Success is a team effort.

When and why did you decide to join ehret+klein?
Here at e+k, I find it easy to stand behind the projects and position them initially as products on the market. The next step, however, involves much more, namely emotions. I want future tenants and buyers to understand the story behind the properties.

What is your intrinsic motivation for marketing projects?
For me, it's a combination of a number of different aspects that motivates me in the long term. On the one hand, I have the feeling that I'm not selling merely a space but the most important asset that many people will ever acquire. It's something useful and valuable that I can offer them. On the other hand, it's important to me that I understand the needs of the customer and take these into account when marketing the project. Once the buyers or tenants have moved in, I walk through the properties again. It makes me happy to see that we have created spaces in which people live.
 

Bastian, you're Head of Data & Analytics – how did that happen?

It really grew organically. I started out as a Corporate Controller and pretty quickly slid into real estate controlling. On one of our mandates back then, the data for around 12 properties had to be uploaded manually in this incredibly cumbersome way, based on all sorts of different worksheets and Excel templates. I knew absolutely nothing about real estate at the time, but I remember thinking: surely this can be automated. So I sat down with a colleague who helped me understand the content side of things, and taught myself how to actually solve it. In the end, we had a tool that genuinely worked – that felt really cool. And after that, the curiosity just never let go of me.

Did you always want to work with data?

I think the interest was there early on, since I already enjoyed programming as a teenager. In my thesis, I ended up focusing on data and SQL – I guess you could call that the foundation for the job I have now.

What are you especially proud of in your work?

The Immo app, which I built completely on my own. Our ERP system is fantastic when it comes to detail, but not great at giving you a consolidated overview of the key property metrics when you just need something quickly. So I used the data from our data lake to build a dashboard where you can see at a glance what's going on with a given property – everything from floor space and tenants to fit-out details that don't even exist in the ERP system. Building the dashboard itself with AI support actually went pretty fast in the end – honestly, almost anticlimactic. The real effort was in the groundwork: preparing and explaining the data in a way that the AI could actually work with meaningfully. That kept me busy for almost an entire year. When I'm deep in a project like that, I'll sometimes work through an entire night – I get into this kind of tunnel vision where I just want to finish. But in the end, the work paid off!

You already use AI very concretely in your daily work – what does that look like?

Exactly, we have AI.One, which is integrated into Microsoft Teams and connects to our data lake. The AI acts as an interface and supports our property managers especially with data research. You can ask it things like "What are the outstanding items for tenant X?" or clarify questions about lease agreements – and that already works really well. For reporting straight out of our ERP system, we're still in the testing phase. And we're currently building specialized assistants that, for example, know our process manuals inside out, so colleagues can get a quick answer without having to search for ages first.

1. On which task have you particularly grown professionally?
Starting my career was actually my biggest challenge. As a career changer and just graduated from university, I had no real idea of the complexity behind construction projects that you come across almost every day. My first few months at ehret+klein were like jumping in at the deep end. My colleagues and my team, who I was able to pester with my questions, were particularly helpful. The fact that my team leader gave me the chance to prove myself despite my lack of experience is something I have only experienced at e+k.

2. You support your team in various matters - what do you enjoy most?
I generally think it's cool when I see that my work contributes to the bigger picture. It's even better when something is created through teamwork. I can't name a specific task here.  

3. Dog or cat and why? 
Dog - Exclamation mark. Quite simply because dogs are also great team players and companions. I grew up with them and after my wife really wanted a dog and we discovered Riley at the breeder, I couldn't say no, of course. She's been part of our family ever since - with more privileges than I have.  

You actually come from a background in real estate sales – what made you decide to become a project manager?

Even back then, I really enjoyed actively helping to shape new construction projects from a sales perspective, and I found it fascinating to see how a green field ultimately became a real living space. Seeing a project grow and helping to shape it from the very beginning – that's what got me hooked on project development and ultimately motivated me to switch to this field. 

Do you benefit from your experience as a sales representative?

Absolutely! Through my interactions with customers, I have developed a keen sense of what is important when designing properties. In addition, I was able to learn a great deal about structural and technical requirements during the planning stage, which has been very helpful to me as I transitioned into project development.

You are originally from Stuttgart. How did you end up in Munich and ultimately at ehret+klein?

I already had a connection to Munich and the surrounding area through friends and family. The proximity to the mountains and lakes in particular makes the region a great place to live for me, as I like to spend my free time outdoors. I came across e+k through one of my professors from university, who taught in the field of project development. I then decided to send a speculative application – and as you can see, it was successful.