Q1 Newsletter
2022
Ginkgo Newsletter Q1 2023
Dear Alumna/dear Alumnus,
We hope you have had a fantastic start to 2023! For Ginkgo and Eraneos, the beginning of the year has been a successful one. We are pleased to announce that several new colleagues have joined our group. In this newsletter, you will find updates about our group, along with other exciting stories and spotlights of our work.
This quarter, we are thrilled to announce that SMP Strategy Consulting, Convalid Analytics, and Deutsche Consulting Partner (DCP) with Weisskopf-Twentyone (W21) are joining the Eraneos Group. Additionally, the establishment of Eraneos Austria is a further highlight of our growth plan. Apart from our project highlights, we have some exciting insights from Singapore and would like to invite you to our epic Summer Party.
Feel free to contact us and send feedback – just drop a line at [email protected]. Now sit back and find out what your former colleagues are up to.
We wish you a happy start to spring and hope to see you on June 16th for the Summer Party! Until then, all the best.
Sincerely,
André
André Lohn
Deutsche Consulting Partner (DCP) and Weisskopf-Twentyone (W21) Join the Eraneos Group
In December, DCP and W21, two consultancies from Düsseldorf, with more than 30 consultants specializing in the financial services sector, joined the Eraneos Group. As a result, clients will now have access not only to extended financial consulting services but also to competencies in process automation. DCP and W21 will strengthen the business in Germany and together with Ginkgo Management Consulting, form Eraneos Germany.
DCP specializes in the financial service industry and is known for its professionally sound and implementation-oriented consulting activities, which will extend Ginkgo’s banking services. On the other hand, W21 is an expert in RPA and will become the center for automation of Eraneos. We are delighted to welcome both consultancies to the group and have already started to strengthen our combined services.
Eraneos is Expanding to Austria
We are thrilled to announce the establishment of Eraneos Austria as the newest region within the Eraneos Group. Eraneos Austria will be led by Ginkgo/Eraneos Germany.
We warmly welcome Dmitry Pashlov as the Managing Director of Eraneos Austria and look forward to many new exciting projects as well as the expansion of our services and products for our clients in the region. Together with our Ginkgo colleagues from Vienna, Eraneos can fully unlock the digital potential of our clients in Austria.
SMP Strategy Consulting and Convalid Analytics Join the Eraneos Group
We are excited to announce that SMP Strategy Consulting and Convalid Analytics GmbH, a subsidiary of SMP, will join the Eraneos Group with immediate effect. This move will strengthen our expertise in growth and transformation strategy, as well as data-driven decision-making. SMP Strategy Consulting and Eraneos Group will further expand their industry leverage and strengthen the business in Germany with more than 70 consultants.
SMP is a recognized strategy consulting firm from Düsseldorf that specializes in growth and transformation strategy. Founded in 1998, SMP has an established and comprehensive portfolio of reputable clients in the energy and resources, insurance, banking, and telecommunications industries. It is known for its strategic, personal, and pragmatic consulting activities, which aim to develop implementable strategies, design outstanding customer experiences, and set up organizations to perform. Together, we will strengthen our combined offer for an excellent customer journey: from elaborated strategy concepts to successful implementation in IT systems – delivered end-to-end in high quality by business experts.
Convalid Analytics combines business expertise and data science skills. In partnership with Ginkgo Analytics, they will further enhance the standing of Eraneos Germany within data analytics, AI, and data-driven decision-making.
Ginkgo China
Until a few years ago, German companies entered the Chinese market because they could produce goods cheaply, and China needed German machines to build up its economy. Moreover, there was a massive demand for Western consumer goods. However, much has changed since then. China is no longer a low-cost production location, the country has caught up technologically, and Chinese consumers have become much more demanding. Environmental issues are also playing an increasingly important role. The market in China is highly competitive, and the common motto here is “everything is possible, nothing is easy.”
Despite the challenges, there is no reason to give up on the Chinese market. Ginkgo has been a registered company in China since 2015 and now aims to establish itself in the long term. To this end, Christian Rose moved to China at the end of last year to better position Ginkgo and Eraneos and to increase business development in the region. Even during the demanding times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ginkgo China has managed to gather over 100 new business contacts, engage German automotive companies in China (such as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Hella, and others) for potential opportunities, and attend several events with many managers, directors, and CEOs of multinational corporations (as far as COVID regulations allowed).
In October of last year, Christian had the honor of being invited by the mayor of Changshu to a delegation meeting with the German Center Shanghai. He had the opportunity to tour companies such as Hoermann, Continental, and Mahle, as well as visit automotive suppliers in the high-tech zone. This event proved to be valuable, as Christian was able to see and hear insightful market input from these companies, and it was also a great opportunity to expand the local network.
If you have a WeChat account, please follow Ginkgo China for the latest news by scanning the QR code.
Software One – Transformation of the Global Sales Department
One of our clients is in the process of transforming from a license reselling company to an IT service provider. Based on the customer’s overall strategic goals, we have led this transformation by creating and executing a new target operating model for the global sales department. As part of this project, we developed a new customer engagement model, introduced new roles for all sales employees, oversaw the implementation of a new CRM system and a backend sales system, and revised the customer segmentation to better align with the needs of a service provider, among other initiatives. Although the implementation is still ongoing, the customer is already benefiting from the transformation with significantly improved sales process efficiency.
M&A
Ginkgo has won new client engagement in the logistics industry to aid their inorganic growth strategy. During the initial project phases, we assisted the client with a series of IT capability assessments (pre-deal and deal execution phase) to aid decision-making regarding valuable and sustainable investments. With our industry-agnostic approach, the client was also able to position the IT department as a value driver. In a more conservative and less digitally developed environment, IT is often seen as a “necessary evil” in terms of investments, but this perception changed fundamentally during the engagement. The structured assessment approach, which covered 8 C-level assessment areas and always focused on business impact, supported the change in awareness.
We are currently providing support for post-deal activities related to IT-focused acquisitions.
Bitkom Whitepaper “Quo Vadis Digital Logistics?”
In 2022, Ginkgo became a member of BitKom e.V., a group whose primary goal is to make Germany a leading digital location. To achieve this objective, BitKom members collaborate and influence opinions on digital matters. Ginkgo contributed to the white paper “Quo Vadis Digital Logistics?” by showcasing a project delivered for our client, Hapag-Lloyd, which was covered under the use case “AI Platform for Transport Automation.” Our colleagues from Ginkgo Analytics successfully completed the AI platform’s development using a reusable technology stack. The platform’s development was ensured by rapid prototyping, and the implementation of a proof of concept validated it. Unfortunately, Ginkgo had to terminate the collaboration with BitKom as we were unable to achieve our overall goals.
Lünendonk Article “Early Talent Management Creates Long-Term Competitive Advantages”
Ginkgo has published an article in the Lünendonk-Handbuch Consulting 2023. The article “Frühzeitiges Talentmanagement verschafft langfristig Wettbewerbsvorteile” addresses the question of how talents can be retained in M&A processes. The article combines the latest insights from M&A, demographic change, and psychological change management.
The competence areas Merger and Acquisition and Leadership, Change & Organization have worked closely together to answer the central question of the article in a cross-functional way and as great example for cross-CA collaboration.
Hauke Meyer
Dr. Olaf Radant
Thomas Rühle
Daniel Sausgruber
Strategy Roundtable Singapore
In February, a select group of leaders from different industries and functions met at our first Digital Roundtable Event in Singapore. Over snacks and some drinks, they learned about the 5 Dimensions of the Growth Mindset, how to develop them and their importance for successfully leading (digital) transformations. After taking the 5DGM Assessment, the results led to a lively and fun discussion amongst the participants. Our guest speaker Ian Dyason helped us understand that growth is not always good and fixed is not necessarily bad depending on the job and role at hand.
Another Epic Summer Party Awaits You
On June 16th, we will celebrate our traditional Summer Party. We have gone all out this year in planning an amazing event for all Ginkgos and Alumni. As usual, you can bring your spouse/partner and any children. At the Summer Party, we will have loads of activities for kids, teens, and adults alike along with plenty of food and drinks. Just to give you a hint as to what we are planning: pony rides, bouncing castle, video game corner, and much more!
The summer party will take place at Georg Pietrzak’s place and will start at 15 o’clock. Please note that the event will be hosted outside of Hamburg, near Neumünster in the countryside. You should have already received an invitation for the party, but if not, please reach out. If you need any further information or have questions about what Ginkgo will cover and what you must cover, please contact Aaron. We are looking forward to seeing you at the party!
We hope you enjoyed our Alumni newsletter and appreciate your feedback. If you have any ideas or questions, feel free to reach out to us via [email protected].
Are there any fairs or events we should be aware? Just let us know! Would be great to meet you there.
We wish you a successful start into Spring.
Best wishes from Ginkgo