So far, my biggest highlight in 2024 was celebrating my first anniversary in my position as President, Americas with TeamViewer in March. It was risky moving with my family from Germany to Florida last year, and I am very grateful to be able to say the risk has been worth it. I am immensely proud of the growth we achieved in this time, while fostering an inviting, collaborative, and fun culture at TeamViewer’s Americas headquarters. We’ve built a strong foundation based on teamwork, continuous learning, and a solutions-oriented mindset. Looking back on the strides we made in just one year has left me feeling incredibly inspired to achieve more in the coming year.

One person who comes to mind is Simon Sinek who is renowned for his “Start with Why” leadership philosophy. Sinek’s emphasis on leading with purpose aligns well with my goal of creating a team that is intrinsically motivated and takes pride in their work because they understand and believe in TeamViewer’s mission of creating a world that works better.

On a more personal note, I am lucky to have had several “heroes” who graciously provided me with mentorship and guidance as I was coming up in my career. Today, I strive to pay it forward by working with our promising young leaders to help them develop professionally.

I’ve learned many valuable lessons transitioning from a finance leader to a people leader. In finance, I found it straightforward to develop detailed and ambitious goals, believing they were achievable as long as each step was meticulously outlined. However, as my role has evolved, I’ve realized there are many complexities involved in executing ambitious plans. Even the most perfect plan can fall apart due to internal and external factors, and desired outcomes can shift over time. The key lesson is to always have a plan that is both detailed and adaptable.

“The Big Five for Life,” by John Strelecky was an inspirational read for me as a business leader. The story encouraged me to spend a lot of time thinking about how to remain purpose-driven in working toward our company’s monetary goals. It also encouraged me to think more about not only who I want to be as a leader, but also what kind of leaders I want to help develop at our company.

In 2024, TeamViewer as a whole is focused on transforming into a leading enterprise solution provider. With so many global enterprises based in North America, our region is anticipated to be the driving force behind this shift. This is an ambitious yet exciting challenge that involves balancing innovation with operational excellence. Our approach will entail taking a 360-degree view of our customers and their individual needs in order to improve our offering of enterprise-grade remote connectivity and workplace digitalisation solutions.

The integration of AI and machine learning applications will continue to redefine industry standards, enhancing efficiency and driving innovation across nearly all business sectors. Embracing these technological advancements will be crucial for staying competitive and meeting evolving customer demands. AI will certainly be a big focus for us this year as we integrate capabilities into our augmented reality and virtual reality solutions.