--- title: "Carl-Uwe Würfel – COO, operations and AI transformation" description: "Carl-Uwe Würfel is COO at SUMAX, a digital marketing firm in Dortmund. He has run operations since 2018 and has been moving the company onto AI since 2023." url: https://carl-wuerfel.de/en author: Carl-Uwe Würfel --- # 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. Get in touchMy story * **50+** employees at a mid-sized digital marketing firm * **Four team leads** report to me, and I report to the owner and CEO * **Since 2004** in business, with clients in Europe and the US * **Large majority** of 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. 1. 2010 ### Engineering 1. 2010 – 2013 IT specialist, application development Apprenticeship at C2Call GmbH in Werl, then web developer at the same company. 2. 2014 ### Leading 1. 2014 – 2015 CTO, Innower Technical lead of a small team. Websites and software for clients in Germany and abroad. 2. 2016 – 2018 Head of Marketing, SUMAX Led the agency’s marketing. 3. 2018 · today ### Running operations 1. 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. 2. 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? 3. 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** **COO** Carl-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 leads** report to me, each with their team ### What has changed since the move * **Utilization** up by a double-digit percentage. * **a multiple** of the expert articles per editorial hour compared with 2024. Professional judgment stays with people. * **Own tools, fewer licenses** Several 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 1. 01**Access** Who is asking, and is this role allowed to? 2. 02**Cache** Is there a valid result already? 3. 03**Model routing** Which model is enough for this task? 4. 04**Review** Does the result follow the rules? 5. 05**Cost ledger** What did it cost, and who is it booked to? 6. 06**Approval** Who signs off before it leaves the building? [One job, step by step](https://carl-wuerfel.de/en/transformation#auftrag) ## How I lead. I lead the AI transformation like any other operational change: clear owners, and the willingness to end things. 1. **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? 2. **The tools are built with the people who use them.** Whoever passes on an AI result has checked it and answers for it. 3. **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. [About and career](https://carl-wuerfel.de/en/about) ## Published. * [October 2026**“ KI-Sichtbarkeit messen”**AFS-Magazin, Guest article](https://www.afs-akademie.org/magazin/ki-sichtbarkeit-messen/) * [September 2023**“ Wie KI das Geschäft von SEO-Agenturen revolutioniert”**W&V, Press](https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://www.wuv.de/Themen/KI-Tech/Wie-KI-das-Geschaeft-von-SEO-Agenturen-revolutioniert) [Publications and press](https://carl-wuerfel.de/en/press) ## Latest notes. * [October 15, 2026**AI answers by language: the market in the query decides**](https://carl-wuerfel.de/en/notes/ai-visibility-by-language-market) * [ August 1, 2026**Shutting down an AI system: keeping it is a decision too**](https://carl-wuerfel.de/en/notes/when-we-switch-off-an-ai-system) * [ July 18, 2026**Running AI: catch failures, respond under control**](https://carl-wuerfel.de/en/notes/self-healing-ai-systems) [All notes](https://carl-wuerfel.de/en/notes) 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.de](mailto:info@carl-wuerfel.de)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-uwe-wuerfel/)Dortmund area, Germany · German, English