Thomas Kern

Thomas Kern is the managing director and founder of crossbase. He conceived the software and has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of PIM, MAM, print, and e-commerce. He provides consulting services to new clients on implementing crossbase and is responsible for project management. His key areas of focus in these projects are analysis, data model, and ERP interface.

As a child, he witnessed firsthand the mechanization of agriculture on his parents’ family farm. His fascination with technology remained: After graduating from high school, he completed a mechanical engineering apprenticeship at Daimler and studied mechanical engineering at Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences (1987–1990) as well as at the University of Stuttgart and Brunel University London (1990–1993). It was there that his range of interests expanded to include IT.

While he financed his studies by running his own small auto repair shop, he held various positions from 1992 to 1996 at the Fraunhofer Institute and at software companies, focusing on the implementation of information systems and management consulting.

At the publishing and printing company Kohlhammer, Thomas Kern served as the creative force behind a product database with an integrated database publishing solution for industrial clients starting in 1996. Building on this, he established the New Media division at “Kohlhammer InterMedia GmbH” and led it until 2001.

The idea that the company’s own PIM system could be developed and marketed more quickly and independently than within the context of a corporate structure ultimately led to a management buyout in 2001 and the founding of crossbase mediasolution GmbH. Together with the leading software developers and the company’s financing partner in Austria at the time, Thomas Kern has steered the company through thick and thin throughout its now 25-year success story.

A collaborative, trusting relationship is important to Thomas. This is evident in his close ties to his business partners, customers, and employees. He also embodies these values at home with his wife and three children—as well as on Saturday afternoons when playing soccer. Furthermore, the CEO of crossbase navigates the tension between continuity and reliability on the one hand and innovation on the other. This balance has contributed significantly to the company’s success.