Dr. Vera-Maria Graubner

Co-founded an early-stage venture focused on improving second-hand furniture discovery and purchase coordination. - Product and market validation, translating user and partner needs into prioritised product requirements. - Design of partner, ordering, service and handover processes, including logistics interfaces.

Mentoring technology founders on organisational development, operational priorities and execution.

Jury evaluation and coaching for climate and deep-tech startups, with a focus on scaling and operations.

Project-based advisory on organisational structures, operational priorities and implementation. Renewable-energy assignment: assessed organisational efficiency, responsibilities and cross-company project processes, and developed recommendations on operational focus and cost reduction.

Strategic, financial and operational advice, founder mentoring and network development for a startup working on AI-based livestock health monitoring.

Participated in Carbon13's climate-focused venture builder, working in interdisciplinary teams on early-stage venture development.

Strategic, financial and operational advice, founder mentoring and network development for a biotechnology startup upcycling by-products from the food industry.

Operational leadership from the company's spin-off through organisational growth from 31 to more than 140 employees. The period included a nearly €30 million Series A in 2022. - Led production, strategic purchasing, supply chain management, after-sales & services, and technical documentation, with up to 22 employees and six direct reports. - Established People & Culture, quality management and controlling functions, which subsequently moved into CEO/CFO reporting structures.

Prepared the operational separation of the electric commercial-vehicle conversion business into the standalone e-troFit GmbH, later renamed pepper motion. - Led a team of 12, with five direct reports, across functions including controlling, PMO, quality, technical purchasing, technical documentation and verification & validation. - Developed operational frameworks for the new entity, including project management, purchasing, quality planning and test and release processes.

Managed operations from order intake to worldwide commissioning of stationary battery-storage systems, with operational responsibility for €40 million in revenue in 2018. - Led a team of eight across project and product management, planning, order processing, production preparation, operational purchasing and technical documentation. - Coordinated development and production interfaces, including the transfer of assembly from prototype builds into production.

Led the Energy Storage business unit with a team of ten and responsibility for €9.4 million in order intake and €12.5 million in revenue in 2017. - Delivered three major battery-storage customer projects with a combined value of €3.5 million, meeting quality, cost and schedule targets. - Negotiated and concluded a major customer supply agreement worth €2 million in annual revenue. - Coordinated the development of two residential battery-storage systems and the transfer of assembly into production.

Consulting on leadership culture, innovation and collaborative cost optimisation.

Deputy Site Manager at Schwechat Refinery, a site with approximately 700 employees. Led site functions with 11 employees, six direct reports and a budget of approximately €10 million. - Responsible for regulatory affairs, business processes, communication, HR, fire protection, HSSE and process safety. - Held responsibility for CAPEX projects with a combined value of approximately €35 million. - Developed a refinery decarbonisation concept and identified implementation projects.

Led fuels production at Burghausen Refinery, with 85 employees, ten direct reports and a budget of approximately €12 million. - Accountable for 13 complex process plants, including production performance, KPIs, optimisation, disruption management and turnarounds. - Managed process safety, operational risk and plant revamps, with a focus on production performance and risk-based cost management. - Implemented changes to crude-oil processing (alternative feedstocks); recognised with the OMV Diamond Award

Established cross-site, cross-country and cross-functional management of utilities and operating supplies covering approximately €300 million in annual spend. - Achieved a contractually documented average cost reduction of 23% across the managed volume through consolidated procurement. - Developed a blueprint for category management that was subsequently rolled out across the group. - Held responsibility for natural gas procurement in Germany and Austria, covering 5,000 GWh annually.

Optimised refinery processes and the consumption of utilities, chemicals and energy, alongside occupational safety risk assessments. Introduced chemical-cleaning methods across OMV refinery sites.

Completed follow-up research and publications arising from doctoral work.

Ph.D. thesis and supervision of students

Ph.D. thesis

Diploma thesis and following research