Finn Petersen earned his bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and his master’s degree in Information Systems at the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster. During his studies, he also gained practical experience as an e-learning developer support specialist and through working student positions in product management and content management.

Today, Finn works as an IT consultant at BBHT Beratungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, a Münster-based consulting firm specializing in IT, digitalization and business processes.

We spoke with Finn about his time as a student, the practical experience he gained during his studies and his path into IT consulting.

Why did you choose to study Information Systems, and which subjects or topics interested you most during your studies?

When I graduated from high school, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do later on, so I wanted to keep my options relatively open. That’s why I considered which degree programs would best suit my strengths and leave various career paths open to me. I simply found the interplay between aspects of computer science and a business management perspective very interesting. During my studies, I particularly enjoyed the lectures on project and process management. But I also have fond memories of the project seminars and other seminars, which were a lot of fun because they offered a nice change from the typical lecture format.

You gained practical experience during your studies, including in e-learning and through working student positions in product management and content management. How did these opportunities come about, and how did they prepare you for your current career?

To be honest, for financial reasons, working alongside my studies was never really a question of whether I would do it or not. After a few jobs that weren’t related to my field, I eventually thought, “If I’m going to work anyway, I might as well gain some relevant experience.” I got the job through a friend and stayed in it until I graduated.The experience prepared me mainly by familiarizing me with workplace structures and the way colleagues work together. Even today, I see communication and collaboration within a team as essential parts of the job. Of course, structures and regular meetings help with this, but so do soft skills like facilitating discussions, etc., and those are best learned through hands-on experience.

How did you get into IT consulting after graduating, and what appealed to you about this field?

Consulting itself fascinated me because it gives you the opportunity to get a glimpse into a wide variety of projects and to take on responsibility fairly quickly. I ended up at BBHT through my master’s thesis. During that half-year, I gained a very good insight into the company and decided that it was a great place to start my career.

What exactly does an IT consultant do, and what does your typical workday at BBHT look like?

Of course, this depends a lot on the project, the current phase, and the team composition. I’m currently working on a project where we’ve been doing application development in a very agile way, starting with a very small team and now with a larger one. At first, I worked as a business analyst and tester, then briefly as a Scrum Master, and now I’m responsible for the project on the BBHT side. As a result, my day-to-day work depends quite a bit on whether there are new colleagues who need to be onboarded, etc. Generally, I start my mornings by getting an overview of the day so I can go into the daily stand-up meeting prepared. Then we have quite a few meetings and coordination sessions in the morning, and in the afternoon I usually have time to work on things and make progress on the design of new features. Of course, I’m not just working on the project – there are always tasks that come up within BBHT as well. For example, business analysis or Scrum training sessions, which I prepare and lead with other colleagues (last year, even with some participants from WINet).

What kinds of projects or topics do you particularly enjoy working on at the moment?

I actually really enjoy preparing and conducting training sessions, partly because it’s always a nice change of pace from day-to-day project work. But I also still enjoy working on my project, since we’re constantly receiving new requirements and, in addition to processing data extracted by AI (which was our core focus at the beginning), we’re continually taking on new responsibilities. This means I have to familiarize myself with new topics every now and then, which also gives me a sense of accomplishment whenever I’ve mastered a new subject.

In what ways is working as an IT consultant different from what you expected during your studies?

Primarily in terms of the extent to which soft project factors influence overall project success. Our team works so well primarily because we collaborate very effectively and can support each other’s work. In addition, we’ve created a very open feedback culture and a level of trust that gives everyone the feeling they can contribute to important decisions. I’m firmly convinced that this is the only way my colleagues and I can make the best possible use of our skills.

What was the biggest challenge for you personally when starting your career, and how did you deal with it?

The transition was certainly interesting, but I experienced it as a positive one overall. As a student, you feel like you’re never really finished: there’s always more to learn, lectures to catch up on or presentations to prepare. Toward the end of my studies, that was starting to frustrate me. So I really enjoyed being able to switch off properly after work or at the weekend.
Of course, not everything is easy. Depending on the project, you do give up some of the independence you have as a student which is probably at its highest then. When choosing where to start my career, I made sure to find a role that would allow me to retain as much of that independence as possible. All in all, I didn’t find the transition into working life particularly challenging. The biggest adjustment was probably getting used to a new sleep schedule.

What advice would you give today’s Information Systems students who are interested in a career in IT consulting?

I think it’s incredibly helpful to look beyond your immediate field of study early on and explore topics that go beyond what’s covered in lectures. It’s also worth looking into different consulting firms, because consulting can mean very different things. Starting out in strategy or management consulting certainly requires different skills from the more operational work I do. 
I was lucky enough to interview people from a range of consulting firms for my master’s thesis. That gave me a clearer picture of the different options and helped me figure out what I wanted. It definitely helped me make my decision. So I’d recommend taking every opportunity to explore the field, work out whether it’s right for you and, if it is, think about what kind of consulting you can see yourself doing.

Which tasks can be entrusted to artificial intelligence, and when should humans remain involved in decision-making processes? Determining how decision-making responsibilities should be distributed between humans and AI is one of the key challenges facing companies in the AI era.

Prof. Jan vom Brocke and Dr. Thomas Haskamp from the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster, together with Dr. Ina Sebastian and Prof. Peter Weill from the MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), have developed a framework to help companies address this question. The “AI Decision Matrix” enables executives to determine, based on two dimensions, the extent to which humans and autonomous AI agents should be involved in decision-making processes.

The researchers developed the matrix based on interviews with 30 executives. It is based on the understanding that decisions vary in complexity and risk: While some decisions are predictable and involve limited risk, others are characterized by ambiguity and can have far-reaching consequences. Depending on the nature of the decision, greater human involvement or a higher degree of AI autonomy may therefore be appropriate.

Learn more about the framework here.

The Scientific Advisory Board to the Federal Ministry of Finance has elected a new chair. Prof. Dr Nadine Riedel, Head of the Institute for Public and Regional Economics at the University of Münster, will take up the role of Deputy Chair of the independent advisory body from January 2027. She has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board since 2015. Alfons Weichenrieder from Goethe University Frankfurt will take over as Chair.

Der Wissenschaftliche Beirat beim Bundesministerium der Finanzen hat seinen Vorsitz neu gewählt. Prof. Dr. Nadine Riedel, Leiterin des Instituts für Wirtschaftspolitik und Regionalökonomik an der Universität Münster, wird ab Januar 2027 den Stellvertretenden Vorsitz des unabhängigen Beratungsgremiums innehaben. Sie ist bereits seit 2015 Mitglied des Wissenschaftlichen Beirats. Den Vorsitz wird Alfons Weichenrieder von der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt übernehmen.

Which tasks can be entrusted to artificial intelligence, and when should humans remain involved in decision-making processes? Prof. Jan vom Brocke and Dr. Thomas Haskamp from the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster, together with Dr. Ina Sebastian and Prof. Peter Weill from the MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), have developed a framework to help companies address this question. The “AI Decision Matrix” enables executives to determine, based on two dimensions, the extent to which humans and autonomous AI agents should be involved in decision-making processes.

Welche Aufgaben können der künstlichen Intelligenz anvertraut werden, und wann sollten Menschen weiterhin in die Entscheidungsprozesse eingebunden sein? Prof. Jan vom Brocke und Dr. Thomas Haskamp vom Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik der Universität Münster haben gemeinsam mit dem MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) ein Framework entwickelt, das Unternehmen bei dieser Frage unterstützen soll. Die „AI Decision Matrix“ ermöglicht es Führungskräften anhand von zwei Dimensionen zu bestimmen, in welchem Umfang Menschen und autonome KI-Agenten an Entscheidungsprozessen beteiligt sein sollten.

This semester, the Chair of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, headed by Prof. Bernd Hellingrath, is offering the project seminar “Agentic Purchase Recommendations for Inventory Management Optimization” for master’s students. In collaboration with the Münster-based company pacemaker.ai, the students are investigating how agentic AI systems can support supply chain planners in their day-to-day work, particularly with replenishment decisions and demand forecasting.

Planners face complex decisions every day: volatile demand, supply bottlenecks, and a large number of materials, suppliers, and constraints all have to be kept in view at once. Agentic AI opens up new possibilities here. Unlike traditional forecasting models, AI agents can independently gather information, detect anomalies, explain their recommendations, and interact with users in natural language. The central question of the seminar is therefore: How should such a digital “sidekick” be designed so that it genuinely relieves planners of work while keeping humans in charge of the decisions?

Working in small teams, the students will analyze existing planning processes and planners’ requirements and review the current state of research on agentic AI and human-AI collaboration. Building on this, they will develop their own concepts and prototypes, such as an agent that explains forecast deviations in an understandable way, an assistant that prepares order proposals along with their rationale, or a system that proactively flags critical shortages. The teams will be supported by experts from pacemaker.ai, who will provide insights into real-world planning processes, data, and practical requirements.

pacemaker.ai is headquartered in Münster, is part of the thyssenkrupp group, and develops AI software for industrial supply chains, with solutions for demand forecasting and replenishment.

B2B sales professionals in the Dutch-German border region meet their financial targets, but score below the European average on CRM systems, artificial intelligence, sales automation and data-driven decisions. Their willingness to pick up new technology also sits below that average. That is the outcome of a first measurement by the University of Twente and the University of Münster among 25 sales professionals on both sides of the border.

B2B-Vertriebsmitarbeitende in der deutsch-niederländischen Grenzregion erreichen ihre finanziellen Ziele, liegen bei CRM-Systemen, Künstlicher Intelligenz, Vertriebsautomatisierung und datenbasierten Entscheidungen aber unter dem europäischen Durchschnitt. Auch ihre Bereitschaft, neue Technik aufzugreifen, liegt unter diesem Durchschnitt. Das zeigt eine erste Messung der Universität Twente und der Universität Münster unter 25 Vertriebsmitarbeitenden auf beiden Seiten der Grenze.

As part of the PRISM Conference 2026 “AI as Researcher, Resource, and Rival,” more than 80 students, researchers, founders and professors from Münster, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Braunschweig, Magdeburg and Bonn gathered at the Juridicum on September 23. The panel was moderated by Dr. Matthias Kiel (REACH). The conference was organized by Prof. Dr. David Bendig and Prof. Dr. Verena Rieger.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved a joint research project by Prof. Dr. Markus Dertwinkel-Kalt and Prof. Dr. Christian Wey from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU). Over the next three years, the two economists will investigate how current energy and climate policy measures affect markets, companies and consumers.

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) bewilligt ein gemeinsames Forschungsprojekt von Prof. Dr. Markus Dertwinkel-Kalt und Prof. Dr. Christian Wey von der HHU Düsseldorf. In den kommenden drei Jahren untersuchen die beiden Ökonomen, wie aktuelle energie- und klimapolitische Maßnahmen auf Märkte, Unternehmen und Verbraucher wirken.

Im Rahmen der PRISM Conference 2026 „AI as Researcher, Resource, and Rival“ kamen am 23. September über 80 Studierende, Forschende, Gründer:innen und Professor:innen aus Münster, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Braunschweig, Magdeburg und Bonn im Juridicum zusammen. Organisiert wurde die Konferenz von Prof. Dr. David Bendig und Prof. Dr. Verena Rieger.
 

The Legal and Administrative Informatics Conference (RVI) was held on September 24–25, 2026, at TU Dresden as part of the Informatics Festival and in conjunction with the GI Annual Conference INFORMATIK.

Michael Räckers from the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster organized the conference together with Gunnar Auth (HSF Meißen) and Tim Pidun (HTW Dresden). The event brought together approximately 100 participants. In cooperation with the Informatics Festival, the organizing team also helped shape the overarching theme, “Digital Resilience,” and was responsible for part of the main conference program. Michael Räckers also moderated the panel “Digital Resilience and Sovereignty – Boosters for Innovative Administration and State Modernization?”

The conference also included the annual general meeting of the GI Special Interest Group on Administrative Informatics. After nine years as the group’s spokesperson, Michael Räckers handed over the role to his successor, Gunnar Auth. Tim Pidun and Vera Spitzer (University of Koblenz) were elected deputy spokespersons.

Michael Räckers will remain a member of the group’s steering committee. Michael Koddebusch from the Department of Information Systems was also newly elected to the committee. The University of Münster is therefore represented by two members on the committee.

The 2026 Legal and Administrative Informatics Conference focused on the challenges of digital transformation in public administration, which is unfolding amid pressure to innovate, rule-of-law requirements, and geopolitical and technological dependencies. The conference explored digital resilience and digital sovereignty both as concepts for protection and stability and as potential drivers or barriers to innovation in public administration. It brought together legal, technical, and organizational perspectives and provided an interdisciplinary forum for exchange between academia and practice.

from left to right: Tim Pidun, Vera Spitzer, Gunnar Auth, Michael Räckers

Was passiert mit den öffentlichen Einnahmen aus dem Pkw-Verkehr, wenn immer mehr Menschen auf Elektroautos umsteigen? Eine aktuelle Studie von Prof. Dr. Gernot Sieg, Leiter des Instituts für Verkehrswissenschaften (IVM) der Universität Münster, Maria Kennel, ebenfalls IVM, und Berthold Wigger, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, untersucht verschiedene Modelle zur künftigen Finanzierung des motorisierten Individualverkehrs. Die Ergebnisse wurden von zahlreichen Medien aufgegriffen.

The 21st International Conference on Information Systems (WI 2026) took place from September 6 to 10, 2026, at Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria. Under the theme “Sociotechnical Systems in the Age of AI,” the conference focused on how artificial intelligence is changing the use of technology and the role of humans in business contexts. The conference brought together researchers and practitioners and provided a platform for exchanging ideas on current developments in Information Systems. In addition to academic contributions, the event also emphasized networking within the community.

Staff and students from the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster were also represented with numerous contributions. A total of six papers were presented, covering topics including digital transformation, digital solutions for the circular economy, and digital product passports: 

• “Tool Adoption in Systematic Literature Reviews: An Empirical Investigation of the Review Process” (Näscher, Hans-Henning; Strohmann, Timo; vom Brocke, Jan) 

• “Why Overcoming Does Not Work: A Configurational Reconceptualization of the Barrier Construct in Digital Transformation Research” (Poppe, Celine; Koddebusch, Michael; Brandt, Tobias) 

• “Digital Solutions for Improving Circularity in Textile Recycling” (Reichert, Nicole; Sander, Marie; Stanlein, David) 

• “Generation Z Consumer Preferences for Digital Product Passport Attributes” (Herold, Tim Lukas; Montsch, Celine; Stanlein, David) 

• “ReuseMe: A DSR Study on Simplifying Local Donation and Reuse” (Khidirboev, Uroljon; Khudoyberdiev, Isroil; Koddebusch, Michael) 

• “The Influence of Explainable AI on Bias in Decision-Making Processes” (Vahland, Carolin Elisabeth; Burger, Mara) 

It is particularly noteworthy that three of the presented papers by Nicole Reichert, Marie Sander, Tim Lukas Herold, Celine Montsch, Uroljon Khidirboev, and Isroil Khudoyberdiev emerged from the master’s seminar “Digital Enablers of the Circular Economy” and were accepted as full papers in regular tracks. 

In addition, Michael Koddebusch co-chaired the track “Smart Cities & Digital Government” together with Bettina Distel and Tobias Guggenberger (University of Bayreuth). 

Mehr als 10.000 Studieninteressierte besuchen jedes Jahr den Hochschultag Münster. In diesem Jahr findet er am 12. November statt und die Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät ist natürlich dabei: In einer  interaktiven Reise erfahren Studieninteressierte alles über unsere Studiengänge. Studierende der Fachschaften beantworten Fragen in einem Q&A auf Augenhöhe. Einblicke in die Praxis bietet ein BWL-Planspiel. Auch für Eltern haben wir eine Info- und Frage-Session im Programm. Die Anmeldung ist ab sofort freigeschaltet, die Plätze sind begrenzt.

At the Falling Walls Lab Münster 2026, Dr. Lea Püchel from the Department of Information Systems placed second. On September 11, eight early-career researchers presented their research and startup ideas in three-minute pitches in English at the REACH – Euregio Start-up Center. In her research, Lea Püchel examines how digital documentation software in childcare centers affects trust between educators and parents. Building on this, she is developing software designed to provide educators with guidance and greater legal certainty when handling data.

Beim Falling Walls Lab Münster 2026 hat Dr. Lea Püchel vom Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik den zweiten Platz belegt. Am 11. September präsentierten acht Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen im REACH – Euregio-Start-up Center in dreiminütigen englischsprachigen Pitches ihre Forschungs- und Gründungsideen. In ihrer Forschung untersucht Lea Püchel, wie digitale Dokumentationssoftware in Kindertagesstätten das Vertrauen zwischen Erzieher*innen und Eltern verändert. Darauf aufbauend entwickelt sie eine Software, die dem pädagogischen Personal Orientierung und Rechtssicherheit im Umgang mit Daten geben soll.

At the Falling Walls Lab Münster 2026, Dr. Lea Püchel from the Department of Information Systems placed second with her pitch titled “Breaking the Wall of Data Dependency.” On September 11, eight early-career researchers presented their research and startup ideas in three-minute pitches in English at the REACH – Euregio Start-up Center.

In her research, Lea Püchel examines how digital documentation software in childcare centers affects trust between educators and parents. Building on this, she is developing software designed to provide educators with guidance and greater legal certainty when handling data.

The Falling Walls Lab is an international initiative of the Berlin-based Falling Walls Foundation. In just three minutes, early-career researchers pitch ideas with the potential to create a positive impact on society. The winners of the local competitions qualify for the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

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