In this episode of Cards Against Complexity, Tim Engler, CIO of OBI Group Holding, joins the show to explore how one of Europe’s leading home improvement retailers is transforming its enterprise operations in the age of AI. From modernizing legacy systems to experimenting with AI-powered assistants, Tim shares practical insights into what it really takes to evolve a traditional retail business into a tech-enabled organization.

Key Highlights:

• Building AI into Retail Workflows: Tim discusses how OBI is integrating AI tools like generative assistants and predictive models into everything from customer consultations to store operations, enhancing productivity and service quality.

• Tech + Business Alignment at Scale: A recurring theme is the importance of joint decision-making between business and tech teams, especially for large-scale initiatives like ERP modernization and AI adoption across departments.

• Hackathons as a Cultural Catalyst: Tim shares how OBI’s internal hackathons are not just innovation showcases but strategic tools to foster collaboration between store employees and tech teams, making AI adoption practical and inclusive.

Whether you're in retail, tech, or leading digital transformation, this episode offers grounded, real-world examples of how AI is reshaping enterprise decision-making and operations.