Helping to design processes as SAP consultant in retail

Christopher Reger assumes responsibility at an early stage – both professionally and privately

In an interview, Christopher reports on his path to becoming an SAP consultant through his dual study of business informatics. In the process, he provides us with exciting insights into his ongoing projects in the retail sector and tells us about his position with the volunteer fire department.

Hey Christopher, please introduce yourself briefly!

Hey, my name is Christopher Reger. I am 25 years old, and I work as an SAP Consultant at valantic. My focus here is on projects with our customers in the retail sector.

You have gained some exciting practical experience during your dual studies. How did your path to SAP Consulting go?

In September 2017, I started my dual studies at the former ComSol AG, which has been part of the valantic Group since November 2022, and immersed myself in the exciting SAP world and consulting business. From the very beginning, I was welcomed warmly by my colleagues and felt very comfortable in this family-like atmosphere. Even during my studies, I was given the great opportunity to gain practical experience on an important customer project in Switzerland, and to apply my theoretical knowledge. After successfully completing my studies, I started as a junior consultant in SAP consulting. This role opened up many more exciting projects and the opportunity to continuously develop myself both personally and professionally.

How did things go after that? We would be especially pleased if you could provide some insight into your projects.

In the course of my professional development, I was able to gain a wide range of experience in the SAP consulting business. After my studies, I continued to work for the retailer in Switzerland, and I was able to gain more consulting experience there. I then worked at Europe’s largest electronics chain and was involved in optimizing sales processes in the Netherlands. Our team’s task was to plan and implement efficient processes, which are now relevant for every end customer – like you and me – when buying or returning products. Seeing this live is an extremely cool feeling!

Currently, I am involved as a subproject leader in a new launch of SAP S/4HANA Retail for Merchandise Management at a wholesaler in the food sector. In this role, I am responsible for SAP topics such as business partners, sales processes, and pricing. As a subproject manager, I am also responsible for planning the upcoming sprints and reporting on our progress to the project management regularly.

What are the biggest challenges for you in your current large-scale retail project?

In my current project, I have the opportunity to participate in an important SAP roll-out at a wholesaler. My previous professional experience was mainly in the retail sector, so I had to familiarize myself with wholesale processes as quickly as possible in the beginning.
Current events, such as the Corona pandemic, have had a major impact on our customers’ business processes. In particular, fluctuations in raw material prices have an impact on processes. Luckily, I can count on the support of my team at valantic, which has extensive industry expertise in retail and has helped me a great deal in my training. I also attended SAP training courses to continue my education and make the project run as smoothly as possible.
A major challenge is also to assist end users during the process of changing from their previous in-house development to the standardized SAP system. It is particularly important to provide intensive training for employees and to highlight the advantages of the optimized processes.
Despite the complexity and challenging circumstances, I am thrilled by the new opportunities with which this project provides me.

What do you do in your free time to “switch off” and leave the project world behind?

I have been a volunteer with the municipal fire department for about 16 years, and I am passionate about saving lives. This activity occupies a fixed place in my life. Of course, it is not always easy to reconcile my firefighting activities with my job, especially when deployments happen during working hours. In case of an emergency, I receive deployment information via radio receivers and on my mobile phone. Based on time and legal requirements, I then have to decide whether or not I can participate in a deployment. Fortunately, valantic allows me some flexibility for fire department deployments. For example, I always try to be present on weekends, on holiday, and at night. Participation in deployments during the day is usually difficult. During the flood catastrophe in the Ahr Valley in 2021, I was released and was deployed continuously for about two weeks. This experience shaped me personally for the long term.
About six months ago, I also discovered a new passion: Golf. In addition to my volunteer work, I also enjoy barbecuing with friends and spending time together.

Thank you very much, Christopher, for the exciting insights and above all for your personal and professional commitment!