IAA Voices Conference Special: Interview Telekom MobilitySolutions

Dr Olga Nevska is Managing Director of Telekom MobilitySolutions and a member of the Board of Directors at T-Mobile Czech Republic. Originally from Ukraine, she holds a doctorate in economics and law from the Free University of Berlin and joined Deutsche Telekom in 2009. She stands for digitalisation as an enabler for connected, sustainable and demand-driven mobility and is responsible for the transformation of one of Germany's largest corporate fleets into an innovative mobility provider. Olga is a guest lecturer and advisory board member at the Institute for Mobility at the University of St. Gallen and was named one of the 100 Women Advancing Germany by Handelsblatt.

Imagine you are in a time machine and on your way "back to the future". In which year would you like to get off and why?

I am very interested to see what the successor regulation for the 9-Euro-Ticket looks like, because I am a big fan of the nationwide networking at the push of a button. That's why I'd like to get out the moment it's announced. Regardless of the price, I would also like to see a uniform tariff for public transport throughout Germany in the future. That is an important prerequisite for reducing individual transport and thus for the mobility turnaround.

If you had one superpower that would help you professionally, what would it be?

That would be the power to bring all the players together at one table who can contribute to the transport turnaround - politics, business, associations, science and citizens. Today we are at a critical point in achieving the climate goals. Not because we in Germany lack ideas, talents or technologies. It's because we lack the necessary speed, the will to cooperate and sometimes the courage to take unconventional paths and adapt regulatory frameworks. I would like to have the superpower to break down all the disruptive silos and get the protagonists to take joint responsibility for the future of our children.

What trend are you currently following with great interest professionally?

I watch with excitement how industry boundaries are changing and how industrial value chains are restructuring. Just think of electromobility, which would not be possible without the close integration of the energy and automotive industries. Or the connection between telecommunications and transport in the development of autonomous driving. Completely new competitive conditions and trade relations are emerging and already existing value chains are going through a profound transformation. We have to face these developments with open eyes.

What is/was the biggest game changer for you in the logistics or transport industry over the past ten years?

The move away from stationary change in favour of online trade, which has permanently changed the logistics industry and brought completely new players onto the market. And the end is still a long way off. 3D printing, for example, will soon ensure that we print the desired product at home or in the copy shop next door after we have purchased the printing template in the form of a data set on the Internet. And if that is not possible, a drone will deliver the goods to my letterbox on the roof.

What innovation do you currently see internationally as a blueprint on the path to climate neutrality?

That brings me back to the beginning: the 9-Euro-Ticket. As far as I know, it was unique in the Federal Republic of Germany that such a service was rolled out nationwide within a few months. Suddenly, something worked that nobody believed in: public transport experienced a huge digitalisation boost, the much-lamented tariff jungle no longer played a role. So it works! How successful the project will be in the end remains to be seen. But in any case, it has shown how we have to act if we want to change, improve and simplify something. Just do it! According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), there is already significantly less traffic on German roads.

What are you hoping for from the IAA TRANSPORTATION?

I'm hoping for interesting meetings with opinion leaders and decision-makers from different sectors and countries, new opportunities for collaboration, bold and innovative solutions and a whole lot of inspiration.

What are you particularly looking forward to at the IAA Conference?

The personal encounters that we have missed for so long. But I am also looking forward to the changed concept of the IAA TRANSPORTATION with new formats and opportunities for interaction. And of course I'm looking forward to being there myself as a speaker.