My personal motto? Guaranteed Audience of One. If I’m curious about something, I figure I’m probably not the only one.
Sven Johann Senior Consultant
Sven Johann
With INNOQ since 2016.
Working as Senior Consultant .
Sven lives with his family in Cologne. As a Senior Consultant at INNOQ, he focuses on topics such as software architecture, improving legacy systems, and software delivery.
Previously, he spent many years modernizing medium- and large-scale Java applications. He is an accredited trainer for the CPSA® Foundation Level as well as the Advanced-Level module IMPROVE of the iSAQB®.
Sven also hosts both the CaSE Podcast and the INNOQ Podcast. To balance out his work life, he relies on regular exercise, which has become an important part of his daily routine.
There’s a focused silence in the room. Sven is sitting on a sofa, laptop on his lap. He adjusts the microphone, glances over his notes one last time, clears his throat and hits “Record".
Just like that, he’s deep in conversation with his colleague Michael, who’s joining the INNOQ podcast studio in Cologne via a large screen.
Today’s topic is “cohesion.” Another time, it might be the complexity of modern platforms or data contracts. And that’s exactly what Sven loves about hosting podcasts: discovering fascinating topics, talking to real experts, and broadening his perspective.
This curious mindset doesn’t just shape his work as a podcast host—it’s been a constant throughout his entire career: with stints in the US and the Netherlands, his involvement in industry conferences, his role as an iSAQB® trainer, and in his work as a software developer and architect, where he tends to see frequent technology shifts as a feature rather than a bug.
What I always found fascinating about living abroad was starting from scratch—knowing nothing at first and having to find your way from the ground up.
Sven began his computer science studies with a focus on embedded systems and a sense of adventure. It was the late ’90s, the dawn of the internet age. Everything felt new and exciting, even if topics like robotics and artificial intelligence weren’t nearly as popular then as they are today.
He first encountered software engineering more or less by chance, while working as a student at the Fraunhofer Institute in the US. That experience laid the foundation for what would later become his professional focus: software development.
He was also deeply inspired by his time on both the East and West Coasts of the US. Had it not been for visa restrictions, he probably would have stayed longer.
Back in Germany, the travel bug never quite let go. After a few years in Cologne, he moved to Vienna—and later to the Netherlands, where he joined Trifork in Amsterdam.
These career stops shaped him both professionally and culturally: the delivery-focused mindset in the melting pot that is the US, where the motto was “getting shit done”; the highly efficient yet remarkably family-friendly work culture in the Netherlands; and the structured, methodical approach he encountered in German software companies.
Eventually, he returned to Germany for personal reasons. After the birth of his daughter, the support of extended family back home offered a better foundation for balancing work and family life, something his next job in Germany also had to accommodate.
I see myself as the Product Owner of my own career. If I don’t take responsibility, no one will.
A blog post by INNOQ Managing Director Phillip Ghadir on “Family and INNOQ” had a significant impact on Sven’s decision to apply to the company. But the connection had started long before that: through the Java Magazin column written by Stefan Tilkov and Phillip Ghadir, along with other publications, INNOQ had already been on his radar for quite some time as “a really cool company.”
Later, he met Stefan Tilkov in person through their joint work on the program committees of various conferences, such as QCon London, GOTO Amsterdam, and GOTO Berlin. In all of these interactions and technical exchanges, INNOQ consistently left a positive impression. So when Sven decided to return to Germany, it was immediately clear that INNOQ would be one of the first places he wanted to apply.
What Sven appreciates most about working at INNOQ is the variety. He works both as a consultant and in hands-on roles, often supporting multiple clients in parallel. He enjoys long-term, complex projects just as much as smaller consulting engagements where he’s given a high degree of autonomy. While shifting between different contexts can sometimes be tiring, Sven finds his work most rewarding when everyone’s satisfied with the outcome.
Frequent shifts in technology? Not a problem for Sven. In fact, he sees them as one of the main reasons many people choose a career in software development and as a clear advantage of the field.
At INNOQ, Sven also works as an accredited trainer for the CPSA® Foundation Level. He writes articles, serves on program committees for conferences, and is active as a host and moderator in various audio formats.
“As much as I enjoy the variety,” he admits, “juggling all of it isn’t always easy. But I’m trying to get better at it.”
The best part about INNOQ: I get the space I need to do things my way.
What Sven values most at INNOQ is the balance between autonomy and collaboration: an environment that offers a high degree of freedom without losing the sense of connection and exchange.
What impressed him right from the start was the high level of trust—and the freedom to shape his work that came with it. For Sven, though, that trust goes hand in hand with responsibility.
Employees are encouraged to take ownership of their work: they set their own priorities, contribute ideas, drive topics forward, manage their time and professional development independently, and take responsibility when working with clients.
This culture of ownership is deeply rooted—fueled by team spirit and mutual support.
For Sven, that freedom translates into the ability to structure his workday so that career and family life can flexibly coexist. It also gives him the opportunity to co-organize GOTO conferences and to pursue another passion of his: podcasting.
The best part of being an interviewer? I get to ask the questions that truly interest me.
Sven’s fascination with podcasts began when he first listened to Software Engineering Radio, an English-language show for software developers. He was immediately hooked by the idea of being able to hear from industry experts without having to attend a conference.
Over time, the desire to step behind the mic himself began to grow: to become the interviewer, to choose the topics and the guests. That opportunity came in 2014, when he met Stefan Tilkov. Stefan was already a host on Software Engineering Radio, and after their conversation, he invited Sven to join the team.
A few years later—by then, Sven had joined INNOQ—the two of them, along with other colleagues, launched the CaSE Podcast (Conversations about Software Engineering), where Sven remains an active host to this day.
In 2023, another opportunity came along: he became one of the hosts of the INNOQ Podcast. The main difference between the two shows lies in the choice of guests. On CaSE, the selection is completely open, while the INNOQ Podcast focuses on in-house experts and tech topics from within the company. He really appreciates that colleagues often come to him and his fellow host Anja with interesting ideas—completely on their own initiative.
Most episodes are recorded remotely, with everyone working from home. Sven has his own audio setup at home to support this. Sometimes, recordings also take place at the INNOQ office in Cologne, where the in-person dynamic tends to be stronger, even if the video setup is a bit more involved.
What Sven also finds exciting about podcasting is the preparation and follow-up work: diving deep into the topic, taking time to really explore it, and building a meaningful conversation around it.
I go for the 90 percent solution—perfection isn’t the goal, and it’s okay if something slips now and then.
Sometimes, preparation for the next podcast episode happens at his daughter’s sports club, while he’s waiting. That’s because Sven doesn’t draw a strict line between work and personal life. Quite the opposite: he values the flexibility that allows him to balance both.
After all, he considers his family one of his most important “hobbies,” and spending time with his daughter is a top priority. Driving her to afternoon activities often lines up well with a late lunch break, and any downtime can easily be used to catch up on admin tasks.
Sven’s daily routine is shaped by well-established habits—at least on the days he works from home. He gets up at six and starts the day with a workout, either in his small home gym or on the indoor trainer with his road bike.
When he’s on the road visiting clients, his day often looks a bit different. There’s usually no time for exercise in the morning, but he sometimes takes the opportunity to go for a run in the evening or visit a local gym.
Focused time slots are also essential to his workday. In these blocks, he switches to “autopilot mode” to tackle important tasks, all in the spirit of “getting shit done.”
When it comes to continuous learning, he follows the principle of small steps, or as he puts it: “a paper or a chapter a day.”
Of course, preparing for GOTO conferences and podcast episodes also counts as professional development, just like the hands-on use of new technologies in real-world client projects.
I never expected language—especially German—to be so important. But clear communication is at the heart of good software development.
Sven has some advice for young people interested in getting into software engineering: Just give it a try! If you don’t have the opportunity to code at school, start your own programming projects in your free time.
Only once you realize you actually enjoy it, he says, should you consider an internship. INNOQ, for example, offers internships for high school students.
Enjoying math and physics certainly helps—but what Sven personally underestimated was how important it is to be able to express yourself well, even in a technical field like this. That’s why, if he could give his 15-year-old self one piece of advice, it would be: “Put effort into every subject, you never know what might matter down the line.”
He also encourages university students not to be overly intimidated by current discussions around AI. “Predictions are hard, especially when they’re about the future.”
While IT careers will evolve, Sven doesn’t believe they’ll disappear. The values that really matter to him are curiosity and a willingness to learn, because that’s what drives personal and professional growth.