BUSINESS AND PROJECT CONSULTING

from project development to plant operation

Offering services

35 years of professional experience in international plant engineering
Supporting companies in the planning and implementation of EPC projects of different industries
Provide structure in project management and implement processing standards
Plan ahead to avoid disruptions in the project
Define and achieve project objectives

Customer use

Structuring plant construction projects
Determine requirements: Budget, Schedule, Resources
Prepare project execution concepts,
time schedule development, risk assessments and mitigation plans, stakeholder management, organizational development, recruiting manpower, assemble the team,
kick-off the project
Monitor planned implementation, support the team, and intervene if necessary to make corrections early
Manage project risks
Keep stakeholders updated
Learning organization by mistakes in projects (lessons learned)

Core competencies

Professional experience in plant engineering of hydrogen electrolysis, power plant technology, oil and gas industry, chemical and metallurgical industry
Interim Manager, Managing Director, COO, CTO, Head of Business Unit, Head of Project Management, Project Director, Project Manager, Commissioning Manager, Process Engineer
Certified Project Director IPMA Level A, MBA, Dipl.-Ing. TU Mech. Eng. (MSc)
Operational management of companies and projects with investment volumes up to 1.500 Mio. USD, managing mega projects with project teams spread over several continents

Customers

Our customers represent the following industries

Green Hydrogen
Oil and Gas
Power Plants
Chemical
Metallurgy

You plan to initiate a project and you need professional support in project development, project management or in strategic management?

Values

My personal values are

integrity and authenticity
- walk the talk

There are no surprises, because I plan my approach carefully and have a plan B in my pocket in case of unforeseen events.

In this sense, I coach project managers or project management teams and advise project developers or general management of manufacturing companies who are faced with the task of planning and implementing plan construction projects.

Main activities

My clients should intend to build a plant that serves to produce green hydrogen, oil or gas or chemical compounds, for energy generation or for the extraction of metals.

I advise my clients on the necessary financial and personnel resources, how long the realization of such a plant or system will take, and how the necessary personnel can be recruited.

As part of my consulting services, my clients, with my support, create a project strategy that includes all the necessary framework conditions for the project and a risk analysiss from which the necessary management measures are derived.

I can support the subsequent project execution with my expertise and am happy to answer any questions the project management team may have. This ensures that projects are handled professionally and that costs and deadlines are met.

References

COO & CTO at H2APEX

Green Hydrogen for Northern Germany

"Axel Funke possesses extremely comprehensive and outstanding expertise, wich he always applied very confidentially and successfully to accomplish his tasks. ...

Thanks to his consistently excellent thinking skills and his extremely sound judgment, he was able to brilliantly master every problem situation; Axel was always characterized by an extraordinarily high degree of initiative and willingness to perform. ...

Axel led his employees in a goal-oriented and objective manner and was always a valued role model for them. He achieved an exceptional increase in performance and consistently forstered a very positive team atmosphere ..., particularly within the project framework. Axel also demonstrated his outstanding social skills. ...

Axel by far exceeded the demands place on him and his position; we were always extremely satisfied with his performance.

We thank Axel Funke for his consistently outstanding performance and deeply regret his departure; we are convinced that he will continue to achieve extraordinary success in the future."

Head of Business Line Integrated Projects at Bilfinger Technologies

Strengthening the EPC Business

"Managing the Business Line with 270 employees ...
Strategic development of the Business Line towards green hydrogen, energy efficiency, and project development of process plants ...
Strengthening of engineering through external specialists ...
Improving project management skills through training of project managers ...
Establishing a risk management system for proposals and project execution ...
Handling of a 650 Mil € lithium EPC project during the permit engineering phase, project support in the steering committee, stakeholder management ...
Establishment of a working group "Green Hydrogen" at Bilfinger and development of partnerships with electrolysis OEMs ...

Of particular note is Axel Funke´s leading role in improving the Bilfinger-wide collaboration in major projects, as well as his leadership of an internal improvement project, the Bilfinger Project Concept, on the topic of collaboration coaching of managers in the Bilfinger Talent Circle program. ...

Axel was always open-minded to new developments. He consistently came up with good creative ideas and impressed with this innovative approaches. He also consistently impressed with his pronounced strategic and entrepreneurial thinking and actions, which he always used for the benefit of the company. Due to his excellent negotiating skills, he achieved good results for all parties involved, adapting well to the wide variety of interlocutors and impressing with his competent, goal-oriented negotiation style. ...

Project Director at thyssenkrupp Uhde and tk Nucera

Neom Green Hydrogen, green hydrogen for Saudi Arabia (Nucera) and
Fertilizer plants (Uhde)

Project Director for the 2,2 GW AWE (Alkaline Water Electrolysis) plant for the consortium Air Products/ACWA Power/NEOM Hydrogen in Saudi Arabia in pre-FEED phase before FID

"Due to his precise analytical skills and his enormous capacity for understanding, he was always able to grasp even difficult situations accurately and quckly find good solutions.
Axel Funke consistently demonstrated exemplary initiative and always fülly identified with his tasks and our company. ..."

Personal reference of the customer:

"I first had the opportunity to work closely with Axel at Linde, where he executed a project as Project Director. During this time, I held commercial responsibilities as VP of Business Development and Sales. Our paths crossed again when Axel was Project Director for ThyssenKrupp, working on the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project. This project involved a significant 1 billion USD contract on electrolyzers, and I was serving as Project Executive for Air Products, the customer for Axel.

Throughout these various engagements, my professional relationship with Axel was consistently stable. He is a dedicated professional who maintains strong engagement with both his teams and the customer. Axel's focus on project progress and his ability to navigate the complexities of large projects are notable.

Axel is a proficient project professional, well-versed in the key aspects of project management for substantial initiatives. His experience allows him to navigate risks and uncertainties effectively. In my observations, Axel has the ability to actively challenge, steer, and accept accountability for outcomes.

Previously, Axel transitioned roles, possibly due to his preference for more hands-on positions where he could lead and steer project teams more directly, either independently or alongside other senior leaders. His background in managing large projects means that assembling and leading project teams is second nature to him.

Wolfgang Brand
President, Project Delivery, Equipment Sales and Plant Support

Managing Director at Engineering Dobersek

Metallurgical Plants improvement of project management competencies, preparation for large scale project execution

Axel Funke, as a certified IPMA project director, was able to prepare our company for the successful execution of this major order - the largest order in the company´s history - the planning and construction of a processing plant for zinc in Kazakhstan, and provided us with significant support in recruiting skilled personnel.
He used his extensive personal network to the company´s advantage. ...

Axel brings a wealth of professional experience from large, internationally active plant engineeering companies and from the execution of major projects.
He possesses extensive and diverse expertise in the technical and commercial fields, as well as intercultural competence.

He was always able to present solutions and alternative courses of action, thus providing outstanding support to the managing partner. The quality of his work consistently met the highest standards. ... "

Project Director at Linde Engineering

Olefine plants in USA (Shell), Indien und Venezuela
LNG plants in Russia (Gazprom)

Axel Funke is a certified project director level A according to GPM / IPMA and most recently led a team of several project managers. He led them to excellent teamwork, which contributed to an outstanding project result. ...

He guided his project team to develop solutions to problems early on, which were then quickly and efficiently incorporated into a project implementation strategy. Furthermore, a Plan B was always developed, so that alternative courses of action were available at all times.
Through this approach, the entire project team demonstrated a high level of competence to the client, which was rewarded with an exceptionally high level of trust from the client. ...

Axel Funke has made a valuable contribution to the training of Linde project managers: he has been involved as a trainer and actor in the Project Execution Academy in Reality Training. ...

Even under the most difficult working conditions and greatest stress, he mastered all tasks in an outstanding manner. ...
He found highly effetive solutions even for the most difficult problems, which he always successfully implemented in practice, consistently achieving excellent work results.

Axel Funke has always fulfilled the taks assigned to him to our complete satisfaction. ..."

Axel Funke M.Sc. MBA

Consultant, Interims Manager, Trainer for Project Management

Axel Funke

Chief Operations Officer, Chief Technology Officer for green hydrogen, Management of Project Management, Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) – overall strategic and operational responsibility
Conceptual and implementation-oriented executive manager with many years of leadership experience in the realization of large-scale international process engineering projects in the field of renewable energies, in the oil and gas industry, in energy and environmental technology, and in the chemical and metallurgical industry
Certified Project Director IPMA Level A
Profound knowledge in: recruiting, team building & employee management | development and implementation of strategies | internationales project management | negotiation skills | change- & quality management | HSSE | key-account manager
Achievements: completion of global mega-projects on time and within budget, generating profits of up to 150 Mil € | initiation of the largest project in company´s history | introduction of a planned order processing system
Project investment volumes up to 1.300 Mil € | management of a staff of 270 employees, 25 managers
Cooperative leader with a proactive approach, strong communication skills, and a high self-motivation
Customer-oriented | service oriented | structured | quality- and profit-oriented | resilient | teamworker | integer | loyal | reliable