“Don’t be encumbered by history, just go out and do something wonderful.”
Robert Noyce (1927-1990), co-founder of Intel and inventor of the microchip
This quote has stayed with me ever since I first came across it – and in many ways, it reflects a mindset I have carried unconsciously for most of my life. It is a reminder that progress rarely happens when we allow ourselves to be constrained by the past: by the way things have always been done, by old patterns, previous successes, or even setbacks.
For me, “not being encumbered by history” does not mean ignoring experience – quite the opposite. It means using it as a foundation, but not as a limitation. It is about staying open to new possibilities, having the courage to make decisions, and taking the next step even when the full path is not yet visible.
And “doing something wonderful” does not necessarily mean creating something perfect or extraordinary every single time. Sometimes, the wonderful thing is simply to set things in motion: to spark change, open up new perspectives, or build something together that did not seem possible before.
This mindset continues to shape the way I work today – especially in transformation and turnaround situations: focusing forward, identifying opportunities, and having the courage to create what comes next.
My style and approach
My management style and approach to work are clear, structured, and implementation-oriented. In interim mandates, I combine strategic realignment with hands-on operational leadership, especially in transformation situations. I create transparency about the most important levers (finance, product, go-to-market) as quickly as possible and implement focused and prioritized measures together with the team. I lead teams and employees in an approachable and engaging manner, with clear goals and a strong focus on results. In turnaround projects as well as in VC or PE contexts, I work strictly on the basis of data and figures, with clear communication and a consistent focus on sustainable profitability and scaling.
1989 - 1990
1990 - 2006
2007-2016
2017-2020
2020 - today
2023 - today
At the congress of DDIM German Interim Management Association e.V. in November 2023 I received the “Interim Management Excellence Award” for my successful mandate at a SaaS company.
“It is important for companies to adapt structures and processes to future requirements at an early stage. DDIM recognizes mandates from DDIM members that have created a particularly high benefit for the client.”
In 2003 I received the award “Career of the Year” by the Handelsblatt publishing group. This was certainly one of the highlights of my career as Regional Manager Europe and Managing Director of the German subsidiary of Intel Corporation.
“The jury (…) evaluates the participants according to four criteria:
Performance: rapid advancement in a hierarchy.
Success: special professional achievements, for example a decisive contribution to the turnaround of a company
Leadership: exemplary management behavior that results in the greatest possible alignment of company and employee goals
Business ethics: responsible conduct that goes beyond personal and corporate interests in both professional and social contexts.
Jürgen Thiel, Managing Director at Intel, received the “Career of the Year” award in 2003. The sales professional built Intel’s business in Eastern Europe from scratch. In ten years, he made eight career moves and was Intel’s youngest Managing Director worldwide."
Two significant chapters of my life, each associated with very different experiences, are summarized in my two books: being a manager in a technology corporation and living and working in Brazil for ten years.
“Grenzenlos” is my autobiography as a former manager in a US technology company. I wanted to describe primarily my personal experiences with other cultures, which I made over a period of 14 years. In the early 1990s I traveled basically on my own to the countries in central and southern Eastern Europe and opened a branch office in Budapest. Later, my experiences in Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union left lasting impressions, not least because of a moving excursion into my own family history. In the early 2000s, I traveled to the Middle East and some African countries before taking over responsibility for the business in the European Union. I completed my story with impressions from China, Taiwan and Guatemala.
Grenzenlos
Multikulturelle Erfahrungen eines Ex-Managers
September 2007, 2. edition August 2019
ISBN 978-1687496058
Paperback or eBook
“Again and again I found myself picturing the situations and the author really managed to convey these images. An inspiring book that is also very entertaining because of its narrative style.”
amazon.de, December 2019
“Jenseits von Samba und Karneval” is my personal view on Brazil, shaped by experiences from ten years of living and working over there. The book is largely a critical look at the large South American state and its society. In particular, I try to outline the economic, political and social challenges of Brazil that I was confronted with on a daily basis. But hopefully the book can also convey the fascination of this country and its people.
Jenseits von Samba und Karneval
Eine persönliche Sicht auf Brasilien
November 2019, ISBN 978-697753974
Paperback or eBook
“While reading I believed to experience everything again together with the author.“
“The author’s experiences are very interestingly written. There are many stories that Jürgen Thiel has experienced, which make you think and sometimes make you smile.”
amazon.de, February 2020
As I mainly work with start-ups, scale-ups and medium-sized companies in the software and SaaS sector, I am very often confronted with the challenge that due to the lack of qualified IT specialists, especially software developers, product market launches get delayed or innovative ideas cannot be even turned into products at all. For this reason, I founded pyraCode to offer an additional service to my clients by building and managing outsourced engineering teams for them.
