Carl-Uwe Würfel
COO & Chief AI Officer at SUMAX, on the management team since 2018
I run operations. AI is my strongest tool.
Since 2018 I have been accountable for operations at a digital marketing firm in Dortmund, Germany: people, workflows, quality and cost. I came up through engineering. Since 2023 I have been moving the whole company onto AI: I am accountable for the new workflows and tools and roll them out with the team.
- 50+employees at a mid-sized digital marketing firm
- Four team leadsreport to me, and I report to the owner and CEO
- Since 2004in business, with clients in Europe and the US
- Large majorityof the team uses our own AI tools every month
My story.
I started as a developer, went on to lead a team and its projects, and took over operations in 2018. Since 2023 I have been rebuilding the business with AI.
Engineering
2010 – 2013
IT specialist, application development
Apprenticeship at C2Call GmbH in Werl, then web developer at the same company.
Leading
2014 – 2015
CTO, Innower
Technical lead of a small team. Websites and software for clients in Germany and abroad.
2016 – 2018
Head of Marketing, SUMAX
Led the agency’s marketing.
Running operations
since 2018
COO, SUMAX
Running operations on the management team: planning, cost, utilization, processes and quality, plus proposals and pricing together with the head of sales. Certified vocational trainer with our own trainee program.
since 2023
Chief AI Officer, in addition
Moved the whole company onto AI. The plan started from tens of thousands of time entries: where do the hours go?
today
One system for everyone
New role profiles, workflows and a training program. Every tool runs through one shared layer.
What I am accountable for.
SUMAX is a mid-sized digital marketing firm in Dortmund, Germany, with more than 50 employees, in business since 2004, with clients in Europe and the US. As COO I am accountable for operations: how the company works and what it delivers. I report to the owner and CEO.
Owner and CEO
COOCarl-Uwe Würfel, operations
Accountable across every team
- People
- I hired everyone on today’s team. Pay and development sit with me, as does our own trainee program, which I built as a certified vocational trainer.
- Workflows
- Processes and utilization. Since 2023 new role profiles and workflows, based on tens of thousands of time entries.
- Sales
- Proposal and pricing strategy, pitches for large accounts and a program to win back former clients, hand in hand with the head of sales. I am accountable for the workflows and tools behind it.
- Cost
- Revenue planning and cost structure. Every AI call is logged with its cost and booked to a team.
- Quality
- Nothing leaves the building without a person’s sign-off, for clients in Europe and the US.
Four team leadsreport to me, each with their team
What has changed since the move
- Utilizationup by a double-digit percentage.
- a multipleof the expert articles per editorial hour compared with 2024. Professional judgment stays with people.
- Own tools, fewer licensesSeveral purchased tools replaced with our own, built with the people who use them.
AI takes the busywork away so the team can focus on the work that matters.
The gateway. One layer for every AI tool.
Dozens of applications in the company call AI through one layer. It sets in one place who may do what, which model is enough, what it costs and who signs off. I am accountable for the architecture; we rolled it out with the team.
Every AI call passes six stations
- AccessWho is asking, and is this role allowed to?
- CacheIs there a valid result already?
- Model routingWhich model is enough for this task?
- ReviewDoes the result follow the rules?
- Cost ledgerWhat did it cost, and who is it booked to?
- ApprovalWho signs off before it leaves the building?
How I lead.
I lead the AI transformation like any other operational change: clear owners, and the willingness to end things.
Workflows first, tools second. I start by asking: which workflow depends on a single person, which has not been questioned in years, which costs the most?
The tools are built with the people who use them. Whoever passes on an AI result has checked it and answers for it.
I understand the technology we work with and roll out new concepts with the team. That is why I know what to ask of teams and vendors.
First understand where the hours go. Then rebuild, with the team. That is how I run a business.
Get in touch.
For conversations about running operations and AI transformation, interviews and speaking requests. I read every message myself.
info@carl-wuerfel.deLinkedInDortmund area, GermanyGerman, English