Tobias Fenster appointed as one of the Regional Directors by Microsoft

For Tobias Fenster, Chief Technical Officer of the COSMO CONSULT Group, which specializes in digital transformation, Christmas comes in July this year. Microsoft once again selected him to be a Most Value Professional (MVP) in the areas of Business Applications and Microsoft Azure, and shortly after that he was one of 205 specialists for the entire Microsoft portfolio worldwide awarded the title of Regional Director (RD). While the title of MVP is mainly about profound technical expertise, the title of RD require broad knowledge of technologies and strategic skills. Both titles are awarded for a limited period of time and are reviewed regularly.

There are people who collect comics, stickers, toy figures and apps. And there is Tobias Fenster, Chief Technical Officer at the COSMO CONSULT Group. He collects rare, highly qualified awards from Microsoft. At the beginning of July, the company in Redmond again awarded him the title of Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in the areas of Business Applications and Microsoft Azure. This makes him one of 30 people worldwide who Microsoft has named MVP in the area of business applications with a background in Business Central. In Germany he is the only MVP in that area, and only 21 specialists in the country hold the MVP title for Microsoft Azure. Only three people in the world have received the two awards together.

Tobias Fenster has now received the next title: Microsoft is appointing him one of the Regional Directors (RD). As is the case for MVP titles, there is no application procedure. Instead, you have to be nominated by Microsoft or other Directors. While the MVP title focuses on in-depth technical expertise, an RD combines broad knowledge of the field - both the Microsoft portfolio and beyond - with a strategic orientation and business leadership. Those with this title are not only familiar with programming and development, but can also reliably assess market needs in order to strategically position products and companies in the market. "The MVP programs are all about supporting the technology community. The task of a Regional Director, on the other hand, is to promote a constructive exchange of ideas between Microsoft and the community - especially when it comes to strategic issues," says Fenster, explaining the difference between the two programs. “Members of the Microsoft Regional Director program are recognized by Microsoft as being skilled experts and thoughtful advisors. Microsoft relies on continued engagement of Regional Directors (RDs) with both Microsoft senior leadership and technology community leadership to help us build, deliver and promote solutions that customers love. The standard for admission to this program is high and each applicant is carefully reviewed, resulting in only 200 awardees worldwide in 2020.  An RD’s selection is a tribute to their broad technical and business knowledge, community leadership, and ability to connect with Microsoft customers, partners, and product group professionals”, explained Mary Kate Sincero, Regional Director Program Manager at Microsoft.

For COSMO CONSULT the direct line to Microsoft is extremely valuable. It lets the company not only receive information about trends and discussions at an early stage, it can even influence them early on. That means that the software and consulting company’s customers are better informed and can adapt their long- and medium-term IT strategy to fit future developments. It also ensures that Microsoft's strategy is shaped by their needs from the outset. Like the MVP title, the Regional Director award is limited in time and is re-evaluated every two years. The decisive factors here are above all the scope and significance of the contributions provided free of charge by the experts supporting progress in the community and having a public impact.

As CTO at COSMO CONSULT, Tobias Fenster is driving technological change within the group. He is introducing agile working methods, resolutely moving the product portfolio towards the cloud and promoting customer-oriented, creative product development. With his expertise and his network to draw on, he is a major reason that the company, which specializes in digital transformation, will continue to produce impressive innovative solutions based on the latest technologies in the future.