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MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH TRANSFORMATION

Eva-Maria Bauch grew up in Munich and started her professional career at Axel Springer in Hamburg. At Axel Springer, Bauer Media Group, RTL Deutschland, Gruner + Jahr and management consultant Deloitte, she was involved in many trailblazing processes of change in the media industry as an executive and successfully managed numerous development, follow-up and reorganization projects. As one of the founding partners of ciao.com, she has also gained start-up experience. The TUM Alumna is one of the top executives who have actively shaped the upheaval in the publishing and media industry over the past two decades from the very beginning, which was primarily brought about by digitalization. She continues to do so every day with both passion and a vision for the future. She is convinced that companies and their teams need someone at the helm who is courageous, looks ahead, and thus lends direction to the organization.

SPECIALIZED IN TRANSLATING COMPLEX ISSUES

In her opinion, the fact that she has managed to do this on so many occasions in the past also has to do with the open, transparent communication she consistently practices. And the fact that she not only understands the innovations and technologies that currently drive digital transformation, such as Artificial Intelligence, but is also able to explain them well to different target groups: “I am a good translator and specialized in explaining such complex issues and developments to very different target groups. That helps to dispel fears, identify opportunities and provide guidance.”

Studying Informatics at TUM was the perfect foundation for this in-depth understanding of technology. Bauch successfully completed her studies in 1996. “Even then, topics such as Artificial Intelligence and Robotics were important, and I found them incredibly exciting,” she says. Also part of her studies was electronic publishing – an avenue she subsequently pursued. “My father, who was a passionate physical and astronomical geodesist, i.e. a surveyor, at the time was not very happy about my decision to go into the media industry, but I followed my passion,” Eva-Maria Bauch recalls and laughs. Also her mother was a natural scientist and her sister, who holds a doctorate in Aerospace Engineering, is a TUM Alumna as well.

THE FIRST WOMEN’S MAGAZINE ONLINE

So in a way, her family informed her choice of degree program. At the same time, Eva-Maria Bauch always had a strong interest in artistic, creative work. This explains why she decided to minor in Architecture back then. “In doing so, I built a bridge between a degree in Computer Science, which was after all very technically oriented, and the creative realm of producing architectural works.”

Towards the end of her studies, Eva-Maria Bauch gained experience in web design and programming through internships at different agencies. She then joined Axel Springer as an online editor and, after a short time, as head of the online editorial department for the women’s magazine “Allegra”. Allegra was in fact Germany’s first women’s magazine to appear online. Being able to help build such a milestone and create something new appealed to Eva-Maria Bauch: “Change and innovation have always appealed to me. I see disruption as an opportunity and as something positive.“

WORKING FOR MORE WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT

Eva-Maria Bauch kept moving up the career ladder, asserting herself in an industry that at the time was – and often still is – dominated by men. And just as she has always had mentors and supporters by her side, she has also been active as a mentor herself throughout her career. “I consider it my job to support women and increase their percentage in management positions,” Bauch says. “And this is not just about equality, but also because companies benefit when women and men look at the same thing from their different perspectives.”