conference table, where cool refreshments are already waiting for us. The pleasant atmosphere is the perfect setting for our conversation about the digital past, present and future of the fan-shaped city.
To get things off to a relaxed start, we begin with personal questions. Losert reveals: “I’ll be 53 in a few weeks”. Leaning back, he continues: “I’m married and have a grown-up daughter. I’ve been working for the City of Karlsruhe since 1992, which is quite a long time.” With a smile, he adds: “Back then, when I started, there were no websites, no emails – those were very different times.”
The beginnings of digitization
Losert describes his professional beginnings, which were at a time when digitalization was still a foreign concept for many. “I completed my training and degree in administrative sciences in Kehl. Even back then, I was interested in the topic of paperless offices, and it was exciting to see how we really got going with the introduction of a document management system in 1996.”
Since then, digitalization has also fundamentally changed the administration, and Losert has been involved in almost every stage of the city’s IT landscape. “I’ve been in many different departments, but always in IT,” he explains. “Today, we operate the entire IT infrastructure for the city of Karlsruhe. We administer and support the computers, smartphones and tablets of around 6,000 city employees.” Topics such as the e-file, IT procurement, the City of Karlsruhe website, Smart City and the Karlsruhe.app also fell under his management. “We have a clear vision of what the digital future of our city should look like, and it is our job to bring this vision to life.”
Karlsruhe as a digital pioneer
In 2014, Karlsruhe decided to take a bolder approach to digitalization. “We wanted to give the topic more weight and responsibility,” says Losert. The city administration of Karlsruhe took on a pioneering role nationwide by setting up its own office dedicated to digitalization. “At that time, many individual offices already had their own digitalization units, but the holistic approach was lacking.” This reorganization really took off from 2017. “We now take care of support and administration like any other IT operation and are guided by the same standards as large companies.” They have to deal with the same bottlenecks and risks, particularly with regard to IT security.
A clear digital strategy for the future
Losert speaks proudly about the goals of his position.
“We have set ourselves our own digital strategy for 2022. Our guiding principle is clear: a strong digital location needs a strong digital administration.”
He explains that they are working at the interface between administration and state-of-the-art technology in order to further advance Karlsruhe as a digital pioneer.
A glance at the display case behind his desk also reveals that Losert’s heart has always beaten for modern technologies.
In addition to several Blackberrys, there is also a Nokia Communicator – a real relic and a sign that Losert is one of the early adopters.
This device, which was advertised 25 years ago as an “office in your pocket”, is considered the ancestor of today’s smartphones.
The strength of cooperation in Karlsruhe
We enthusiastically return to the conversation and ask what makes Karlsruhe unique for him as a digital location.
Losert leans back, takes a sip from his cup and explains: “The special thing about Karlsruhe is the people behind it. People know each other and there are always short distances. It’s quite normal to just call up: ‘Hey, I’ve got a use case, do you have anyone who can help us?”
A current example demonstrates this perfectly.
“We are currently working on improving the user experience of our digital services. So I called the FZI – the Research Center for Information Technology – and we met without further ado.”
The reverse is also true: “If, for example, the FZI can only submit a funding application with a local authority, they ask us if we are involved.”
This is also what makes Karlsruhe so unique: “Administration, business, science and culture work hand in hand. karlsruhe.digital is the interface between the different areas,” explains Losert. This results in optimal interaction for innovative solutions and their direct transfer from research and development to implementation.
The Colourful Night of Digitalization – A Family Reunion
As we talk, our eyes fall on a flyer for the Colourful Night of Digitalization. Losert explains: “For us, the Colorful Night is like a family reunion where the entire digital community comes together – whether from science, administration, culture or business. It is also a showcase for the digital location. By linking it to the nationwide Digital Day, we gain nationwide visibility, which shows that Karlsruhe is also perceived nationally as a digital pioneer.”
Direct contact with the city’s population is particularly valuable. “Many people who otherwise have no direct connection to digitalization have simply walked past, for example on the market square, and engaged with the projects. These encounters make the digital future tangible.”
Markus Losert private
At the end of our interview, we want to gain a personal insight into Markus Losert’s life.
How does someone whose everyday life consists mainly of personnel issues, conferences and contact with various heads of office switch off?
Losert smiles: “I’m an absolute family man. My wife and I have two Icelandic horses, which relax us and take us away from everyday life.”
He spends a lot of time in nature – whether walking, reading a good book in the garden or simply thinking.
He also likes to play chess to calm down: “The game challenges me, but in a completely different and refreshing way.”
Our conversation ends with this personal insight.
We say goodbye and watch Markus Losert hurry off to his next appointment as we walk to our car.
With the sunset in the rear-view mirror, we drive home – and think for a while about how much passion, commitment and humanity is behind the digital transformation of this city.