How a data protection officer built the most popular AI event in her company
In this edition of our AI in Action series, we speak with Gundula Wentker, Data Protection Officer and Finance & Controlling at team.blue brand maxcluster.
She went from assessing AI tools for compliance to building a monthly AI Lab that regularly brings together 60–70% of the company.
It’s a story about what happens when the person responsible for keeping things safe becomes one of the people driving AI adoption forward.
AI across team.blue
At team.blue, AI shapes how we work, how we build, and how we serve millions of European SMBs every day. It's embedded across our ecosystem, delivering smarter experiences and simpler paths to success.
Sometimes the strongest proof comes from the person you'd least expect to lead the charge.
From sceptic to pioneer
When AI tools first became more widely available, Gundula’s colleagues were curious to experiment with them, particularly tools that could automatically take notes during meetings.
But in her role as Data Protection Officer, Gundula was looking at them from a different perspective: what happens to the data, where is it stored, and can these tools be used safely?
Gundula's first instinct was caution.
"I was sceptical about the quality of AI output and the secure handling of data. But once it became safer, I was curious. And when I saw the results getting better and better, I was all in."
As Data Protection Officer, Gundula started reviewing AI tools early on to understand whether they met the right security and compliance requirements. She also submitted a formal AI tool request to the Internal IT Governance Board, which eventually led to her joining team.blue’s AI Champions programme. The programme brings together volunteers from across the organisation who share AI knowledge, organise sessions and events, and help their local teams find practical ways to use AI in their work.
For Gundula, the fit was natural. She had already done the groundwork on what was safe to use. Now she could help others get started with confidence. What started as a compliance exercise quickly turned into something else entirely: she saw first-hand how much time AI could save in her own daily work, and she wanted to bring that experience to the rest of maxcluster.
AI-Lab @ maxcluster
Six months ago, the management team at maxcluster asked Gundula to organise a monthly AI workshop for the whole company, and she has been running it ever since.
The idea is simple: once a month, colleagues come together online for an hour to share how they’re using AI in their work. Usually, three people present a topic of their choice, and everyone at maxcluster is welcome to join, no matter their role or how much experience they have with AI.
Gundula puts the programme together by speaking with colleagues about what they’re working on and helping them prepare their presentations. She also makes sure the sessions are easy to follow for everyone. If a topic gets too technical, for example, she works with the speaker to add some context and make it more accessible.
"Often, one department has no idea how or for what purpose another uses AI, what tools are being developed there or which processes are being automated. That's exactly the point: to show what's possible."
The sessions cover everything from step-by-step introductions to new tools, to demonstrations of automated workflows, to updates on projects from across the team.blue ecosystem. The emphasis is always on safe, responsible use.
Between 60 and 70% of all maxcluster staff take part, voluntarily, every month. After the sessions, colleagues continue the conversation. They advise each other, share tips, and build on what they've learned.
What changed
As Data Protection Officer, Gundula regularly reviews the data processing agreements of service providers, a detailed process that can take up quite a bit of time.
She built a project in Claude that allows her to review a DPA against her checklist and document the results. What used to take a full block of focused time now takes 80% less. Customer enquiries related to data protection policy are handled 60 to 75% faster. She also carries out data protection assessments using AI, saving significant time while always double-checking the output.
And the impact goes beyond her own work. After a recent session where a colleague showed how to use Claude Enterprise Connectors in their day-to-day work, several people reached out to learn how they could set up the connectors themselves.
What colleagues say
Christian Neugebauer, IT-Administrator at maxcluster: "Even though I already spend a lot of time working with AI, the AI-Lab helped me learn from people who apply AI in areas I hadn't even considered. That gave me plenty of new perspectives."
Daniel Piel, IT-Service and Process Manager at maxcluster: "Thanks to practical examples from various departments, we benefit directly from our colleagues' experiences. I've already fully integrated two approaches into my work: automated competitor reporting and presenting data analyses as designed websites."
Olga August, Customer Support at maxcluster: "It's exciting to see what has already been implemented and automated using AI here at maxcluster. The discussions with colleagues provide plenty of new ideas and inspiration."
The key to making it stick
When asked how she gets people from "interesting" to actually using AI, Gundula is direct.
"The most important thing is to provide staff with secure AI tools that they are actually allowed to use and experiment with. All AI training is pointless if it remains purely theoretical. It is only through practical application that people learn."
That combination of secure tools and shared learning is what keeps the AI-Lab going. People see what their colleagues have built, they understand the tools are safe to use, and they start experimenting themselves.
A model worth repeating
What Gundula built at maxcluster started small: one person and a simple idea. A monthly session where people come together to share what they’ve learned, exchange experiences and learn from each other. Nothing complicated, and no mandatory attendance.
That's also what makes it replicable. Any team.blue brand could start something like this tomorrow. One person to organise it, three colleagues willing to present, and an open invitation. The rest follows.
Across team.blue, more than 4,000 people in 22 countries are finding their own ways to bring AI into their daily work. Gundula's AI-Lab is one of the clearest examples of how that happens: locally, practically, and led by someone the whole company trusts.
AI in Action is a series where we spotlight the people behind team.blue's AI journey. Real people, real work, real impact.