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Gartner Expert
Christian Hestermann
Sr Director Analyst
Christian Hestermann is the lead analyst for business applications such as ERP, MES or PLM for manufacturing companies. He focuses his research on topics throughout the entire business applications life cycle, from strategy and pace-layered composable architecture through selection, implementation, integration, operation and upgrades. He specializes in cloud and SaaS deployment of business applications in the context of composable strategies. His specific strengths are operational core systems for companies in different manufacturing industries, primarily heavy discrete manufacturing. As of Jan 2024, he serves as Gartner's vendor lead analyst for SAP.
Previous experience
Mr. Hestermann has more than 30 years of experience in product management and development for a range of ERP systems. Before joining Gartner, he spent five years as the head of application development for midmarket ERP systems and two years as director of product management for a number of Europe-based ERP systems at Infor Global Solutions. He spent four years in academic research as a research fellow at the University of Wuerzburg and three years as lead manager of a publicly funded R&D project in AI-based advanced planning and scheduling systems. Mr. Hestermann built a development and support organization from 20 to 200 developers for one of the leading European midmarket ERP system providers, supporting more than 1,500 midsize companies worldwide.
Professional background
Infor Business Solutions, Head of Application Development ERP, 5 years
Infor Global Solutions, Director of Product Management ERP EMEA, 2 years
University of Wuerzburg, Research Fellow, 7 years
Areas of coverage
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ERP
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Enterprise Applications Evaluation and Selection
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Manufacturing General IT Initiatives
Education
Diplom-Informatiker/Computer Science, University of Karlsruhe
Top Issues That I Help Clients Address
What are the key elements of our business applications strategy as a manufacturing company or a subsidiary?
When and how should manufacturing companies modernize their business applications (e.g. ERP, MES) to support their digital transformation?
How do we model our specific business capabilities and who are the most relevant vendors to support these?
How do I determine the right cloud or SaaS strategy for our business applications, esp. ERP and MES?
What are the key trends that shape future business applications solutions?