Torsten Matzak was born on June 28, 1974, in Karl-Marx-Stadt—now known as Chemnitz. He went through school there and graduated high school (Abitur) in 1993 from Gottfried-Leibniz-Gymnasium.
From 2001 to 2006, he studied Political Science at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and earned a Magister Artium degree. He was focused in the field of international politics and the interaction of governments.
Before that, he had already studied Public Administration at the Bavarian University of Public Service (formerly known as the Bavarian Civil Service College) in Hof/Saale, bagging a degree as a Diplom-Verwaltungswirt.
Lifelong Learning & Staying Sharp
Torsten is all about keeping his skills fresh. He got certified in project management with PRINCE2 (Practitioner) and SCRUM (Product Owner) and proved his chops in communication and change management. Basically, he knows how to get stuff done.
Career Hustle
From 1996 to 2012, Torsten worked in different roles for the City of Munich. His last gig there (2006–2012) was as a Project Manager for a strategic IT project that revamped the city’s entire IT setup.
Then, in November 2012, he took a leap and moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to work as an Executive Officer at the Technical Trainers College (TTC). If you wanna know what life in Saudi was like for him, check out Letters from Riyadh. Alongside running the Dean’s Office, he was also responsible for communications at the startup college and advised the Dean on administrative matters. One of his biggest wins? Overhauling key processes and setting up an effective communication system across different channels.
Under his leadership, TTC won the 2013 award for Best Academic Website from the Club of Rectors Council in Oxford. On top of that, he produced the promotional film “TTC – An Institution for the Future of Saudi Arabia” and the GIZ campaign film “Facts & Stories – Technical Trainer in Saudi Arabia.”
Switching It Up
After a leadership shake-up at TTC in March 2014, Torsten transitioned to the Saudi Arabia office of GIZ, working as a Project Manager until July 2015.
Since December 2015, he’s been grinding at Siemens Healthcare as a Business Development Manager for the Saudi branch of this global tech giant.
In March 2016, he took on another role, handling planning, partnerships, and project management—including business development—for Ajyad Knowledge, a Saudi education startup focused on building and running vocational schools. He put together innovative education partnerships tailored to Saudi needs and locked in collaborations with eight international education institutions in record time.
New Chapter: Life in the Canary Islands
Looking for a change but not wanting to drop out of the game, Torsten moved to Tenerife in 2017 to become Director of Litterarius, a consulting and service firm in the education and certification sector. There, he ran operations and project management for five companies under the Litterarius umbrella. If you’re curious about island life, check out Viva Tenerife, where he shares his experiences living and working in the middle of the Atlantic.
More About Torsten
Wanna know more? Hit up his LinkedIn or Xing profiles. He’s also active on Flickr and Instagram, where you can check out snapshots of his journey.
Bonus Round: Passion Projects & Giving Back
Torsten has also dabbled in politics, working for a German political organization, mainly focusing on international relations, development policies, and modernizing public administration.
Since 2004, he’s been a key player in the German-Ghanaian Friendship Circle, a Munich-based development org that built a school center near Kumasi, Ghana, in 1993. Under his watch, the school expanded to hold 200 students and got all the necessary infrastructure in place. As Vice Chairman, he oversaw HR, finance, and public relations. In January 2014, the school was handed over to local authorities, but Torsten still plays a role in guiding its future.
If you wanna reach out, hit him up directly or find him on social media.