Leap into management consulting

Dr. Martin Robinius’ CV reads like something out of a storybook: training at Deutsche Telekom, a degree in industrial engineering, a PhD at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, international experience in the USA and China, managing director of ETC Energy Transition Consulting GmbH, head of department for Process and System Analysis and deputy institute director at the research center. From there, his path led him into consulting with the Implement Consulting Group.

The leap from research to consulting seems significant at first glance. How did it come about?
In the field of process and system analysis, the transition is actually much smaller than it might seem. We had quite a few industry inquiries around the topic of energy, but no model to handle these industry-focused questions within the research center. To fill this gap, Prof. Stolten and I began offering consulting services on the side – and we were so successful that the Energy Transition Consulting GmbH was born. This gave us two things: on the one hand, the opportunity to bring consulting activities into industry, and on the other, a way to retain excellent PhD candidates at the research center.

After conducting a study for the consulting firm umlaut, I was asked whether I wanted to take over a large division there. At that point, I had two options: either scale up the GmbH – which would have meant a major organizational effort, since we were still handling everything ourselves, right down to the bookkeeping – or accept the offer from the larger consulting firm. I chose what I know best: consulting. umlaut was eventually acquired by Accenture, and today I work at the Implement Consulting Group.

What kind of projects do you manage at the Implement Consulting Group?
The projects I work on cover the entire value chain, but the focus is always on energy consulting. At the moment, for example, I’m developing a strategy for a port and shipping company involving CO2 transport. In Copenhagen, I carried out a project aimed at storing CO2 from a waste-to-energy plant.

During your studies and your PhD, you spent time abroad – in China, you worked at Volkswagen and Management Engineers, and in the US, you conducted research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. How important were these stays abroad for your worldview?
At the time, China was still a real adventure. What shaped me was less the lectures at the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology and more the life and work on site. I found the speed of change in China particularly striking. When I arrived, many people still used gas-powered scooters – which were then almost overnight replaced by electric scooters. While in Germany we conduct studies, build grid calculation tools, and evaluate loads, over there everyone simply hung an extension cord out the window to charge their scooters. It was incredibly exciting to witness the hunger and drive behind these developments in China. And on the other hand, to see the tensions that arise, for example, in the handling of freedom of expression.

In the US, I worked as a visiting scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Despite all the respect I had for the American research system, I realized that they also only cook with water. That comparison helped me greatly to gauge just how cutting-edge the research at our center truly is.

What advice would you give today’s PhD students at the research center?
When starting in industry after completing a PhD, humility is essential – you’re essentially starting from the bottom again. Thematically, most people won’t get much direct use out of their doctoral work, but you shouldn’t underestimate the methodological skills you develop during a PhD: structuring topics, preparing content, and not giving up. These are skills that benefit you throughout your life. The research center offers a wealth of opportunities, and pursuing a PhD is undoubtedly a significant personal enrichment.

What advice would you offer the research center from your current perspective as a consultant?
In my view, academic papers rarely reach the industry – what’s often missing are the bridges between research and business. Yet this kind of knowledge transfer is especially critical in the context of the energy transition; after all, there’s not much time left until the target of climate neutrality in 2045. The research center could communicate its achievements with far more pride: there are so many exciting topics being worked on there!