A Journey of growth and passion
Cotecna
Technology Feature
A Journey of growth and passion 2
Issue 102 · Business Enquirer Magazine
Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 102
3
PROJECT DIRECTED BY
WRITTEN BY
Liam O’Hara
Jay Benmehidi
Cotecna
I
n a world which is nothing if not competitive, attaining success in life and in business are goals that all aspire for and yet few achieve. However, whilst the journey to success is fraught with challenges and adversity, the journey can be a little less arduous for those who find their passion, and are then able to marry this passion with the drive and discipline needed to progress in the professional world – something that Vincent Gauriat, Chief Information Officer at COTECNA, discovered over the course of his own journey, albeit unexpectedly as he admits: “My passion for IT started during my years at the university where I learned development languages. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was a student but, by chance, I got the opportunity to work in a small IT shop where I was building, installing, and servicing personal computers, printers and networks for end customers. I found it so diverse to discover all these different fields and jobs behind that one little word ‘IT.’ I was totally fascinated! I told myself that this was really what I wanted to do because I would never be bored!
4
Issue 102 · Business Enquirer Magazine
So, I decided to start my career in IT quickly and to complete my studies in evening classes. I quickly understood that IT was a field in constant evolution that still has a lot of development and technique to innovate. Being a Chief Information Officer now that knows exactly how a computer works internally, all the components, I am different from many in my position. Coming from an IT technician background at the very beginning of my career, I am able to talk about really technical things with anyone in my team, from the lowest to the highest, about really deep topics that can be highly technical and very complex.” Inspired by this endless complexity and scope for learning in this most fascinating of sectors, Vincent has enjoyed a stellar career 20+ year career in IT that has seen him earn a reputation as a thought-leader and highly capable technician amongst his peers at COTECNA. COTECNA employees performing an inspection
Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 102
5
Cotecna As a leading provider of testing, inspection and certification services, COTECNA offers worldclass solutions to facilitate trade and make supply chains safer and more efficient for its clients. Its trusted network of professionals and certified laboratories provide expertise across four key sectors: agriculture & food, government & trade, minerals & metals, and general cargo. Founded in Switzerland in 1974, COTECNA started life as a family business, and has since grown to become a leading international player with 3,000 employees in close to 100 offices across more than 50 countries. Today, as Chief Information Officer at COTECNA, Vincent manages a team of more than 120 people across 30 countries and a multi-million-dollar annual budget. Certainly, the IT veteran has come a long way since he took the opening steps of his career with the highly regarded French insurance broker, Sofaxis, and later Amadeus Group, as a database administrator, an invaluable experience which Vincent taught him the fundamentals of working in the corporate world:
6
Issue 102 · Business Enquirer Magazine
“This experience has been a building block for me because handling data is being at the heart of the company. You must have a global understanding of all the IT domains - infra, operations, development, security - and of course business processes to ensure data is well structured, that access to it is quick, always available and more than everything, that this is well secured and protected. After 6 years in Sofaxis, I moved to the south of France where I worked as a contractor for the Amadeus group, still as a Database Administrator. Working for this multinational group in a multicultural environment was a very rich experience that gave me then the opportunity to move to Switzerland where I have joined Cotecna 14 years ago.” After working his way up through the ranks in various positions, such as Database Team Manager, Regional IT Manager, and Global IT Director, Vincent was finally awarded the CIO role, in which he has consolidated his reputation as a visionary strategist with a strong can-do attitude and a willingness to take bold actions.
Technology Feature Over the course of his tenure as COTECNA’s head of IT, Vincent has reshaped the IT function several times over to create a better, more nimble division that is not only able to achieve internal excellence but also proactive in providing solutions to clients – one, which Vincent proudly said, has succeeded in gaining some really important victories on the field with the business: “I was once visiting our Dubai office, discussing with the country manager an opportunity he had in Abu Dhabi where I wanted to have a really modern application using a smartphone that could come with a QR code reader fully integrated in all our systems with different systems but unfortunately, we don’t have that in our catalogue. I was with my head of IT. operations at the time, and we said, ‘yeah, we don’t have that, but we are not that far from having that so let’s go, let’s meet them, let’s connect and find out exactly what they want, and we will be able to come back in one or two months maximum with a solution.’ We did that successfully. We won the tender for COTECNA, and at the same time changed the perception of the business in the eyes of the client, who from then will think ‘it’s good that we talk directly to you about what we need and all the business opportunities, because obviously you have solutions, and even if you don’t have them, you are able to provide them quickly.’ Definitely that’s been the biggest achievement in my past five years. It’s being ready to move the IT team with the internal mindset, but also the external perception to move from a being a technical supplier to a business enabler.”
Cotecna
Definitely that’s been the biggest achievement in my past five years ... to move from being a technical supplier to a business enabler
“With Cotecna being part of a new customer engagement program at SAP, we have fundamentally reset the relationship in 2021 and are now working closely together to define strategies and roadmaps to address the challenges and potentials of the digital transformation, especially in finance, at Cotecna. I am looking forward to an exciting collaboration.” Lukas Dumhard
Account Executive, SAP Switzerland
Vincent’s efforts to level-up IT have been far-reaching. He has integrated the product team - which previously reported to business management – into IT and utilised them to transform the team into a more customer-centric organisation, focused on products and value-add, not just technology. This has been a gruelling, and at times emotional journey that has seen Vincent and his people say goodbye to friends and colleagues as the necessary changes were made to
8
Issue 102 · Business Enquirer Magazine
Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 102
9
Cotecna improve and streamline the division, but as Vincent observed the transformation was possible because of the commitment of every member of the team to this change - everyone understood and shared the same vision that, while tough, the changes that were underway were for the greater good. As the IT division’s good standing today shows, such sacrifices were a necessary measure: “Under my leadership, our internal software development centre has grown to become a centre of excellence promoting agility and also having a dedicated team of engineers working on innovation initiatives for the group. In parallel, two years ago we launched a new competence centre in India to efficiently manage all our maintenance and support tasks. I launched our digital workplace project in 2019 and when the pandemic started in 2020, we already had all the new collaboration tools used by our employees, so the transition to the “new world” was extremely fast and efficient across the group. Finally, we have made huge strides in securing the group at all levels: hiring a new CISO, upgrading our security tools (antivirus, antispam, SIEM), and setting up an SOC team.” All-in-all it has been a fascinating and, at times, bewildering professional journey for Vincent, who admits he never aspired to become a C-suite executive at any stage – it all just happened organically as his career progressed. The question is what next? Having already earned a seat at the top table, and being in his element at his home in Geneva – a paradise location for any avid snowboarder and mountaineer – does Vincent have any thoughts of moving on from here? Not according to Vincent – going forward, the next step is simply carry on carrying in his present role and to keep working to further optimise IT at the group. He concluded:
10
Issue 102 · Business Enquirer Magazine
“The group is on a wonderful growth journey where, of course, IT products and innovation will play a key role. So our ambition is to be more adaptable, more resilient and more creative every day! We are growing organically but also through mergers and acquisitions. For me, the ambition is to be the CIO of the future COTECNA Group which will be twice, three times - or even more! - larger. On a personal level, being a permanent member of the executive committee is a key factor. I am part of this new generation of leaders who value collaboration and teamwork in a respectful environment more than anything else. Selecting the right profile to build your team is essential but not enough. Once you have your champions, you need to trust them, hold them accountable and do everything possible to ensure that they are in a position to achieve their goals - both on a corporate and personal level. On top of that, give them a clear and transparent vision of the fact that together we can achieve something much bigger than any of our individual roles and you will get an over-performing team. Proactive personality, adapting to change, with experience working in fast-paced environments, I put the client first and successfully manage large product-based organisation across the multiple client-facing capabilities.”
I am part of this new generation of leaders who value collaboration and teamwork in a respectful environment more than anything else
+41 22 8496900 cotecna.geneva@cotecna.com www.cotecna.com
info@busenq.com www.busenq.com