After diving deeper into ValueMiner´s driving values, today we want to introduce you the dynamic powerhouse behind our operations, our Chief Operating Officer (COO) Alexandra Höhne.
She is a vital wheel in our machine, contributing to crafting a new kind of Artificial Intelligence, as well as stronger female entrepreneurship.
Alexandra, can you share a little about your journey to becoming a COO?
My adventure with ValueMiner kicked off over six years ago, just at a time when the team was crafting the building blocks for what the software and technology is capable of today. From that moment, both the company and my role have been in constant motion and growth.
Being in a competence-based environment, I‘ve had the opportunity to mature steadily, building the confidence needed to eventually step into the driver‘s seat of operations.
From a young age, I´ve naturally gravitated towards leadership roles. Be it in sports, working environments, or university groups, I often found myself in leading roles. I love driving change, and when you share that intention with energy, people are eager to join. The dynamic of seeing positive results through teamwork and shared commitment has always fascinated me.
How does your role as a COO fuel your passion?
As a COO, I love working in an ever-evolving landscape. Each day I am exposed to something new, fueling my passion even further. While the tech sector is naturally dynamic, what I truly value is the rich dialogue and exchange I have with our clients and internal departments. I love being involved at every stage, from the first line of code, through execution in the client’s environment, right up to sales discussions.
I dive deep into understanding the people I work with. It’s an opportunity to bring out mine and their best, fostering both personal and professional growth. And truly, there’s nothing more exciting than managing change together as a team.
Let’s talk about operational challenges. How do you handle them?
I have always loved challenges: having a gap to close or a problem to solve. I view challenges as motivating factors rather than obstacles!
At ValueMiner I have learnt the golden rule of the “break-down methodology”. It´s simple: my approach is to chop big, scary challenges into more manageable, bite-sized pieces. Instead of daunting mountain-sized problems, you have bite-sized problems with matching achievable solutions. This approach makes problem-solving much more efficient, instills peace of mind and boosts our confidence to succeed.
The same goes for our clients, I love translating big, and sometimes distant, objectives into practical and actionable steps. In fact, I firmly believe that “actions speak louder than words”. And operations are based on bringing things to execution, ideally in a fast and agile way.
Can you give us an example of a major challenge you’ve overcome in your role as COO?
Sure. One of the most complex challenges I have faced has been creating a balance between maintaining a strategic focus and addressing everyday operational needs.
It’s crucial to have the capacity to step back and adopt a bird’s-eye view, looking beyond the immediate operational details to plan proactively and strategically. This helps me avoid getting overwhelmed by daily requests, changes, and inputs.
Of course, this is an ongoing journey. Some days are smoother than others!
When and why did you become interested in AI?
Honestly, I didn’t intentionally look for a tech company. At the beginning, our focus here at ValueMiner was about identifying the customers´ strategic gaps in their strategy definition and closing them by breaking it down and making them transparent.
At the same time, we have been developing our software and technology. AI has been in the backbone of ValueMiner since the beginning. We’ve been growing and changing right along with the crazy-fast advancements in AI these past few years. It´s been fascinating.
How does ValueMiner use AI to boost business performance?
ValueMiner AI tool simplifies complexity without oversimplification. It helps us automate manual processes, saving our clients time, money, and effort, not to mention, eliminating misunderstandings and unnecessary stress.
Just imagine being able to automate manual processes, and free up precious time. Plus, our platform helps spot and resolve errors and challenges that couldn´t be seen before. It´s a game-changer!
ValueMiner has been crafting “AI for managers”, how does it stand apart from the competition?
What sets us apart? It´s our unique data model, a.k.a. our interactive AI-powered graph database, that acts as the brain of our software. It seamlessly links complex data and adapts to ever-changing conditions. This is our way to turn the customer´s complex reality into manageable bits, highlighting dependencies and interrelations that might not be so obvious otherwise. What the customers see is a user-friendly system equipped with interactive interfaces and at-a-glance dashboards.
Basically, we have created a “smart assistant” that understands the intricacies of business processes. It’s like having a 24/7 monitor that alerts you to what needs attention, as well as the impact of a data point or action on other elements.
One of the exciting things about our software is that it’s fully personalized. We know that each company has its own unique needs and operations, so we adapt our software to align seamlessly with our customers’ individual environment, processes, data, and strategies.
On top of that, the ValueMiner AI software shines due to its role-based setup. That lets our customers visualize their company’s objectives, challenges, and tasks according to the different roles within the organization. As a result, teams maintain alignment, and everyone gets a view from their unique role´s perspective.
As a COO, how do you approach decision-making and risk-taking in an AI company?
Leveraging AI helps us react faster and make risks and consequences more transparent. Thanks to our AI-based “smart assistant”, we can ensure real-time monitoring and swift communication of issues.
Finally, how do you envision influencing the future of AI?
My goal is to bridge the gap between AI and people. I am on a mission to narrow the gap between individuals and AI tech, shortening the emotional distance between the business world and the benefits AI can bring to businesses and personal lives.
All in all, Alexandra Höhne is a leader who believes in actions over words and in crafting unconventional solutions to tackle challenges head-on.
As our COO, she is driving the innovation and growth train at ValueMiner, helping people overcoming any hesitations and getting closer to the exciting opportunities AI has in store for us.
Stay tuned for more insights from our industry-leading team. Follow us on social media and drop us a line!
Let’s shape the future of AI together.
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