Our Team – Causal AI Experts

Team

Dr. Michael Haft

Founder & CEO

Michael holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics and Neuroinformatics and has spent more than 20 years turning complex data into real business value — at Siemens, Accenture, SAP, and beyond. As Chief Architect at SAP, he shaped some of the company's earliest work in Big Data Analytics, and earlier in his career he co-founded a startup, guiding analytics innovations from first idea to market. Michael's expertise spans databases, BI technologies, statistics, mathematics and machine learning, always with a sharp eye for what actually moves the business forward.

Peide Wang

Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer

Dr. habil. Hanjo Täubig

Senior Data Scientist & Chief Algorithms Officer

Hanjo studied Computer Science in Munich and earned his Ph.D. researching protein structures in large databases. But apparently, that wasn’t enough: he went on to serve as Acting Professor of Theoretical Computer Science at TUM’s Chair of Efficient Algorithms, teaching everything from data structures to bioinformatics and graph algorithms, and completed his habilitation on inequalities for matrix powers. At Xplain Data, he makes sure our algorithms and data structures are as smart, scalable, and efficient as they can be.

Dr. Christian Koncilia

Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer

Christian holds a Ph.D. in Applied Computer Science, earned by developing algorithms to handle structural changes in data warehouses. Over more than 25 years in the Life Science and Health Care industry, he's worked closely with hospitals, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical firms, building deep, hands-on expertise with BI tools, database management systems, and a wide range of programming languages. For the past decade, his focus has shifted to web application development — and today he leads the front end at Xplain Data.

Monika Roy

Marketing & Communication

Monika brings more than 25 years of B2B marketing experience in the IT industry. She previously led content creation and digital marketing at Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Germany, and started her career at Informix Software (now IBM), where she built marketing collaborations with SAP. Along the way, she's held various roles at database, network, and software companies, managing PR and direct marketing campaigns across Europe. She holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Munich.

Charlotte Chenpo Hu

Web Development & QA

Charlotte joined us from Deloitte, where she focused on IT and IoT software engineering and data science. She holds a double degree Bachelor's in Business Administration and Finance from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, plus a Bachelor's in Computational Science and a double Master's in Business Administration and Computational Science from the University of Potsdam and the Hasso Plattner Institute. With experience spanning software development, business analysis, and quality management, she works as our full-stack DevOps engineer — while keeping a close eye on software quality.

Dr. Ivan Lecei

Data Scientist

Ivan began his career as a Data Scientist at the Fraunhofer SCAI Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing, researching anomaly detection and predictive maintenance. He studied business mathematics at the University of Ulm and earned his Ph.D. on "Modelling Extremal Dependence." He's also taught data analytics and deep learning at Fraunhofer and lectured at the University of Bonn. At Xplain Data, he supports product management with test procedures, documentation, and use cases.

Marco Molitor

Data Scientist

Marco holds a Master's degree in Philosophy & Economics, specializing in causal inference, predictive analytics, and machine learning. His background spans research, statistical analysis, and data-driven model development, with a focus on combining statistical methods with real-world industrial applications. He's earned multiple AWS certifications and brings hands-on experience in data engineering, cloud-based machine learning, and MLOps. At Xplain Data, he supports the development team in building AI-powered solutions for industrial customers and helps implement Causal AI and object-centric data models.

Guénolé Le Pennec, Ph.D.

Solution Manager & Data Scientist

Patrik Capuder

Frontend Developer

Patrik completed his IT training at HTL Villach and has since worked across many areas of software development — from full-stack development to C++ firmware, backend automation, and e-commerce optimization. He's gained hands-on experience with ASP.NET, Angular, Python APIs, Docker, Git, and Scrum, as well as IT process automation with Matrix42. As a freelancer, he implemented automations with n8n, managed Shopify stores, and ran data-driven marketing and performance analyses. With his broad tech stack, practical experience, and fluency in several languages (German, English, Croatian, Slovenian), he brings a flexible, versatile skillset to the team.

Zilla Stekhoven

Back Office Manager

Zilla is remarkably versatile: alongside a background in medical project management and a key role in data management at adidas, she's trained not only in psychology but also as a qualified lawyer and business coach. At Xplain Data, she brings this combined expertise to support the management team on organizational, administrative, and legal matters, while also helping build structures in our growing organization. Originally from South Africa and with a big heart, she's active with her own charity organization for disadvantaged children — bringing a fresh, multicultural perspective to our team.