Birke Ulmer
Dipl.-Ing. Food Technologist (univ.), Life Coach, Health & Nutrition Coach
Lichtenwald
Summary
As a **Food Technology Engineer with international R&D and product development experience**, I combine strong technical expertise with a people-centered approach to leadership. My work as a Health Consultant and Coach has further strengthened my ability to **recognize individual strengths, understand different perspectives, and guide people toward clear goals with empathy and structure**. I believe high-performing teams thrive when people feel seen, trusted, and empowered to contribute their best. This enables me to combine **project focus, cross-functional collaboration, and people management** while creating a positive environment that drives both innovation and performance.
Overview
4
4
Languages
13
13
Certifications
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Health Coach, Nutrition Coach, Life Coach
Self-employeed
08.2022 - Current
- Support clients daily through nutrition, stress, and sleep coaching tailored to high-performer needs.
- Design and run structured 3 month programs with clear goals, tracking, and follow-up for individual clients.
- Provide mental health coaching and Traditional Chinese medicine counseling using calm, client-oriented communication.
- Deliver nutrition education and practical wellness strategies that support lasting behavior change and daily habit formation.
- Monitored client progress and adjusted coaching techniques to ensure optimal results.
Guiding a Family Business & Studies
Family Business
09.2010 - 08.2022
- Provided individualized wellness guidance based on family needs, preferences, and available lifestyle information.
- Maintained organized records for studies and family activities
- Coordinated daily communication to clarify priorities, share updates, and keep family activities moving smoothly.
- Applied stress management coaching approaches to discuss routines, habits, and practical coping strategies.
- Managed independent learning schedules with consistent self-discipline and follow-through over an extended period.
- Used MS Office to format documents, organize notes, and track study and business-related information.
- Passionate about learning and committed to continual improvement.
- Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions, and make decisions.
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
- Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations.
Project Manager Beverages and Culinary Products
NESTLE R&D Shanghai
09.2007 - 08.2010
- Managed 5 cross-functional projects supporting beverage and culinary product development from concept through launch.
- Drove beverage and culinary product development projects through concept refinement, formulation updates, and launch coordination.
- Supported patent filing by organizing technical documentation and aligning inputs from research and development stakeholders.
- Coordinated pilot plant trials, scale-up processes, and process optimization work to advance product readiness.
- Applied ingredient functionality and sensory evaluation feedback to refine recipes and improve product fit.
- Tracked shelf-life testing results and documented findings for team review and next-step decisions.
- Conducted risk assessments and developed mitigation strategies to ensure project success.
- Planned, designed, and scheduled phases for large projects.
Product Developer
Unifine Food & Bake Ingredients (Dawn Foods)
01.2006 - 08.2007
- Guided an Innovation project as project manager for Russian market targeting artificial liquid cream with a certain flavour profile, texture and function. Product creation from scratch, team member selection, sourcing equipment, pilot plant trials, meeting Russian customer etc.
- Prepared prototype samples for internal tasting sessions and customer presentations.
- Developed bakery formulations mainly for French, Dutch and Belgian Market that balanced ingredient functionality, product quality, and manufacturing practicality.
- Conducted sensory evaluations to compare taste, texture, and appearance across product development samples.
- Prepared recipe documentation and trial notes to support consistent development handoffs and review.
- Maintained formulation records, trial notes, and product documentation in MS Office.
Project Management Innovation
SATRO GmbH
09.2004 - 12.2005
- Developed product concepts aligned with project goals, customer needs, and internal development priorities.
- Supported formulation work by documenting ingredient changes, test results, and development feedback.
- Prepared project updates and progress materials for internal reviews and development meetings.
- Contributed to shelf-life testing by recording observations and sharing findings with the development team.
- Reviewed test documentation to keep development records organized, clear, and easy to reference.
- Assisted with recipe revisions based on test feedback, feasibility findings, and production requirements.
Education
Councelor - Traditional Chinese Medicine
Isolde Richter online school for alternative practitioners
Online and on site training08-2022
Counselor - Mental Health and Life Coach
Isolde Richter online school for alternative practitioners
Online06-2021
Counselor - Nutrition & Health Coach
Isolde Richter online school for alternative practitioners
Online07-2020
Dipl.-Ing. (Univ.) - Food Technology
University of Hohenheim
Germany, Germany07-2004
Food Technology
University of Applied Sciences Lemgo
Germany, Germany06-1998
High School Diploma -
Georgii Gymnasium
Esslingen, Germany06-1997
Skills
Nutrition coaching
Stress management coaching
Sleep coaching
Mental health coaching
Traditional Chinese medicine counseling
Client goal setting
Progress tracking
3 month program design, client oriented
Client assessment, goal setting and tracking
Nutrition education
Wellness strategies
Client communication and WhatsAPP support
MS Office
Product development
Formulation development
New product development
Recipe development
Process optimization
Scale-up processes
Ingredient functionality
Sensory evaluation
Shelf-life testing
Pilot plant trials
Cross-functional project coordination
Project management
HACCP compliance
Certification
04/2019 TCM headache/ migraine (90min)
Publications
Patent filing for a fruit juice beverage with milk 2010 with NESTLE
Video Podcast host:
Mission Possible - Erfolgreich gesund
Disclaimer
Yours sincerely
EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE GERMANY
- 09/2007 – 09/2010 Working for NESTLE China in Shanghai as product developer
- 01/2011 – 02/2020 Family manager for 3 children in Singapore and Foshan, China.
- Working without pay at Eton House Foshan to introduce foreign children to German language (1 year)
Timeline
Health Coach, Nutrition Coach, Life Coach
Self-employeed
08.2022 - Current
Guiding a Family Business & Studies
Family Business
09.2010 - 08.2022
Project Manager Beverages and Culinary Products
NESTLE R&D Shanghai
09.2007 - 08.2010
Product Developer
Unifine Food & Bake Ingredients (Dawn Foods)
01.2006 - 08.2007
Project Management Innovation
SATRO GmbH
09.2004 - 12.2005
Councelor - Traditional Chinese Medicine
Isolde Richter online school for alternative practitioners
Counselor - Mental Health and Life Coach
Isolde Richter online school for alternative practitioners
Counselor - Nutrition & Health Coach
Isolde Richter online school for alternative practitioners
Dipl.-Ing. (Univ.) - Food Technology
University of Hohenheim
Food Technology
University of Applied Sciences Lemgo
High School Diploma -
Georgii Gymnasium