Arnd Baranowski founded Oculeus in late 2004, more or less as a one-man-show, and has led the company’s steady growth over the years. Oculeus is today a global operation based out of Frankfurt in Germany with over 120 customers. It operates in multiple geographies including Africa through its partners like Tata Communications, as well as in various vertical market segments.
Oculeus provides a full range of OSS and BSS solutions for telecommunication organisations to better manage their business operations. Oculeus supports its customers with a staff of around 25 highly skilled telecommunication professionals.
“What we have built at Oculeus is a tremendous source of pride for me. We have achieved all this without any external investor or even a line of credit from a bank,” Baranowski points out. The high points of his work life are when Oculeus signs a new contract and starts a new customer engagement. “One of the most memorable and satisfying achievements in my career as CEO of Oculeus, was when we signed our first agreement with a tier-one telco.”
From 1981, Baranowski studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich and graduated with Master of Science degree. He remained with the German Army till 2001, when he decided to exit to become a technology entrepreneur. “I always knew that one day I would run my own technology company, which is exactly what I did when I finished my career in the army,” he explains.
“One of the most memorable achievements in my career as CEO of Oculeus, was when we signed our first agreement with a tier-one telco”
Looking forward Baranowski believes that artificial intelligence is a technology growing in importance. Oculeus is incorporating artificial intelligence into many of its products in order to enhance performance and automation.
Baranowski believes in leading by example and delegates responsibilities amongst his staff. He listens to and considers the opinions of his team, especially when making decisions. His management style is based on allowing employees to take responsibility. “My experience is that this empowers individuals to fulfil their potential and produces strong results,” he reflects.
Outside of work, he stays fit by running and swimming a few times a week. Baranowski enjoys spending time with his family and flying radio-controlled model airplanes, which has been his hobby for many years. “My hobby of flying RC model airplanes is very relaxing and helps me to escape the demands and stress of work,” he muses.
After working with the German army for twenty years, Arnd Baranowski changed career paths to become a technology entrepreneur.
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