UA Spotlight Series: Young Professional Matthias Mohr

SAP University Alliances (UA) spotlights Matthias Mohr, a young professional currently working for Bayerngas Norge in Norway. The UA program courses Matthias took during his Masters studies at Universität Hohenheim (Stuttgart) and his PhD studies at Technische Universität München (TUM) gave him an edge in the job market and supported the start of his career in the utilities industry.

The goal of the UA Spotlight Series is to exchange insights with professors, lecturers, students, researchers and the entire SAP ecosystem and community.

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Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you currently located? A fun fact or hobbies that you would like to share with the community?

My name is Matthias Mohr. I am currently located in Oslo, Norway. I was born, raised and educated in Germany which is where I first learned of SAP.

Outside of work I have a passion for coffee, in particular preparing and enjoying espresso coffee blends. Presently, my favorite blend is “Espresso Napoli”, a dark Italian roast, similar to “Dancing Goats” from Napoli Coffee.

In the picture I am sitting near the Oslo Fjord, the amazing coastal area around Oslo, Norway. The city of Oslo is very nice and impressive by way of its unique nature and landscape: Fjords, huge woods, and cross-country skiing runs even within the city borders.

Which university did you graduate from? What was your major? When and how did you first hear about SAP?  Which classes used SAP software and/or curricula in the classroom?

I was first introduced to SAP during my second year at Hohenheim University. I learned about it in Professor Helmut Krcmar‘s “Advanced SAP” course. I was studying Economics with a focus in Controlling at the time. The particular lesson was on Cost Accounting and incorporated SAP Finance and Controlling; I am still thankful to Professor Krcmar for providing us with an opportunity to learn about SAP.

After studying in Stuttgart, I enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Technische Universität München where my concentration was in Business Information Systems. This program also included SAP courses and was where my foundation in SAP began to grow. The Business Intelligence course was a very important and influential course for me as the skills I learned were directly applied to my first job with a local Munich utilities company.

Where do you work now (name of organization or identify it by the industry – i.e. major manufacturing organization)?  What SAP-related skills do you use in your job?  How have your experiences with SAP solutions in the classroom helped you in your current job (and career)?

Currently work as senior controller at Bayerngas Norge AS in Norway, with tasks ranging from cash management over cost controlling to oil field economics. Bayerngas Norge is a fast-growing Oil and Gas company with about 90 employees. Currently, I don’t directly work with SAP solutions but am still able to apply the logic and skills I learned from my SAP courses.

My previous experiences in SAP were more robust during my time with the SAP University Competence Center (UCC) and Stadtwerke München (SWM), which is the local utilities provider for the city of Munich.

I worked with the SAP UCC in Munich for roughly 8 years while I was studying and during my Ph.D. During this time, I got to know many different aspects of SAP systems. As one of the first UCC staff members, I gained insight into installing and hosting systems. After the work-up phase, I was responsible for SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (BW) as well as Finance and Controlling (FI/CO) to provide customer support, training, and much more.

At Stadtwerke München, my focus was in Business Warehouse, Finance and Controlling. My SAP courses and experiences provided me with an advantage as I started in this role. These skills were required when applying for the position. Having worked with them in the classroom, I was an ideal candidate. In addition, the classroom experience allowed for a quicker learning curve. I was not afraid to work with the SAP solutions as I had done so many times before.

Interestingly, I expanded my SAP knowledge while at Stadtwerke München by gaining experience with SAP’s Industry Solution for Utilities (ISU).

Any advice to share with young professionals starting their careers in SAP or students taking SAP courses?

SAP knowledge gained at a university includes both software skills, which are very valuable when applying for new positions, as well as a specific way of understanding and shaping business processes (i.e. accounting, sales, or manufacturing).

Thus, the benefits are twofold!