Stephanie Gessler

About

Learn more about me

AI & Data Analytics Leader

Building data and AI capability from the ground up — from fragmented, manual processes to AI-ready platforms.

Website: https://stephaniegessler.github.io
Degree: Master in Big Data and Analytics & International Business
Area: Zürich, Zug Area, Switzerland

I turn data into decisions: I defined and delivered a Swiss affiliate's first data & AI strategy, moved the organisation from spreadsheets to an AI-ready analytics platform, and built the team and AI-ambassador network to make it stick — a model since replicated by 10+ international markets. My background combines supply-chain operations with business and healthcare analytics — and I stay hands-on where it counts: SQL, Python, machine learning and Power BI.

Projects Completed

Companies Worked For

Years of Experience:

Certifications

Skills

BI & Data Visualization (Power BI & Tableau) 100%

SQL & Data Modelling 85%

Python & Machine Learning 75%

Microsoft Fabric (Lakehouse & Warehouse) 80%

Generative AI & Prompt Engineering 85%

Forecasting & Demand Planning 90%

Workflow Automation (Power Automate & OCR) 85%

ERP Systems (SAP, Oracle & Rapid Response) 75%

Focus Areas

AI Strategy & Governance

Generative AI & Machine Learning

Business Analytics & BI

Supply Chain & Demand Planning

Team Leadership & AI Enablement

Product Ownership & Agile Delivery

Data Engineering

Healthcare Analytics

Testimonials

I highly recommend Stephanie as an outstanding colleague. We studied together in the same Masters program in Big Data and Business Analytics, and her efficiency, organization, and dedication in coding tasks were truly impressive. Steffi consistently went above and beyond, demonstrating a strong work ethic and a willingness to tackle challenges head-on always pursuing nothing more than excellence. She always had a proactive approach to start and distribute tasks as soon as they were assigned; and her attention to detail was invaluable to our team's success. Steffi's positive attitude and collaborative nature make her a pleasure to work with, especially in highly technical tasks coding in Python. I have no doubt that Stephanie will continue to excel in any endeavor she pursues.

Pedro V. Esteban

Deep Learning Engineer

I had the pleasure of working with Stephanie on several occasions during our Master's in Business Analytics at IE University. Stephanie is one of the most hardworking and determined individuals I know. She consistently goes the extra mile, relentlessly aiming for the best outcomes. Stephanie possesses a natural intrinsic motivation and an insatiable curiosity to learn new technologies, which she adeptly applies to her areas of interest, such as healthcare. Her dedication and passion make her an invaluable asset in any team, and her innovative approach consistently drives projects to success.

Dominik Roser

Senior Product Owner

I had the privilege to work with Stephanie at LifeScan, a former division of Johnson & Johnson. In her role as Senior Sales and Operations Planning Analyst, Stephanie impressively demonstrated her analytical, technical and organizational skills. She constantly challenged the status quo and played a vital role in improving various business processes and reporting tools. Stephanie is very experienced in ERP Systems such as Rapid Response and Oracle, as well as Business Intelligence tools like Tableau and Power BI. Stephanie is a team player. She built up strong relationships with internal and external customers and colleagues across the entire organization. It has been a joy to work with her and I can highly recommend Stephanie as a colleague. She is an enrichment for every company.

Cedric Meier

Sales and Operations Planning Manager

Resume

Check My Resume

Summary

AI & Data Analytics Leader who builds data and AI capability from the ground up — translating emerging technologies into clear roadmaps, governance and measurable outcomes. A career across global, highly regulated organisations in healthcare, medical devices and consumer goods — from supply-chain operations to data & analytics, and since 2021 leading AI and analytics transformation — pairing hands-on technical credibility (SQL, Python, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI) with end-to-end ownership from strategy to production deployment.

Certifications

Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate — Microsoft (DP-600) End-to-end analytics in Microsoft Fabric: lakehouse architecture, data pipelines and semantic models
Data Scientist Professional — DataCamp End-to-end data science in Python: statistics, machine learning and model evaluation
SQL Nanodegree — Udacity Advanced SQL: window functions, aggregations and query performance
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt — Swarovski Data-driven process improvement (DMAIC), applied to supply chain operations
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Cloud architecture fundamentals, security and cost management
Programming for Data Science with Python — DataCamp Data wrangling and automation with pandas and NumPy
SQL and Relational Databases 101 — IBM Relational data modelling and querying foundations

Education

MSc in Business Analytics and Big Data

2021 - 2023

IE University – School of Science & Technology, Madrid, Spain

GPA: 4.9/5.0 (Dean's List Top 10%) | Award: Best Impact Project and Best Capstone Project Presentation

MSc in International Business – Supply Chain Management

2014 - 2016

School of Business and Economics, University Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands

Average: ‘8.0/10’ (Cum laude with distinction Top 15%)

BSc in Economics and Business Economics- Infonomics

2009 - 2012

School of Business and Economics, University Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands

Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Jurong West, Singapore - Exchange Semester

2011 - 2012

Economics and Business Economics

Professional Experience

Customer and Business Analytics and Data Manager

09/2021 - Present

Viatris, Steinhausen, Switzerland

Led the Data Strategy & Analytics Transformation of the Swiss affiliate — from fragmented Excel reporting and data silos to a fully integrated, AI-ready infrastructure built on Azure, Microsoft Fabric (Lakehouse) and Power BI, delivering real-time insights across commercial functions and saving CHF 60k by deprecating legacy tools. The model now serves as an organisational blueprint replicated by 10+ international markets.
Architected and launched Switzerland's first organizational AI strategy: engaged ~100 employees through coffee chats, lunch-and-learns and a newsletter, coached 15 embedded AI ambassadors across functions, and delivered external presentations to 340+ healthcare and regulatory professionals (MEGRA, Lindenhof Hospital, SHQR).
Built AI-powered competitive intelligence: a Power Automate workflow that web-scrapes competitor drug availability data, auto-generates weekly Power BI reports and routes multilingual alerts (IT, FR, DE) to 15 sales representatives to proactively identify stock gaps.
Served as Product Owner for Swiss wholesaler data integration — gathering requirements, writing user stories and managing the backlog in Azure DevOps, and leading UAT and go-live.
Automated manual work and drove data democratization: deployed an OCR solution saving the QA team 50+ hours annually, and onboarded 80+ colleagues to Power BI & AI.

Senior Analyst & Project Management Medical Device in EMEA

12/2017 - 09/2021

LifeScan (formerly Johnson and Johnson), Zug, Switzerland

Promoted to Senior Analyst for pioneering data-driven approaches in forecasting and supply chain optimization. Served as Product Owner in implementing Rapid Response (Advanced Planning System), overseeing requirements gathering, system configuration, and user acceptance testing.
Spearheaded the global integration of statistical forecasting within Rapid Response, actively managing forecast parameters to optimize prediction accuracy. Collaborated with country and regional teams to determine optimal forecasting methodologies, balancing statistical models with market-specific insights.
Led and facilitated S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning) meetings for MEA, UA, and RU regions, driving cross-functional alignment and strategic planning based on analytical insights. Conducted in-depth analyses of market dynamics and product performance, informing product lifecycle management strategies.
Designed and integrated a comprehensive Advanced Planning System, leveraging predictive analytics to optimize inventory levels and streamline supply chain operations, enhancing overall operational efficiency and decision-making processes.

Supply Chain Analytics & Master Data Management Planning Excellence

04/2016 - 11/2017

LifeScan (formerly Johnson and Johnson), Zug, Switzerland

Spearheaded the design and implementation of an SQL database for inventory management, while developing automated Tableau dashboards with MAPE and BIAS metrics, significantly enhancing data accessibility, analysis capabilities, and forecasting accuracy.
Created a global KPI monitoring system using advanced data visualization techniques, leading to marked improvements in supply chain efficiency. Provided critical analytical support for EMEA Plan and PEx initiatives, contributing to the Gold Achievement Award.
Engineered end-to-end data pipelines, integrating multiple data sources (SAP, Oracle Demantra, JD Edwards) into a centralized analytics platform. Led the transition from legacy Cognos systems to modern Tableau environments, enabling real-time insights and reporting.
Implemented rigorous data governance standards and executed user acceptance testing for core demand planning systems, ensuring data integrity, compliance, and seamless integration of analytical capabilities with business processes.
Collaborated cross-functionally to develop detailed user requirements for inventory projection reports, integrating financial KPIs and improving cash flow management. Leveraged SQL, Tableau, and various production systems to optimize the reporting environment, ensuring data accuracy and reliability.

Supply & Inventory Management Travel Retail World

07/2014 - 03/2016

Estée Lauder Companies, Wollerau, Switzerland

Managed inventory for seven key brands contributing to 45% of revenue.
Significantly reduced La Mer and Bobbi Brown out-of-stocks by 64% and 40% respectively using data analytics to improve demand forecasting and backorder management.

Global Demand & Supply Planner Consumer Goods Business

02/2013 - 02/2014

Swarovski, Triesen, Liechtenstein

Led a Six Sigma/Green Belt project to assess sales impacts.
Developed a tool for supply load projection.
Conducted big data analysis for demand and supply planning significantly influencing company revenue strategies.