Christoph Stehncken
Global Program Management
Shaping Impact Through Creative Freedom
Career Snapshot (within MCG)
What motivated my career journey
The common thread throughout my career — and one of my main motivations — has been the creative freedom to build and continuously improve. I’m driven by the opportunity to create something new, challenge established ways of working, and continuously innovate. That, combined with my interest in technology and my drive to optimise, is what led me to MCG and continues to motivate me today.
How I prepared for future roles
For me, preparation has never been about following a fixed plan. It has been about staying close to the work, understanding where improvements can be made and actively taking on challenges beyond my immediate responsibilities .
Since joining MCG, I’ve focused on building a broad understanding across functions and remaining open to new responsibilities. Taking initiative, learning by doing, and stepping into unfamiliar areas has been key to developing further.
Support I received along the way
Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have strong mentors and leaders who gave me trust and autonomy. I was often given a great deal of freedom to make my own decisions early on, which allowed me to put my ideas into practice effectively and deliver meaningful results.
Having the opportunity to take ownership and continuously drive progress has been a defining part of my development — and something that continues to shape how I approach my work today.
Challenges I overcame
My life has been marked by a number of personal setbacks. I lost my parents far too early and had to fend for myself in many ways. Looking back, that experience shaped me and pushed me to take responsibility for my own path.
Professionally, completing my PhD while taking on significant responsibility at the same time was one of my greatest challenges.
My advice to others
One pattern I have often observed in large organisations is that people can end up competing with one another to get ahead instead of working together towards a common goal. My advice would be to set politics aside and focus on what really matters — collaborating to move things forward
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