Ex-soldier Marcus Neumaier now runs Packeta's operations

Marcus Neumaier spent twelve years serving in the German army, and for more than a year now he has held the post of chief operating officer (COO) at the Packeta group, the company behind Zásilkovna, a delivery service well known to Czechs.

The shift from military discipline to running a logistics business turned out to be a natural continuation of his career: his army experience taught him how to build processes and make decisions under uncertainty — qualities that have proven useful in his new role. Today the nameplate on his office door reads COO, and it's Neumaier who is responsible for how the operations of the group, which runs one of the largest delivery networks in Central Europe, are organized.

Neumaier's story is an example of how an unconventional career path can take someone to the top of a tech company's corporate hierarchy, and how experience gained outside the world of business can become a valuable asset in managing a major logistics operation.