In conversation with Britta Gustafsen: Key Account Manager for IT Carve-Outs

Britta has been working as a Key Account Manager and PMO for IT carve-outs for 1.5 years. In this dual role, she keeps everything running smoothly in projects: she structures processes, ensures clarity within the team, and acts as the interface between the customer and internal project managers. She not only has organizational talent, but also a good sense of humor, which is exactly what makes her an indispensable pillar of support in her projects.

A Day in the Life of a PMO – In Conversation with Jost Burbach

Managing projects, creating structure, supporting teams—the role of a Project Management Office (PMO) has become indispensable in complex initiatives. But what does day-to-day life really look like behind this high-responsibility role? What challenges await, and what drives someone to bring clarity to the often-chaotic world of project work?

We spoke with Jost Burbach, who has been serving as a PMO in a large-scale energy sector project since August 2024. With his structured approach, keen eye for detail, and calm demeanor, he brings not only order to spreadsheets but also stability to fast-moving project environments.

In this interview, he shares insights into his daily routines, reflects on personal experiences and reveals why he jokingly refers to himself as “Captain Organization.”

Predictive Maintenance: How Hamburg’s Energy Providers Can Digitally Manage E-Mobility and Parking While Staying Citizen-Centric

Digital infrastructure is the backbone of modern cities. For municipal energy providers, this presents a dual opportunity: with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and predictive maintenance, they can not only reduce costs and minimize outages but also strengthen public trust in digital mobility solutions. Two key areas are in focus: smart parking management and the reliable operation of EV charging infrastructure. The central question is: How can municipal utilities turn their local strengths into a true digital competitive advantage?

Next-Gen Utility IT Sourcing: How to Successfully Align Compliance, Cost-Efficiency, and Agility

In today’s energy landscape, IT procurement is not just a cost center—it’s a strategic enabler. Especially for municipal utilities, public energy providers, and grid operators in the DACH region, the imperative is clear: find technology solutions that are not only compliant with complex regulations, but also adaptable and built for the future.

This article outlines how to strike that balance—through best practices, smart use of technology, and fine-tuned organizational processes.

Bogus self-employment: what freelancers and clients need to know now

The German consulting and IT services market is booming: turnover is forecast to grow by 9.8% to 51.5 billion euros in 2024 – one of the highest increases since 2013. At the same time, this success is increasingly threatened by regulatory tensions, in particular the uncertainty surrounding bogus self-employment and temporary employment (ANÜ).

While companies rely on external expertise to drive digitalization and sustainability, they – as well as freelancers – are increasingly being targeted by social courts and pension insurers. The following article provides an in-depth overview of the risks, legal situation and practical solutions.

Cybersecurity in Critical Infrastructure: Why Companies must act now

The growing digitalization, rising geopolitical risks, and increasing reliance on interconnected systems are posing major challenges for critical infrastructure (KRITIS) in Germany. Power and gas grids, water treatment facilities, hospitals, and many other sectors that form the backbone of our society must not only ensure high technical availability but also be protected against cyberattacks and physical threats.

Lawmakers have responded: A host of existing regulations, along with new EU directives, are creating far-reaching obligations for companies—obligations that will soon apply almost universally.

Digital Transformation in Municipal Utilities: The Future of Energy Is Not Just Digital – It’s Local, Connected, and Customer-Centric

Municipal utilities today are navigating a complex landscape shaped by increasing regulatory pressure, intensifying competition, and rising customer expectations. At the same time, there are tremendous opportunities to digitally redefine and elevate their regional strengths.

Harald Beck, Co-CEO of C4 Energy, puts it succinctly:

“The future isn’t just digital.”

What does that mean? When used wisely, digitalization doesn’t just streamline operations—it builds trust within the local community.
In this post, we’ll explore how municipal utilities can unlock these powerful opportunities.

1. From Paper to Platform: The Digital Evolution of Municipal Utilities

Just a few years ago, switching to a municipal utility was a bureaucratic ordeal—forms, folders, and long wait times. The process was error-prone, time-consuming, and frustrating. Today’s customers expect a seamless experience—fast, intuitive, and digital, just like the major platforms they interact with daily.

Our approach:
Digital customer portals and mobile apps now replace the traditional filing cabinet. Bills, consumption data, meter readings—everything is accessible at a glance. Automated interfaces and centralized platforms even enable supplier switches within 24 hours.

End-to-end digitalization not only reduces administrative burden, but also enhances reliability and transparency—both internally and for customers.

The result:
Up to a 40% reduction in processing time—with just a few targeted digitalization steps.

2. Meeting Customer Expectations – Through Digital Services and Local Value

3. Navigating Regulation – With Standards and Strategic Foresight

GEG compliance, BNetzA directives, data protection—the regulatory landscape for municipal utilities is becoming increasingly complex. One of the biggest challenges? Meeting semi-annual regulatory deadlines for implementing new rules and requirements.

The key: Act proactively, not reactively.

With standardized software and well-defined processes, municipal utilities can reliably meet compliance targets and regulatory timelines. This foundation also makes it significantly easier to integrate new systems, such as grid data analytics or dynamic pricing models.

Real-world example:
Dynamic electricity tariffs—where prices change hourly—allow customers to shift usage to cheaper periods, like running the washing machine at night.

The start-up Tibber demonstrates how this can be done without costly smart meter upgrades.

While municipal utilities often face stricter regulations, the right digital infrastructure empowers them to offer flexible pricing models and tap into entirely new customer segments.

4. Smart Strategies for Competitive Pressure – Leveraging Local Strength and Intelligent IT

Conclusion: Municipal Utilities Don’t Need a Revolution—Just Clear Direction

Since the dawn of the 19th century, Western civilization has been moving within a society of ever-accelerating change. The pace of social, technological, political, and economic developments is gaining momentum each day. We all feel the shift in private and public spheres—driven solely by the increasing speed and the diminishing role of time. At the same time, these changes offer a new opportunity each day: the ability to accomplish more in less time.

I believe the use of digital tools that optimize workflows, coupled with a general openness to change, are essential foundations for shaping a modern company. As we’ve seen, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the evolution of our work environments and has reshaped the relationship between leaders and employees. While many organizations struggled with increasingly complex interactions during COVID-19, at C4 Group, day-to-day collaboration actually became more relaxed. Our operations continued uninterrupted, all while prioritizing the health of our employees.

One of the lasting results is a greater sense of autonomy—a gift we hadn’t anticipated.

The pandemic served as a catalyst, pushing us to optimize our internal digital processes and time management. Since we work in the energy sector, sustainability and environmental responsibility are especially important to me. Our employees now have the freedom to maintain the same level of productivity from home as they do in the office, avoiding long commutes in the process.

This not only helps C4 Group contribute—albeit modestly—to environmental protection, but it also underscores the growing importance of time, which has become such a critical resource.

Remote work has not diminished our desire for in-person interaction or for collaborating on-site whenever possible. Even with the option to choose, traditional teamwork remains highly valued at C4 Group.

Society has come to recognize that every sector will be reshaped by sustainability and rapid digitalization. As a naturally adaptable person, I strive to model flexible processes in this era of transformation. The future is happening now—and any company that fails to adapt to change risks falling behind in the global market.

Of course, we too face challenges as we adapt to new realities. But we’ve developed effective methods for finding solutions, allowing us to remain competitive.

The most impactful events usually occur suddenly and without warning. In my life, I’ve always made the best of these situations—seeing the positive side as fertile ground for innovation and job creation.

I am a strong advocate of personal responsibility and the freedom to make decisions beyond traditional hierarchical structures. Qualified professionals in the 21st century should—and can—enjoy the freedom to shape decisions and processes. In my view, the old model of top-down supervision is outdated and in need of a fundamental rethink.

New challenges arise every day. Some we can influence, others we must simply respond to as best we can. Where we can make an impact, we should. I especially enjoy doing this in complex systems such as companies or organizations. Through digitalization, automation, process simplification, and—most importantly—a strong communication culture, I enjoy helping everyone involved become more future-ready. My motto is “helping people help themselves.” I love motivating people who are open to change—or even those who are still uncertain—by living the principle: “Don’t give a man a fish; teach him how to fish.” Those who know how to act will welcome challenges and face them with confidence.

We support our employees in embracing change as something fundamentally positive.

That is the foundation for self-motivation and the confidence to take on difficult processes. It also requires the awareness that the tasks I worked on with clients yesterday might no longer be relevant tomorrow. In those moments, we need to pivot quickly. That’s why I find today’s technological transformation so exciting. Extracting insights from data, automating processes, building flexible work models, and navigating the internationalization of our working world—these are some of the most fascinating developments of our time. And the pace of this change shows no signs of slowing down.

As a data science expert, the C4 Group will continue to stay at the forefront of innovation and expand on our past project successes.

Dear Readers, we’re excited to introduce the brand-new C4 Blog and share our very first blog interview, featuring our Executive Director Harald Beck.
The main themes of our conversation included C4 Energy’s business direction, insights from the sale of the Schkopau lignite power plant, and the broader significance of the energy transition.

We extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Beck for his time and engagement — and we hope you enjoy reading!

You are Executive Director and also Senior IT Manager of the C4 Group — that sounds like a broad portfolio. What does a typical workday look like for you?

That’s not an easy question to answer, since my workday consists of many different responsibilities. I lead major client projects in which C4 Energy plays a key role — for example, carve-out and carve-in projects where clients sell or integrate business units. Our job is to ensure that these units continue functioning smoothly in their new environments, particularly in terms of IT systems and operational processes.

We also lead mission-critical IT projects or take on interim management roles. In these areas, our clients rely heavily on our decades of experience in the energy sector.

In addition to these duties, I also handle a range of tasks for the broader C4 Group — maintaining relationships with clients, advisors, and team members; supporting sales efforts; expanding our internal organization; overseeing accounting — and the list goes on. As you can imagine, my day doesn’t follow a classic 9-to-5 structure. This role really means being available 24/7. But to answer the most important question up front: yes, I would absolutely do it again.

C4 Group’s services are made up of multiple units. Under C4 Energy, your focus is on the energy and utilities sector. Could you explain the core areas in which C4 Energy operates?

When we founded the company, the choice of the name “Energy” was deliberate. Our expertise initially lay in IT across all key areas relevant to the energy industry. Over the years, our competencies have expanded far beyond traditional IT consulting.

Today, C4 Energy operates on four main pillars.
First: software-related consulting services in SAP across all systems (ERP, BI, HCM, CRM, IS-U), including implementation, customization, and operations.
Second: development services, which we offer jointly with our clients across major platforms.
Third: organizational and management consulting — covering reorganization projects, business building, and interim management.
And fourth: assuming operational responsibilities (outsourcing), where we take over entire departments to manage support, operations, or project execution on behalf of our clients.

What distinguishes C4 Energy’s project and consulting experience from other market players?

While some individual services may look similar to those offered by competitors, our true differentiator lies in our deep understanding of the energy industry. In addition to 30+ years of personal experience, we also have comprehensive knowledge of the full range of processes energy providers require.

Most competitors have niche expertise. We certainly do, too — but we’ve gone further. Together with partners, we founded our own utility company to execute every process of the energy value chain ourselves. From procurement and sales to balancing group management, metering, and billing — we know it all inside and out.

On September 30 last year, Uniper sold its remaining shares in the Schkopau lignite power plant to Saale Energie GmbH. What was C4 Energy’s role in this transformation?

C4 Energy led the IT workstream for the sale. Our specific task was to ensure all IT systems required for operations, billing, and regulatory compliance could run seamlessly in a new environment defined by the buyer.

This included ensuring access to critical maintenance data — which was tightly integrated into Uniper’s core systems and not easily extracted. Not all assets were transferred to the buyer, so we also had to set up entirely new infrastructure: networks, phone systems, and more. On September 30, we successfully migrated everything — and the uninterrupted operation of the smokestack and cooling tower speaks for itself.

Since 2015, Uniper has decommissioned coal plants in Scholven, Datteln, Veltheim, Shamrock, and Knepper. What sustainable results have emerged in energy supply since then?

Schkopau, too, is on the way out — this is a politically driven decision. To our knowledge, Uniper — now operating as a standalone generation unit — has committed to a zero-emissions strategy. Aside from Datteln 4, new investments are being made in renewable energy: onshore and offshore wind farms, photovoltaic parks, and LNG infrastructure.

That said, I don’t believe the retired capacity has been adequately replaced — either to balance the grid or meet growing electricity demand. We’re still lacking large-scale storage or equivalent stabilizing infrastructure.

This sale marked a major milestone in the plant’s 25-year history. What was the mood among employees?

Interestingly, the sentiment was more optimistic than not. EPH — the new owner — is not exactly known for a zero-emissions strategy, which gave many employees hope for continued operations. Of more than 100 employees, only two declined the transition. Today, due to high electricity prices, the plant is running at full capacity — quite a change from a year ago.

Are there areas within renewable energy where you’ve been less involved so far?

This is a topic I’m passionate about — it’s our future. But the challenges are complex: we need more smart generation, better transmission networks, and massive storage solutions to avoid blackouts. We’ll still need some conventional energy sources alongside renewables.

We need new ideas: consumer behavior aligned with grid demands, tariffs that incentivize off-peak usage. Electricity is the oil of the 21st century — and with 60+ million vehicles eventually relying on it, being part of that transition is one of my most meaningful missions. It’s about the future of my children.

What excites you most about this?

To expand on that: I already live this transformation in my personal life. Every vehicle in our household is fully electric. We generate as much of our electricity as possible from solar, store it for off-peak use, and our next step is geothermal heating. If that’s not commitment to the cause, I don’t know what is!

There’s a growing public awareness around the energy transition. What aspect moves you most?

I’m happy to see many people — especially younger and older generations — rethinking their approach to mobility. What concerns me are wasteful subsidies, like using food crops for bioenergy. Surprisingly, it’s often those between 35 and 50 who seem the most resistant to change. Whether or not we believe in climate change, oil is finite — and burning coal still releases nearly three tons of CO₂ per ton combusted.

Got more questions? Reach out to us at contact-us@c4-group.com — we’d love to hear from you or get your feedback!