Urszula Jessen

Process Mining Expert ECE Group Services GmbH & Co. KG

Originally from the quaint city of Ełk, Poland, Urszula Jessen has been a fixture in the IT and data management sectors for nearly two decades. She resides in Germany, where she obtained dual master's degrees in Data Management and IT Management at a time when Data Science was just beginning to be recognized as a standalone discipline. Jessen embarked on her career building a solid base in programming but quickly transitioned to specialize in process optimization, particularly within ERP (SAP) environments. This shift proved pivotal, leading to significant contributions to key projects with industry heavyweights such as Airbus and Lufthansa Technik. A defining moment in Jessen's professional journey was her engagement with Process Mining, spurred by her quest to find a technology that could marry her process optimization expertise with the actual process flows recorded in IT systems. This pursuit initiated a collaboration with a team of doctoral students in Eindhoven, guided by Prof. van der Aalst, more than a decade ago. Jessen has emerged as a leader in implementing process mining projects throughout Europe, with her portfolio including over 50 projects in 40 diverse companies, such as the Swiss Postal Service and Berlin's public transportation system. She currently holds a position at ECE Group Services in Hamburg, a real estate firm celebrated for its innovative approach to developing shopping, working, and residential spaces. Simultaneously, Jessen is pursuing an industrial PhD at TU/E Eindhoven, concentrating on "Actionability in Process Mining." Her research delves into the practical application of process mining and Business Process Management (BPM), with a keen interest in integrating AI, specifically generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), to enhance process optimization. Her goal is to bridge the divide between human and process data, ensuring that her contributions yield not just theoretical value but also tangible, actionable outcomes. Jessen's distinctive fusion of academic insight and pragmatic experience continues to push the envelope in IT management and process optimization.