May 2017
www.businessrevieweurope.eu
> 7 OF THE BEST DRIVERLESS VEHICLE TRIALS
> TOP 10 MULTINATIONAL WORKPLACES IN EUROPE
> TELIA FINLAND OYJ: BEHIND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE LARGEST DATA CENTRE IN FINLAND
> MÖVENPICK CEO OLIVIER CHAVY A LIFE IN HOSPITALITY
> MICROCRED: USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE AFRICA’S PAYMENTS SECTOR
Market-leading technology and proven expertise. Why settle for less?
Primary and Special Servicing Multi-channel Origination Residential Mortgages Equity Release Commercial Mortgages Secured Loans Bridging Development Finance Asset Finance Unsecured Loans Deposits
As a market-leading provider of agile technologies for servicers, banks, building societies and lenders, Phoebus Software Limited (PSL) provides optimum sales and operational efficiencies to organisations ranging from Tier 1 lenders to new start-up businesses and smaller scale operations. Founded 25 years ago, PSL is a genuine business enabler covering every aspect of origination and servicing for both lending and deposits. Over 50 lenders have portfolios managed on Phoebus and we have more than ÂŁ25billion of assets under management on Phoebus servicing. With multi-channel originations for B2B and B2C distribution and integrated workflow for automation
to drive efficiency, our comprehensive primary and special servicing offer includes securitisation, integrated general ledger, loan migration manager as well as syndication and sub participation. Work with PSL and you’ll be able to drive your business forward with our highly flexible system, delivered by an experienced team focused on creating solutions that exactly meet your needs. For lending and banking solutions that are proven, contact Richard Pike, Sales & Marketing Director on 07976 561011 or email rp@phoebussoftware.com www.phoebus.co.uk
EDITOR’S COMMENT
DATA DRIVEN DATA IS EVERYWHERE in our lives. From subscribing to Netflix or Amazon to connecting cars to phones, data is the (not so) new commodity on the block. May’s magazine kicks off by looking into this rapidly advancing world of data – we speak to Juha Ekman of Telia Finland about its new data centre in Helsinki, set to become the largest in the country. Driverless vehicles also run on data, and Jess Shanahan looks at seven of the most significant autonomous trials taking place around Europe. Sticking with technology, we also caught up with Microcred about its latest operations and investments. This is a particularly interesting case, providing much needed financial services to communities in Africa. Before this you will find my interview with Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts CEO Olivier Chavy. Having spent his life working in hospitality, there is no better person to speak to regarding what it takes to successfully open a hotel. Hotels are often vibrant multinational workplaces – we round off by examining the top 10 multinational companies to work for in Europe.
I hope you enjoy the issue; as ever please join the debate: @BizReviewEurope
Tom Wadlow Editor tom.wadlow@bizclikmedia.com
3
F E AT U R E S
lifelong hospitality
OLIVIER CHAVY PROFILE
20
TECHNOLOGY
SEVEN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TRIALS CHANGING MOBILITY IN EUROPE 4
May 2017
LIST
32
TOP 10 Multinational workplaces in Europe
08
Y
C O M PA N Y PROFILES
46
Telia Company Construction
Key Retirement Group Technology
78
66
Microcred Technology
112
Sky Europe Technology
92
INTERVIEW:
Phil Jordan Technology
TECHFOR BRITAIN CONFERENCE
exploring technology impact in business with...
June 9th, Stamford Bridge, London The Tech for Britain conference will welcome some serious tech talent from across the UK & Europe for a day of keynotes, presentations, panel discussions and networking. Join us and hear from Chief Technology Officers, Chief Information Officers, Heads of Technology from BBC, Facebook, NHS & so many more
use code euro20 & save 20% www.techforbritain.co.uk/euro
PROFILE
OLIVIER CHAVY lifelong hospitality
From as early as 12 years old, new Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts CEO Olivier Chavy knew hospitality was the industry for him. From hotel general management to CEO and presidency of a global interior design firm, Chavy brings with him a wealth of experience to drive forward Mövenpick’s expansion plans
W R I T T E N B Y: T O M W A D L O W
“I HAVE BEEN on fast-track mode ever since I started in September last year,” says Olivier Chavy, CEO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (MH&R). “The traditional 90-day settling in period was more like 90 hours. It has been fantastic, I have met some amazing talented and dedicated professionals.” Having opened 80 hotels either 10
May 2017
as a general manager or overall boss throughout his career, Chavy is perfectly placed to execute MH&R’s bold plans for growth. “We have committed to 125 hotels by 2020, which means we have to sign one new property every other week or so,” he explains. Regions targeted for this growth comprise Europe, Africa the Middle
Advice from the top
I try to always put across three things that are never ever negotiable and that is ethics, loyalty and honesty. T hat is a given. T he next piece of advice I would give is spend 100 percent of your time doing your job, and then 15 percent of your time doing some networking and 15 percent of your time doing some benchmarking. Look at competition, look at behaviour. T hat’s 130 percent of your time, a day well spent. East and especially South East Asia and the likes of Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The most important thing for this growth to emerge successful, Chavy says, is finding the best hires in these new target locations. “Having the right front liners at the back and front of house to run the hotel from day one is key,” he
adds. “Factors like the hardware, location and design are also vital components, but more important is the ability to deliver an amazing experience, and people do this. “I was in Sri Lanka at the start of the year to open a brand new hotel, the Mövenpick Colombo, which is the first new luxury hotel to open in the country for 25 years. The method for 11
PROFILE hiring staff there very much revolved around role plays rather than interviews. In groups of three or four management were able to assess charisma, grooming, professionalism among other things. As a result the mix of the new hire is amazing. I could feel the pride at every corner of the hotel during the opening, and this is because we went beyond looking at resumes and interviews. The hires I spoke to shared with me their experiences and how eye opening it was – it not only convinced the recruiters but also themselves that they are fit for the role and that the role is right for them.”
APPEALING TO THE 5 SENSES The way Chavy himself experiences hotels as a user is evident in how he is developing MH&R’s ‘we make moments’ ethos. “Nowadays clients are becoming less and less loyal to a brand, they are more attached to their five senses,” he says. Guest experience is more important than ever before, with a higher proportion of consumer reviews than ever focusing on the experience element ahead of other factors such as the 12
May 2017
bricks and mortar of a hotel. “Whenever I visit a hotel I always see what my senses are telling me on first impression,” Chavy explains. “You will always see me trying to touch the wall, the tiles, breathing and smelling the air. It is almost like buying a new car – that smell is something you don’t forget. The small details are the ones people remember, and can sometimes be the difference between a
About Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an international upscale hotel management company with over 16,000 staff members, is represented in 24 countries with 83 hotels, resorts and Nile cruisers currently in operation.
boring and a great experience.” A not insignificant detail launched in February in Germany and Switzerland is a brand new sleeping experience in the form of a smart mattress, the very first bed in the hotel industry where guests can alter its hardness. “It is amazing,” Chavy affirms, “and even allows the left and right side to be different. We started with 600 beds and will roll it out across the board very quickly.”
Focusing on expanding within its core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts specialises in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, all reflecting a sense of place and respect for their local communities. Of Swiss heritage and with headquarters in central Switzerland (Baar), Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is passionate about delivering premium service and culinary enjoyment – all with a personal touch. Committed to supporting sustainable environments, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has become the most Green Globecertified hotel company in the world. The hotel company is owned by Mövenpick Holding (66.7 percent) and the Kingdom Group (33.3 percent). For more information, please visit www.Mövenpick.com.
13
PROFILE
14
May 2017
L I F E L O N G H O S P I TA L I T Y
ENERGY
Olivier Chavy Olivier Chavy received his Masters in Business Administration from Cornell University, a postgraduate diploma from ESSEC Business School and a BA in Hotel Management from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Hotel Management School in France. He is a dual citizen of the United States and France and fluent in French, English and German. Chavy has a solid operating experience including hotel openings on three different continents. He served as International Head, Global Brand Performance of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands for Hilton Worldwide. His experience in brand building and development in the hospitality industry led him to his previous role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Wilson Associates, a leading global interior architectural design firm.
Chavy speaks with an exuberance that takes him back to the youthful age of 14. “I was taking cooking classes by then, and had already told my parents I wanted to work in the hospitality business,” he says. “Nobody in my family was working in hospitality at the time, but this is the sector I can remember wanting to work in. I love cooking, I always visit the chefs in our hotels. I then got to experience other parts of the hotel business and slowly moved into the management side.” And having worked his way to the very top of the industry, Chavy’s leadership style is clearly moulded on a respect for transparency between all layers in the hospitality hierarchy. Each month he updates staff on his activities, while managers relay to him the ins and outs of the week. “You need to adapt yourself,” he insists. “It is not a halfway process anymore. I am very approachable and not in any way territorial. There are no walls. I don’t like egocentric titles or positions, I don’t like staff restaurants versus executive restaurants. We’re in the same boat. “This approach is driven by a 15
PROFILE passion, and there is no limit to what you can do with passion. I love my job and I love to feel this energy from the people around me, and I love to transmit this energy.” Chavy’s love affair for the industry could be the start of a new family dynasty, for his 26-year-old son Michael appears to be following in his father’s footsteps. He is currently working in Orlando and studying a Masters in Hospitality and Management, with dad Olivier on hand as mentor. “Michael calls me from time to time to tell me about any struggles and it’s always work related with a heart-felt passion, and I respect this a lot,” he says. SWITCH OFF With more than two thirds of his time spent travelling the world meeting Mövenpick owners and staff, there is no place like home for Chavy. A seasoned globetrotter, home ranks among his favourite places to travel. “If I have to rank three places, first would be home because I spend so much time travelling, and time with the family becomes all the more precious,” he adds. “Outside of home my favourite destination to travel is Southeast Asia, countries with so much culture, history and tradition. Countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and Thailand 16
May 2017
L I F E L O N G H O S P I TA L I T Y
feel like they have something different in terms of family culture and values. More recently I opened a new hotel in Marrakech, and I loved my time there too. The culture, the energy, the spices, the smells are all wonderful.” The non-stop lifestyle of a global hotel and resort CEO leads one to wonder if there is such a thing as a work-life balance, which leads Chavy to explain a competency test ran by previous employer Hilton that has stayed with him ever since. The ability to switch off as well as remain switched on is, perhaps, an unlikely secret to his success to date. He concludes: “I have a passion for my work so for me being at work is not like being in jail. But, during my time at Hilton one of the competencies they assessed was your resilience and ability to switch off. I do try to do this – for example yesterday I had a couple of tough meetings and I decided to leave early at 6pm and bike on the tracks here in Dubai until 10, and I had a blast. This is the way I can find some me time, and these times are so valuable to refuel the tank and my energy for the job. So yes, balance is key.” 17
9 - 10 May 2017, London, UK
OPEN BANKING SU Fostering Open APIs & Data Sharing, to Drive Innovation & Customer Choice www.finance-edge.com/openbanking
#openban
Explore the strategic ramifications of the mov and what this means for our digital economie Open Banking Summit in May.
Plus!
+ 25 speakers confirmed Pre-Summit Workshops on 9 May Be part of an event that will shape how yo View full agenda
www.finance-e
UMMIT
nkingsummit
ve to open banking, es at ECN’s
20% DISCOUNT with code
BRE20
ou do business tomorrow
edge.com/openbanking
TECHNOLOGY
SEVEN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TRIALS CHANGING MOBILITY IN EUROPE Writ ten by JESS SHANAHAN
There’s no doubt autonomous vehicles are going to play a part in the future of how we travel, but there are a few barriers that need to be overcome first from the insurance implications through to public perception. These European trials are all focused on making driverless transport a reality
TECHNOLOGY
DRIVERLESS VEHICLE TRIALS are happening all across Europe with buses, cars and lorries being tested on public roads and in controlled environments. Despite interest from cities across the world in autonomous vehicles, the UK still leads the way for realworld trials with these futuristic cars. Those who embrace driverless technology now, be it in a small-scale public transport sense or a wider logistics sense, are going to be the innovators and market leaders in the years to come as this technology takes off. Here are seven trials happening around Europe that will shape the way we move.
22
May 2017
SE V EN AUTO N O MO U S VEH I C LE T R IA L S CHA NGING M O B IL IT Y IN E UR OP E
VENTURER TRIALS, UK These trials taking place in Bristol and South Gloucestershire in the UK are focusing on the end game when it comes to an autonomous city. The trials not only look at the practicalities of autonomous vehicles, but also insurance implications and safety. One focus is how these autonomous vehicles will hand driver control back from autonomous mode and vice versa. Another is how pedestrians will interact with these vehicles and also how willing people will be to car share when no one person is responsible for driving. The purpose of these trials is look at the human and social implications of this new technology as it could have a profound effect on how we move about our cities in the future. 23
TECHNOLOGY
EU TRUCK PLATOONING CHALLENGE Logistics firms are also getting involved in driverless trials. A group of manufacturers have joined forces to create driverless platoons of trucks to show off the latest technology and bring it one step closer to reality. Six brands of automated trucks - DAF Trucks, Daimler Trucks, Iveco, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania and Volvo Group - have been driving in columns on public roads. These trucks can follow very close to one another with no delay in braking when the truck ahead slows down or stops. Eliminating the reaction time of a human makes these trucks safer, means they can travel more quickly and save space by travelling smaller distances apart. Those involved hope that by showcasing the technology and safety of these platoons, EU member states will consider granting permission for these trucks to be common place on roads across Europe.
24
May 2017
GA TE W AY ,U K
SE V EN AUTO N O MO U S VEH I C L E T R IA L S CHA NGING M O B IL IT Y IN E UR OP E
The Greenwich Automated Transport Environment is a living laboratory for autonomous technologies. Its purpose is to determine how autonomous public transport can fit into our urban environment and uncover any barriers that need to be overcome before it can be a reality. The project will also trial and validate a series of different use cases for automated vehicles, including driverless shuttles and automated urban deliveries. 25
TECHNOLOGY
UK AUTODRIVE Another UK trial, this time taking place in the cities of Coventry and Milton Keynes. The three-year project aims to integrate autonomous vehicles into the real-world environment and show how they can tackle everyday challenges such as congestion. The trial will also demonstrate the power of electric self-driving pods. All this information will go on to inform stakeholders such as legislators, insurers and investors.
26
May 2017
SE V EN AUTO N O MO U S VEH I C LE T R IA L S CHA NGING M O B IL IT Y IN E UR OP E
DRIVE ME LONDON CITY BUS SION Two driverless buses are being trailed in the Swiss city of Sion. They reach speeds of up to 20 km per hour and are shuttling passengers around in these public trials. The buses use a number of sensors and cameras to safely navigate the city on set routes but, at this stage, there is still a safety driver on board to assist passengers and stop the vehicle if needed.
This test from Swedish car maker Volvo differs from other trials by using real families in autonomous cars on public roads. The focus of the trial is not only the feasibility of semi-autonomous and fully-autonomous cars but also their safety and ability to reduce congestion. By 2018 the trial aims to have at least 100 of these cars on the road, making it one of the largest autonomous vehicle trials in the world.
27
TECHNOLOGY
SWISSCOM DRIVERLESS CAR SWITZERLAND Swisscom, Switzerland’s leading telecoms company, is testing a driverless car on city roads; it’s equipped with cameras, sensors, radar and an on-board computer to help it manoeuvre safely. The driverless car enables Swisscom to gather empirical data for the mobility of the future, including what this means for communication. It’ll also look at how vehicles, objects and people can be optimally networked. Efficient traffic control systems result in less congestion, which in turn helps the environment and reduces economic costs - all good reasons for Swisscom to get involved in the issue of future mobility. 28
May 2017
It’s these trials happening across Europe and others across the world that will help to shape the future of mobility and how we move around our cities. It’s likely that as transport is going to get safer and more efficient, we’ll also be seeing the rise in mobilityas-a-service, with fewer people owning cars and more people simply calling for a car or bus as we currently do with services such as Uber. That’s not to say people won’t still own cars, but commuting will be fundamentally different and there’s the chance we’ll be able to free up our travel time to get work done, catch up with friends or learn a new skill, rather than sitting behind the wheel in traffic.
SE V EN AUTO N O MO U S VEH I C LE T R IA L S CHA NGING M O B IL IT Y IN E UR OP E
29
TOP 10 Multinational workplaces in Europe
Written by: Tom Wadlow
TOP 10
We take a look at the 10 best multinational companies to work for in Europe, according to research carried out by Great Place to Work
33
TOP 10
10 Hilti / manufacturing
Website: www.careers.hilti.com
For the fourth year running, Hilti was ranked among Europe’s Best Multinational Companies to work for by Great Place to Work. At Hilti, employees benefit from a thorough review and coaching process and high performers can quickly move into leadership positions. Consequently, 80 percent of Hilti’s management positions are filled by internal candidates. 93 percent of Hilti employees say in an internal survey (91 percent participation rate) they’re proud to work for Hilti, thanks to the challenging jobs, the development opportunities across areas and geographical borders and its strong corporate culture and values.
34
May 2017
TOP 7 BEST BUSINESS ON WEBSITE
09 A dmiral.com / insurance Website: www.admiraljobs.co.uk
As well as being recognised by Great Place to Work, insurance giant Admiral has been praised by the Welsh government for the high standard of health and wellbeing of its staff, through the Gold Corporate Health Standard award. Run by the Welsh Government through Healthy Working Wales, the Corporate Health Standard (CHS) is the quality mark for workplace health promotion in Wales. The Standard recognises good practice and targets key preventable illhealth issues and the Health Challenge Wales priorities. 35
TOP 10
08 AbbVie / pharmaceuticals Website: www.abbviecareers.com
Biotechnology and pharma company AbbVie is listed in several European territories, including France, Ireland, Spain, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Finland and Norway.
36
May 2017
TOP 7 BEST BUSINESS ON WEBSITE
07 NetApp / technology Website: www.careers.netapp.com
Leading organisations worldwide count on NetApp for software, systems and services to manage and store data. The company helps customers capitalise on the value of their data in the hybrid cloud through its Data Fabric strategy, data management expertise, portfolio and ecosystem. NetApp is a regular on the Great Place to Work lists, which it says reflects “our unique offering of employee benefits and our culture of credibility, fairness, respect, pride, and camaraderie�. 37
TOP 10
06 W. L. Gore / manufacturing Website: www.gore.com/careers
Listed in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, W. L. Gore is a technology-led product innovator. The company has more than 10,000 employees, called associates, with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan and China, and sales offices around the world.
38
May 2017
TOP 7 BEST BUSINESS ON WEBSITE
05 A decco / professional services Website: www.adecco.co.uk/jobs
Adecco Group, a leading provider of workforce solutions, qualified as a result of its success in appearing in Great Place to WorkÂŽ Best Company lists in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The Group also ranked 5th in the 2016 Best Workplaces in Europe. 39
TOP 10
04 Cisco / technology
Website: www.netapp.com/us/careers/index.aspx
Cisco revolves its recruitment around its Our People Deal manifesto. This, according to the company, “shares the story of who we are, what we do and where we’re heading. It is also the foundation of Our People Deal, outlining what you can expect of us as a company and what we expect of you”. The company is a regular feature of Great Place to Work lists, not only in Europe, but around the world.
40
May 2017
TOP 7 BEST BUSINESS ON WEBSITE
03 E MC / technology
Website: www.jobs.dell.com
Dell’s cloud storage giant EMC is another high-ranking regular on Great Place to Work rankings. Dell EMC services its customers, including 98 percent of the Fortune 500, with what it says is the industry’s broadest, most innovative infrastructure portfolio from edge to core to cloud. 41
TOP 10
02 Daimler Financial Services financial services
Website: www.daimler.com/career
In total, around 5,900 employees work for Daimler Financial Services in Europe. To qualify for the European ranking, a company has to belong to the top employers within a minimum of three countries. Daimler Financial Services is among the best employers in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey and United Kingdom.
42
May 2017
TOP 7 BEST BUSINESS ON WEBSITE
01 M ars / manufacturing Website: jobs.mars.com
Mars owns brands far beyond its iconic chocolate bar in sectors spanning drinks, savoury food and even pet care, with 11 of these worth more than a billion dollars. Operating in 74 countries with more than 75,000 employees (called Associates) and 100,000-plus suppliers, the family-owned conglomerate has been recognised not only as a global branding powerhouse, but also among the top 25 best multinational workplaces, ranking number one in Europe. 43
FROM DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TO MOBILE INNOVATION As the importance of digital in almost all companies grows, there is increasing emphasis on the Chief Digital Officer (CDO), not just as a spearhead for digital transformation but as a ‘jack of all trades.’ Many believed, wrongly, that the role of the CDO was essentially to make his or herself redundant - in achieving full digital transformation at a company, there would be by definition no reason for the role to exist. But this belief failed to take into account one of the defining features of digital: It’s ever-changing. The constant and dizzying evolution of technology demands a similar evolution in the C-suite, and where the CDO was once vying for a position at the table, it now commands a leading role. Alongside the rise of prominence of the CDO, mobile has exploded and is now a key strategic concern for businesses the world over. Mobile users in the UK spend an average of 66 hours a month browsing on a smartphone, and mobile recently overtook desktop as the primary medium for internet consumption. This presents both huge challenges and equally exciting opportunities for brands. Mobile means that companies can reach their customers wherever they are, and the opportunity for location-specific marketing is only beginning to be properly explored now. The growth of chatbots and messaging app integration is something all brands should be aware of, too, and the very relationship brands have with them. But mobile doesn’t just affect the customerfacing aspects of a business. We are now at the point where it is impossible to separate mobile from the wider role of digital in a business’ daily operations. Employees can be very feasibly more remote and round the clock availability is possible (if not always desired). With this is mind, this 27-28 April will see Innovation Enterprise play host to the Digital
Innovation Festival London. At the home of Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge, the Chief Digital Officer Forum will take place alongside the Mobile Innovation Summit. Across the twoday event, the pertinent issues from both huge industries will be discussed at length, from some of both industries’ leading voices. The Chief Digital Officer Forum will focus mainly on adapting business culture following digital transformation, as well as driving innovation and implementing digital development. It will cover everything from the differing role of the CDO in traditional and online companies to how to get your team onboard with data & analytics. Among those speaking at the event will be Philips, the BBC, the NHS, HSBC, Lloyds, News UK, BBC Sport, Clarks, Time Inc., and many more. At the Mobile Innovation Summit, attendees will hear insight from the likes of American Express, Compare the Market, Virgin Active, UNEP, Shazam, Telegraph Media Group, Daily Motion, and many others. The key topics of the event will be the implementation of mobile-first strategies, the importance of user experience (UX), the growth of mobile payments, how brands can capitalize on mobile advertising in 2017 and how to build an effective mobile app. On top of the insight from digital and mobile’s leading voices, the festival will provide opportunities for attendees to meet, discuss the industry and share ideas with other executive-level decision makers. Through panel discussions and organised networking sessions, the summit will ensure that every attendee has the opportunity to be heard and potentially find the next great solution for their company. All readers are entitled to £200 off two day passes using the code BRE200 on either registration page.
BUILDING Sustainability Written by Catherine Rowell Produced by Lewis Vaughan
With the rise of cloud data, IoT and smart technologies, data centres have become big business. Telia Finland Oyj is behind the current construction of the largest data centre in Finland, embedding sustainable initiatives which will drive longterm benefits to the region
D
ata centres have become an essential part of business growth, with the rise of cloud technologies and IoT changing the way in which markets operate and communicate with their audiences. At present, there are two to three largescale data centres in Finland, including one owned by Google, but these centres have been built to focus solely on in-house business. Consequently, the new data centre by Telia Finland, named Telia Helsinki Datacenter, will be unique through catering to a multitude of different businesses. Juha Ekman, Director of the new data centre building project and Head of Large Production Premises at Telia Finland
48
May 2017
CONSTRUCTION
w w w. s o n e r a . f i
49
MISSION CRITICAL AND DATA CENTRE CONSULTANCY Ramboll recognise the importance of designing core infrastructure services to maximise on the potential of the development, ensuring these meet the needs of the digital age whilst providing the best return on investment. We provide Project Management, Multi-discipline Lead and Design Consultant services from Feasibility through to Final Handover.
Watch the video to find out more
www.ramboll.com
Follow us on social media
TELIA FINLAND OYJ
explains: “In addition to in-house data centre and colocation functionality, this data centre will enable all kinds of different cloud services.” The new site will become Finland’s largest open data centre. Delivering a broad spectrum of telecommunications and other services, Telia is a leading mobile phone operator in Finland and also offers various platform and IT services for corporate businesses. All these services will benefit from the new data centre and its capabilities and efficiency. With a building engineer background, Ekman plays a pivotal role in the company’s largest construction
52
May 2017
Number of employees at Telia Finland Oyj
3k
CONSTRUCTION
projects. He explains that preliminary construction work for the data centre has proved challenging with regards to timescale as a result of excavation work, which is time-consuming in Finland as a result of being the home of the toughest bedrock in the world. The first phase incorporated 100,000 cubic metres of blasting work which took approximately six months. The next phase is currently underway through the winter season, which will impact on essential concrete work. “Casting concrete would be fine if you can do it in summer,” Ekman explains. “In our case, we have a long winter season and we are casting concrete in midwinter.” However, he adds: “This is nothing
w w w. s o n e r a . f i
53
BECAUSE YOUR CU
Caterpillar Electric Power and our dealers understand that loss of power means loss of reputation and customer confidence. Your customers demand an always-on, robust data storage solution without compromise, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Cat® generating sets and power solutions provide flexible, reliable, quality power in the event of a power outage, responding instantly to provide power to servers and facility services, maintaining your operations and the integrity of your equipment. Your Cat dealer and our design engineers work with you
© 2017 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, ADEM, “Caterpillar Yellow” and the “Power Edge” trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.
USTOMERS DEPEND ON YOU…
to design the best power solution for your data centre, helping you to consider: • Generator set sizing for current and anticipated future operations growth • Fuel efficiency and whole life costs • Redundancy for critical backup and flexible maintenance • Remote monitoring for constant communication and performance analysis • Power dense designs optimising space dedicated to data centre equipment • Interior or exterior installation requirements from enclosure design for noise and emissions to exhaust and wiring designs For ultimate peace of mind Caterpillar Electric Power offers Witness Testing at our state-of-the-art facility
allowing you to experience first-hand the design and performance integrity of your power solution before installation. After installation, trust Cat to provide commissioning services, seamlessly integrating the power solution into the wider data centre system. Our dealers also provide training and support to your facilities management team. Throughout the life of your power solution, your local Cat dealer offers rapid service and parts support alongside a range of service and preventative maintenance contracts. To find out more about Caterpillar Electric Power and our experience in the Data Centre industry visit: www.cat.com/dataspace01
Demand Cat Electric Power
Parviainen Arkkitehdit
ENGINEERING WORLD CLASS DATACENTERS Royal HaskoningDHV is an independent, international engineering consultancy providing services for the entire living environment. Our work contributes to the sustainable development of the communities we work in all over the world. We believe meaningful solutions cannot be created without collaboration with our partners, clients and other stakeholders. We enhance society together.
Proud Engineering Partner of
Contact: Martien Arts, Director - Mission Critical Facilities T: +31 88 348 6550, M: +31 6 51846333, E: martien.arts@rhdhv.com
royalhaskoningdhv.com/datacenters
CONSTRUCTION
“The new data centre will be 33,500 square metres in total, with white space taking up 15,000 square metres. The maximum number of racks will be 5,000 and it can house up to 200,000 servers” – Juha Ekman
w w w. s o n e r a . f i
57
TELIA FINLAND OYJ
new when you are building in Finland, but it stretches the schedule a bit.” The company had no prior benchmark to follow in Finland - nor in Europe, as such a hybrid data centre had not been built before - but knew it must allow for the longest life cycle possible, be fully flexible and energy efficient. Ekman explains that previous data centres in Finland had been built mainly by international companies, with Finnish companies solely providing supporting roles. However, in the construction company’s new data centre, Ekman states: “We wanted to make sure that we have sufficient international and local skills, in addition to the competence to design this mechanical and
58
May 2017
electrical (MEP) project.” To this effect, the company has selected Royal HaskoningDVH from Netherlands and Granlund Oy from Finland, the biggest Finnish MEP designer in the country. “They are providing the MEP design together and it is good choice, because it combines both perspectives,” Ekman adds. Although massive amounts of details have been accounted for, the majority of work is being designed and constructed at the same time due to time constraints, with the support of BIM technology to ensure minimal revisions and overlaps. Ekman explains: “The new data centre will be 33,500 square metres in total, with white space taking up 15,000 square metres. The maximum number of racks will be 5,000 and it can house up to 200,000 servers.” The total IT power for the data centre will be 24 megawatts of power input, of which 6MW will be online in 2018. The capacity will be increased further by expanding the data centre modularly, based on
• Specially tailored CyberAir 3 for Telia data center in Helsinki • Enhanced unit and larger heat exchanger • More cooling capacity
Climate. Customized. Our smart standard STULZ proudly provides customized solutions for the Telia Helsinki project. As a specialist in data center air conditioning, STULZ has been offering made-to-measure air conditioning solutions since 1971. From the very beginning, STULZ’s philosophy has meant that we have never been satisfied simply with standard solutions to achieve customer needs. www.stulz.com
SAFE AND SOUND DATA We maximise equipment reliability and uptime, energy and operational efficiency and security. From site assessment and technology contracting, to fire/safety and optimisation, our comprehensive approach means you don’t have to worry about risks. Johnson Controls is the back up plan that can’t miss. Read how Johnson Controls innovative YK chillers provide the optimum cooling solution at Telia, Finland.
T: UK +44 (0)845 108 0001 FI +358 20 1404 551
www.johnsoncontrols.com
CONSTRUCTION
business needs and growth. Ekman stresses that such developments will help the company expand its business further in the most cost efficient way: “This data centre will be an enabler for our growing businesses and the future services that we will provide. We are helping to bring business to digital era but also provide new services to consumer customers.” Sustainable and secure Encompassing four storeys, sustainability is at the heart of current construction work. It’s reflected in the project’s design, with an underlying focus on client values. Aiming to achieve the LEED certification, Sonera is abiding by LEED guidelines, taking care to document and “do everything right from the beginning of the project to end”. The new data centre will be able to warm around 20,000 flats through generating 200,000MWh of heat energy per year. This heat will be recovered and reused. Ekman explains: “It’s not only a question of improving technology. This is the first time in Finland, in Europe and in
JUHA EKMAN Ekman is Department Manager for Telia Finland Real Estate unit. He has worked over 10 years in Telia Finland and his main responsible area is real estate management of large production premises in Finland. Ekman has specialized to comprehensive real estate management creating add value for the company´s core business. Previously Ekman worked seven years for Telia´s subsidiary Unibase as construction consultant and Area Manager.
w w w. s o n e r a . f i
61
TELIA FINLAND OYJ
1.3bn
Telia Finland Oyj the Nordics that we are features, highlighting revenue in actually providing our heat a pledge to implement US dollars to energy companies at this renewable energy scale.” This Energy Reuse sources and provide Efficiency (ERE), and long-term long-term sustainability.” partnership between the heat provider Security, energy efficiency and and energy companies is significant. sustainability have all become areas The site will use renewable energy, and valued by the company’s clients both its water chillers will have exceptionally locally and internationally. Designs high efficiencies. Ekman explains: “We for the data centre will conform are increasing the water temperature to both national and international with heat pumps to recycle the waste demands and requirements. Ekman heat through the local district heating acknowledges that the company grid. Additionally we will implement “has to be ready for international rainwater harvester and solar power customer security demands and
62
May 2017
Building for life SRV is a leader in the development of innovative construction projects. We seek to provide the best customer experience as a builder of urban centres and to be the industry’s most inspiring workplace. Genuine cooperation and enthusiasm is visible in every encounter with us.
www.srv.fi | info@srv.fis
TELIA FINLAND OYJ
“In addition to in-house data centre and colocation functionality, this data centre will enable all kinds of different cloud services” – Juha Ekman
Holistic Design and Consultancy for Data Centers Granlund – the Leader of Data Center Design and Consultancy Services in Finland -
Strong network with Finnish cleantech companies 30 years experience of the data center solution design Clear focus on customer service Extremely experienced team Tools for maintenance and management
Click on the video for more information Click here to follow us on social media
www.granlund.fi/datacenter
CONSTRUCTION
requirements”. The company has therefore also undergone significant risk analysis and overhaul of current systems to ensure the centre will be fully secure against any potential risks. With completion date in early 2018, construction of the data centre is on schedule, yet Ekman stresses that this would not be the case without the right people on board, believing this to be the most important tool in current building work and continued focus on sustainable initiatives. He explains: “There must be enough of the right people, such as the project management team, data centre professionals and specialists”, noting that this year will be challenging due to the company’s aim to increase the number of construction workers from 100 to 300. The project management is provided by the experts of international consulting company Ramboll. However, Ekman is confident the data centre will provide longterm advantages to the region and drive increased business to the area, delivering regional long-term benefits.
w w w. s o n e r a . f i
65
How Microcred is using technology to improve Africa’s payments sector Written by Catherine Rowell Produced by George Tweed
67
We spoke with Microcred Chief Innovation Officer and CTO Denis Moniotte regarding the digital transformation of the company, designing innovative products and integrating first class technologies to provide financial inclusion for all
M
icrocred has come a long way from its humble origins, providing financial support to 575,000 clients and companies who are excluded from loans within a traditional brick and mortar setting. Aligned with the company’s operations to deliver quality customer service is Chief Innovation Officer and CTO
68
May 2017
Denis Moniotte, who has been behind the construction of a new distribution network in Senegal and Madagascar, and is developing Microcred’s products and services to support an ever-growing customer base. “We were addressing customer needs differently a few years ago, and we will still be addressing it
TECHNOLOGY
differently in a few years from now,” reflects Moniotte. He explains that the company receives loan applications from clients excluded from traditional banks for a number of reasons, which ranges from the loan SME’s can afford being too small, to a lack of paper trail. “Even when the amount is acceptable, the bank will want to see paperwork documenting income, tax returns etc., and many clients don’t have that,” he says. “They just run the business and don’t maintain any books,” leading banks to automatically reject them. Microcred aims to eliminate fake promises by truly delivering outstanding services to underbanked populations. Microcred is a commercial company, or what Moniotte calls a double bottom line business. “We are a social business,” he adds. “We are a commercial company and have to be profitable, but what happens to our clients is the key driver of our value creation.” BUILDING NEW PRODUCTS To ensure Micocred builds products for customers which are both significant and practical, the innovation team
spends a significant portion of time listening to clients and liaising with design researchers to create ideas for future products. This enables them to build prototypes and undergo pilot programmes for approximately four months, where products are further refined and then rolled out throughout the company’s core business model. This process also supports Microcred and helps the company understand how clients have previously managed without financial support. Dedicated staff members visit SME’s to see whether clients’ businesses are viable, cost effective and have the ability to reimburse a possible loan. This emphasis on building customer relationships and developing new products has enabled the implementation of strong governance, policies, economics of scale and the centralisation of vital functions within Microcred’s infrastructure. Moniotte is clearly passionate about reaching out to individuals who have not previously had access to traditional financial services through these developments, as 85 percent of the population in areas the company operate are
w w w. m i c ro c re d g ro u p . c o m / e n
69
MICROCRED (EUROPE)
“We are on a journey to create a very different kind of business in terms of how it can be valued by the market” – DENIS MONIOTTE, CIO AND CTO
underserved by the finance industry. Although targeting what Moniotte calls “a handful”, Microcred builds around 40 branches per country and 50,000 active borrowers who all highly value Microcred’s products and services. To ensure a seamless delivery of services, Microcred extracts data from its platform overnight, where proprietary algorithms support the establishment and eligibility for clients who wish to receive automated decision loan products. Moniotte explains: “Each day, we determine for every client, ‘from this morning, according to the past behaviour, this
72
May 2017
client, on this specific product, is eligible for X amount.’” The client is then able to take a pre-approved loan from their local agent. Such developments have therefore enabled Microcred to make processes much more relevant and accessible for clients. PERSONALISED TOOLS AND PRODUCTS Whilst Africa remains a “cash based society”, Microcred has to build a ubiquitous distribution network so clients can access their finances easily through bank agents, such as at grocery shops, pharmacies
TECHNOLOGY
or petrol stations. Moreover, the transformation of Microcred’s IT infrastructure has enabled clients to now gain freedom of choice and flexibility. Clients are automatically given an electronic account, where personalised tools and a centralised management system enables the company to cater to each client’s specific financial needs and access information through one core system. Microcred’s digital transformation also incorporates the implementation of strong device management on its Windows and mobile devices. The company utilises biometrics to
combat fraud, alongside the use of Watchguard for increased security. Additionally, the company’s removal of admin rights across the board has allowed them to support all devices remotely. Other embedded technologies within core operations include Google’s corporate document email system, Zendesk for ticketing and Optitune as its Windows device management tool. All of these tools have become first-class technologies which are highly effective in Africa. With its client base in mind, over a thousand commercial officers at Microcred now deliver seamless
w w w. m i c ro c re d g ro u p . c o m / e n
73
TECHNOLOGY
loan applications through the use of tablet devices, where photographs of documents can be taken, simplifying the process. The development of a smartphone app is also a customerfocused innovation Microcred is proud of, which will work without a data connection. “The number of smartphones in Africa is rising,” adds Moniotte, “but many people who have a smartphone don’t have constant access to 3G or 4G, they have really limited access.” The company’s launch of SMS based service Baobab was also named Best African Retail Company in 2016, enabling clients to gain confirmation for every transaction. There are now more than 800 Baobab service points in Madagascar and Senegal. Moniotte adds: “It’s about understanding how we can put out digital products, digitise our business and channels whilst serving clients sustainably.” However, Moniotte is aware that the company is unable to build such innovative products and platforms alone. A partnership with Software Group was key to have a technology that supports the innovation, as it has
allowed to build tailored digital user experiences. “They are quite excited by our ability to innovate, how close we are to our clients and the ideas that we come up with,” explains Moniotte. “We are on a journey to create a very different kind of business in terms of how it can be valued by the market.” FUTURE GROWTH Microcred has taken approximately
Denis is CTO and Chief Innovation Officer at Microcred. Denis leads the financial product innovation, resulting in readyto-scale innovative products for financial inclusion. The innovation process comes from orchestrating customer research, product development, scoring algorithm development, UX design, piloting, business planning. With his team, he has delivered innovative loan and saving products and new delivery channels.
w w w. m i c ro c re d g ro u p . c o m / e n
75
MICROCRED (EUROPE)
500m
MIRCOCRED annual revenue in $US 76
May 2017
TECHNOLOGY
five years to grow, amongst continual challenges of training 3,000 employees around changing rules and regulations. This is in a sphere of increasing competition, with the challenge of new players and startups which have become established in the fintech industry. However, Moniotte explains that being a “one stop shop” for clients has repeatedly given Microcred an edge, stating that “the repayment rate banks receive from clients is also defined by how much the client wants to stay in relationship with the bank.” If all companies do is provide lending services, he explains that they will more likely default on repayments, as there is no relationship to lose for the borrower. The implementation of new technologies and digitisation of services has enabled Microcred to scale up and become increasingly sustainable by increasing efficiency and reducing costs. It is a company that focuses on its people and its clients, with significant expertise on the ground, and is now home to vast numbers of branches and a reputable brand name. The company will continue to provide a multitude of services and digital solutions, improving services through digital innovations, which will enable clients to gain increased accessibility alongside traditional services. Now such technologies have been established, replication and future growth in bringing key products to market has become a real possibility. Microcred’s digital journey has spread across the whole organisation to transform the company into a digital bank with a local presence.
w w w. m i c ro c re d g ro u p . c o m / e n
77
Strategically planning for a technological future Written by Dale Benton Produced by George Tweed
79
Through a sharp focus on customer service and technological innovation, the multi award winning Key Retirement reassesses its technology process to significantly grow the equity release market and meet the changing demands of its customer base
A
s the UK’s market leading equity release advisory service, established back in 1998, Key Retirement has grown exponentially in the last 15 years and has become a multi-award winning equity release service provider. Under the wider KR Group umbrella, more2life Limited, a specialist lender of equity release, has also established itself as the 3rd largest provider of lifetime mortgages in the same sector within the last 3 years. Through diversification and establishing itself as the go-to place for the over 55’s seeking to safeguard and maximise income from property and retirement assets, the Group continues to go from strength to strength, with technology playing a vital role.
80
May 2017
Part of that growth has come as a result of the private equity firm Phoenix Equity Partners buying the majority stake in the group back in 2013. This saw the business look inwards at the company’s strategic growth moving forward, specifically its underlying technologies. “Working closely with Phoenix and the executive board forced us to look at how we incorporate the right strategic roadmap and growth pattern to support the goals and aspirations of the organisation,” says Darren Halliwell, CTO of KR Group. “How do we make the bigger step change and allow room for growth and scale?” Following the acquisition, the Group set about achieving key strategic targets with regards to growing
TECHNOLOGY
Darren Halliwell CTO
w w w. k rg ro u p . c o . u k
81
Your Global and Accredited Microsoft Partner As a market leader in providing the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Solutions for over 10 years, AlfaPeople has expanded its operations to 16 countries worldwide. With over 550 employees, AlfaPeople offers a range of Microsoft Business Solutions from Dynamics AX and Dynamics CRM to Social Engagement and Business Intelligence
Westbourne Studios, 242 Acklam Road, Portobello, London. W10 5JJ visit us at www.alfapeople.com/uk
TECHNOLOGY
not only as a business, but growing the equity release market itself. The company’s key priority is providing equity release products and services to the over 55 market, but as with any industry it is a fluid market that drives the business. “The key question we had to ask ourself was with a dramatically growing market and an aging demographic, how do we as a business remain at the head of the pack both as a broker and a lender? At the time we didn’t feel we could do that with the then existing technology,” says Halliwell. To respond to this changing market
The number of awards that Key Retirement has received
51
and changing demand, the first step for the Group involved the creation of a new infrastructure, CRM solution, new origination and lending platforms and a new website capable of handling the volume of traffic and personalisation of the company’s interaction with the customer and or broker. These represented the “building blocks” that Halliwell refers to in which the business could then continue to grow and scale. Through an investment of around £5 million in technology stacks, this allowed the Group to do so without increasing operational costs, being much more efficient and productive in its processing and ultimately in a better position to deal with customer behaviour. “Three or four years ago the majority of our organisational interaction with the over 55 customer base was purely over the telephone. Right now, we are at a point where around 85 percent of it is through online web enquiries,” says Halliwell.
Challenges and success For an organisation to undergo such a large scale transformative
w w w. k rg ro u p . c o . u k
83
KEY RETIREMENT
“Getting the organisation to a point where it was capable of understanding its customer better, having a true single customer view, one version of the truth in terms of data and data analytics has been a key success for us� Darren Halliwell CTO
84
May 2017
TECHNOLOGY
process there will be undoubtedly challenges along the way. With KR Group, a significant challenge was the speed of delivery and whether it could be achieved while staying ahead in terms of customer expectations and demands. While still learning and maturing, the transformation is not without its successes and it’s of no surprise that it is the engagement with the customer that drives that. “Getting the organisation to a point where it was capable of understanding its customer better, having a true single customer view, one version of the truth in terms of data and data analytics has been a key success for us,” Halliwell says. The company can then use this as a means of personalising its interactions and ultimately better serving its customers overall. “Further, with the investment in a digital transformation programme, we have made numerous productivity and operational efficiency savings leading to reduced sales completion times, all of which delights the customer.”, he adds.
Technology Technology and innovation is significantly disrupting industries and sectors all around the world and the financial industry is no different. For Halliwell as CTO, technology sits right at the heart of the business and the transformation. “Without those initial foundations to allow us to achieve further integration and automation of systems and accepting that without our thirdparty customers, providers or lenders, we would not reach our potential or deliver an even better customer experience,” he says. “It would be a very heavy manual based approach and it would be a much more cost prohibitive operation.” “However, thanks to that hard work and endeavour by a lot of dedicated and talented individuals within the business we are now even better positioned to deliver even more exciting innovation that will keep us at the forefront of all we do.”
Partnerships Partnerships are key to the success of the business. KR Group went through
w w w. k rg ro u p . c o . u k
85
KEY RETIREMENT
a due diligence process soon after the acquisition and changed the way the company seeks out partners to work with. The company looks for partners who not only provide the business with service solutions, but also whether the particular company could be a long-term partner. “We look for someone who could get in and understand how our business operates and ultimately provide better solutions alongside us,” says Halliwell. Through partnerships, Halliwell has
Residential & Buy to Let
2nd Charge Mortgages
Equity Release
Bridging Finance
an open dialogue with them to better understand where, from a technology perspective, the market is heading. A great example of this is with one of Key Retirement’s leading vendor partnerships, AlfaPeople UK Limited. Phil Rawlinson MD of AlfaPeople shared his experience from the vendor perspective: “Having seen first-hand Key Retirement’s use of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and associated technologies, I say with confidence it is an exemplar of how projects should
Commercial Lending
Personal Loans
Savings
TECHNOLOGY
1998 The year that Key Retirement was founded
be designed and delivered, having witnessed huge variance in quality during my previous roles at Microsoft and typically getting involved when projects were on a downturn. These issues were largely down to a lack of governance on both sides, no eye on value generation for the customer and delivery team members that have a default answer of ‘yes’ now what was the question – not challenging the customer, every step of the way. Working with Darren’s team, together we have created a value based solution that covers every aspect of Key Retirement’s business, that is perceived as mission critical and ensures the ultimate customer experience, whilst reducing costs through intelligent business processes’’
Data In the financial service industry, data and the handling of data is integral to the success of a company. In the equity release sector, which is an emotional and often delicate decision making process for customers, this is an extremely prescient issue.
w w w. k rg ro u p . c o . u k
87
KEY RETIREMENT
Key Retirement has an ISO 27001 Certification, which is the international standard that describes best practice for an information security management system (ISMS). This certification acts as an important stamp in which the company can demonstrate its security credentials. This commitment to a secure approach to handling data has been integrated along every step of the way through the design and development of the company’s architecture, minimising the risks associated with data handling and storage. Furthermore, Halliwell adds: “Demonstrating through such a recognised certification programme as ISO also brings other benefits such as confidence to our network of referring partners (Key Partnerships) and any potential funder of our more2life division. It demonstrates we mean business and this can be the edge or a critical factor when these organisations are looking to choose their partner to place either funds under management, or safety and protection of their customers data.” As a multi award winning
88
May 2017
company across the UK, Key Retirement can boast being the market leader in the equity release sector and this is through the way it interacts with the customer. “The customer and their needs is absolutely number one to us in terms of everything we do. From the initial engagement of the enquiry right through to the monies released stage, we ensure the customer whether in the B2B or B2C space - is at the forefront of everything that happens,” says Halliwell. Unlike other financial services, equity release can often be an emotional purchase. This is recognised by Key Retirement. “It’s about putting an arm around the customer and being mindful of their requirements and needs. It’s not a pushy service; the customer almost guides us through the process and not the other way around,” he says. Halliwell believes that for the company to continue to offer market leading services and serve the customer base better, it must continue to allow the customer to be the driving force behind everything it does.
TECHNOLOGY
“Winning awards and receiving great customer feedback demonstrates that throughout this process and over the last 15 years, we must be doing something right,” says Halliwell. The company works with the customer base to continuously improve its services. This includes a customer care questionnaire that allows it to look at what works, what doesn’t and extrapolate the key information in order to improve. It has also recently surpassed the 10,000 mark in positive ratings from Trust Pilot with an average rating
of 9.8 out of 10, the highest in its sector both for score and volume of respondents. In 2016 the Group accepted its 50th award in the industry for customer excellence, all of which have been achieved in a large part in the technology investments mentioned previously.
No signs of slowing down Looking to the future, where does the Group go from here? “It’s very much about remaining number one, maintaining our position as a market leader and continuing to innovate and grow that market, both for Key Retirement
w w w. k rg ro u p . c o . u k
89
KEY RETIREMENT
and more2life,” says Halliwell. A key example of the way in which the Group has innovated the market has been through more2life. More2life, a company which manufactures lifetime mortgage products in the market and sells them to the wider broker community, worked with Key Retirement and a number of other leading brokerages to integrate the first online KFI and application broker portal to accelerate that process. But looking at the customer interaction, Halliwell recognises the changing market, and tomorrow’s demands will be very different from today’s. As smartphone and tablet technology develops, the way in which both the B2C over 55 market and B2B broker market expects to interact with the company changes with it. “Even in the last few years customer behaviour in the demographic has changed and becoming more adaptive to that is crucial. The next stages will see continued innovation in customer engagement channels both for the broker and the lender along with an eye on continued process improvement aimed
90
May 2017
“As any industry changes the demands change too. You’ve got to move with the times and make sure you are giving customers what they need, and I think we have made great steps forward in responding to changes in customer (B2B and B2C) behaviour and will continue to do so” Darren Halliwell CTO
TECHNOLOGY
at driving even better customer experiences,” says Halliwell. “As any industry changes the demands change too. You’ve got to move with the times and make sure you are giving customers what they need, and I think we have made great steps forward in responding to changes in customer (B2B and B2C) behaviour and will continue to do so. “It is an exciting and challenging time for KR Group and the sector
as a whole and I am proud to be working for an organisation that views technology as a true enabler for positive change both in terms of that technology and how we also strive to improve people’s lives.”
w w w. k rg ro u p . c o . u k
91
SAILING CLOSE HAULED
WRITTEN BY: JOHN O’HANLON PRODUCED BY: KIRON CHAVDA PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JOHN HARRIS
INTERVIEW
TELEFÓNICA’S HIGH PROFILE CIO, P H I L J O R DA N , I S K E E N O N S A I L I N G I N T H E L AU N C H E D I T I O N O F G I G A B I T H E D E S C R I B E S H O W H E CO N T I N U E S TO N AV I G AT E H I S B U S I N E S S T H R O U G H C H O P P Y S E A S A N D M U R K Y W E AT H E R TO I T S D E S T I N AT I O N
94
April 2017
PHIL JORDAN - SAILING CLOSE HAULED
P HIL JORDAN IS known in the global CIO community as an agent of disruption. The European CIO of the year 2016 doesn’t come across that way; unfailingly affable and accessible, his demeanour is that of a benevolent uncle, and for someone with the future digital capability of a €40 billion organisation depending on his decisions, he is surprisingly relaxed. This belies intellectual rigour and the twin passions for IT and for communication that have marked his time as Global CIO of Telefónica at a time of, yes unprecedented disruption.
Maybe more than most industries, telecommunications service providers – or telcos – like Telefónica that used to be communications monopolies controlling fixed line networks in their own territories, have been shaken up by the internet. True, they quickly moved in to colonise the mobile space, and added services around TV and cable, but audacious upstarts like Twitter, Skype and WhatsApp have thrown such a large spanner into their traditional business model that they have all had to start transitioning to a new, digital model, and that has 95
INTERVIEW been a journey without maps. Telcos have been transforming with varying degrees of success, but it’s widely, if grudgingly, accepted that Telefónica is one of the leaders in the race to provide a fully digital, endto-end customer experience. Since Jordan took up his post in September 2011 it has developed a bold global IT transformation strategy. To set the scene, revenues from simply connecting customers to a fixed or mobile network have been hit hard and will continue to dwindle – future growth has to come from far more intuitive and collaborative relationships with customers, whether corporate or private. As Jordan told me when we previously met in 2015: “Of course networks have always been important to us and remain our number one asset, but IT has become mission critical because it’s driving our business to be digital in its DNA, creating omni-channel digital experiences and also creating worldclass virtual shared infrastructures right across the group.” The outcome for customers will be access through a single digital interface, wherever they want, for whatever they want in a personalised way. 96
April 2017
MAKING SENSE The CIO role has emerged from the shadows, says Phil, and there’s no doubt that in the last three years those CIOs who stay in the back office are missing the opportunity to lead their business through transformation. In his case he really begins to sound like Merlin at Camelot as the era of the ‘sense maker’ dawns. “I think digital transformation demands that the CIO become chief story teller and sense maker for the business. All the boundaries are blurring; people are confused, excited, but also bewildered. If everything is merging and connecting, they ask, what is our role? What do we prioritise?” The CIO who can make sense out of these uncertainties is a real asset to any business – but only if he or she understands that business to its core. While he wouldn’t claim to be the only person in the business with a broad vision, as CIO he is in a unique position to navigate through its complexities – and this is a highly complex organisation. “My role requires an understanding of both the business and of the technology. Technology
PHIL JORDAN - SAILING CLOSE HAULED
without business is contextless, and these days, however well you understand the business, if you can’t see the opportunity of technology disruption, then you are a danger to it! As a CIO you have to corral people and lead them on a journey – and to do that you have to be able to communicate well.” Sense-making is not what he set out to do. As far as he remembers, he came into IT in the footsteps of his brother, who seemed to be making a good living at it, and because it looked easy! Starting out in the late 1980s as an operator on a big IBM mainframe for Clarks shoes has worked in his favour. “Now that I am a global CIO I find that people quite like the fact that I grew up from the IT shop floor. It has given me a good overall understanding of all aspects of technology, particularly how they relate to the business. Two things struck me right from the beginning. One was the modernisation impact IT 97
was already having and the potential it could have. The other was that I found a rare ability to talk about it in a way that was not too nerdy or weird and connected with business people. In whatever role I have had I have been able to find a way of communicating the approach, goals, challenges and progress, within the business and with IT people, and I think that it remains a very important part of my contribution in the role I have today.” 98
April 2017
Another place it comes in useful is at home. As a father of three, he doesn’t post on his LinkedIn profile that he is honorary Domestic CTO and head of technical support to three children and his wife. It’s a job that grows in significance as the family grows, and wherever he is in the world he has to take regular support calls! Whatever path he had chosen one senses he would have made use of the same qualities. “Perhaps the
reason I have had some success in what I have done is that I am a sense maker by nature. I am pragmatic and practical.” Pushed further he admits that the sense making starts with his own process of rationalisation. “I simply can’t engage until it makes sense to me. Once I get it, I am very intuitive. Once I see the shape of the story, what the value is and how we might influence the business in the right direction, I will really go with it.”
CREATING A LANGUAGE In pushing forward the digitisation of the business he pays tribute to the support he’s had from chairman and CEO José Maria Álvarez-Pallete López. “I believe in what we are doing. Sometimes my convictions are tested sorely, but I stick to them.” Being an outsider, an Englishman in a predominantly Spanish and 99
INTERVIEW
100
April 2017
PHIL JORDAN - SAILING CLOSE HAULED
Latin American environment, that support has been reassuring. “I explained early into the digital transformation process that I’d have to be so disruptive that I’d have to be prepared to be fired. José Maria has the same views about the need to be brave to lead real change and that gives me great confidence, the attitude that says we will do it or go down fighting.” It took him quite a long time to find the right engagement and language for digital transformation, he recalls. “Everyone understood we had to be digital, but wanted to know how and when that would happen, and how digital we are today. I gather from talking to CIOs in other industries that not many businesses have done what we did. I went out looking for a metric; something that would truly engage the board. Not all the board members have intimate knowledge of how the business really operates. To move to a truly digital world you have to get right inside the operation and really understand how your business works so we looked at
every process in every segment of our business in every market, to determine if each process, operation or customer experience was happening in real time and to what extent it was automated. We did the hard work of assessing that, then we rolled it up, and I am able to say now not only what our digital capability is today but where it will be in a year’s time and in two. “I think we have been able to create a language that the board can understand – a language that is communicable so we can describe our journey to the external world, something we can track, and something that targets investment. That is a good example of sense making. Today I can point to which geographies, segments and processes that are not digital enough – to let us make sure the investment is focused in these places. That is how I can bring value to the business as a leader, taking all these inputs, making sense of it and driving a journey of change that is no-regrets.”
101
Telco OS As one of Telefónica ’s strategic ICT partners, Huawei synergistically aligns Telco OS with Telefónica ´s digital transformation strategy by providing key digitalizing solutions to create pivotal competitive advantages for the new digital economy. Telefónica and Huawei’s collaboration has also extended to projects in BSS transformation, data center transformation and operation, and big data, among others. The way we see it, such brilliant IT can perpetually power a digital Telefónica .
Ken Hu
Rotating CEO
ROADS
Real Time Tim
On Demand
Al All Online Onlin
The rapidly accelerating pace of ICT developments is changing how we live, work, and communicate. Huawei’s Telco OS leverages and consolidates synergies among BSS, OSS, big data, data centers, and cloud technology.
Social
DIY DI
Native Digital@Cloud, a visionary set of services and solutions, provides Telco capabilities for the digital economy, including customer relevance, software define, servicedriven, data innovation, and infrastructural reconstruction.
Make IT Simple, Make Business Agile www.huawei.com
INTERVIEW
DIG
WHAT WE EXPECT FROM Of course there was no way the young Phil Jordan could have foreseen any part of what he is doing today. January 1, 1985, he points out, was the date of the first public phone call made on a mobile phone in the UK. Today there are 86 million connected devices, driving, dictating, controlling and ultimately enhancing people’s lives. The world has woken up to digital but a large section of business still doesn’t get it. Many larger enterprises indulge in ‘digitalwash’. “It makes no sense to disguise yourself as a digital business. Customers will quickly see through businesses that put lipstick on the bulldog and fiddle around with their online channel to give the impression that they are a digital company.” A complex service business like Telefónica cannot afford to do this. As customers engage they won’t be slow to pick up that the experience is not end-to-end, not real time or not automated. “Amazon is an excellent example of a digital business. It’s super-easy to engage, quick, intuitive, frictionless, painless. Speaking as a consumer, it is all the things I 104
April 2017
want. I have never spoken to them, never had cause to ring them, I can do anything I want to, where I want, on whatever screen I choose.” That kind of experience creates trust, and that level of trust is what he wants Telefónica customers to have. Whilst admiring Amazon, he doesn’t make too much of the comparison with the ecommerce giant, which hasn’t the complexity, the 90 year history or the large fixed and mobile infrastructure and data centre estate to deal with. However, end-to-end digital is vital to both. Sixty million Telefónica customers in seven countries are already experiencing a tranformed experience, with millions more to follow in 2017. Pressed for
GITAL PHIL JORDAN - SAILING CLOSE HAULED
an example he chooses an unlikely one. Not many people know much about Moquegua, a small town more than 700 miles from Lima, but it was selected as one of the first Peruvian locations to migrate. “Naturally, we select where to start migrations to minimise risk now it’s great to think of our customers in Moquegua having a more Digital experience
than many more major cities.” The majority of customers in Latin America will have migrated by the end of this year and the digital transformation will be complete on the current strategic planning horizon. This will enable the company to leapfrog competitors in its market, and enable the next priority, the movement from digital to data. 105
INTERVIEW
106
April 2017
PHIL JORDAN - SAILING CLOSE HAULED
107
INTERVIEW
DIGITAL TO DATA
DEMOCRATISATION Networks, IT and digital services make up the company’s first three “platforms”. Telefónica now describe the fourth as the customer’s data and insight, which Telefónica is preparing to put back into the hands of customers. As a business Telefónica has accrued a tremendous amount of data from its 341 million subscribers, but that data has traditionally been used to build and optimise networks. Jordan explains: “Telcos have access to millions of bits, and historically this was mostly used to build and optimise networks. There’s so much richness about a customer’s life in that data, so just think what could be achieved by liberating and using the data in partnership with our customers to create the insights and intelligence that will provide a secure but predictive, personalised and context sensitive experience.” To fully realise that vision, the entire world would have to change, though. He worries that political and regulatory change will put the brakes on change. “We need policy makers to be the most progressive they have ever been 108
April 2017
and I worry that the political landscape is moving the other way. We seem to be seeing more fragmentation, isolation and protectionism precisely at a time when this digital world needs progressive law making that is not bounded by geographical boundaries. Artificial Intelligence will become mainstream in the next three years. We need to decide ethically and legally what role it will have in thousands of different industries and applications. It makes no sense to do that in isolation. We should be getting together and collaborating on what the role of technology will be as the virtual and ‘real’ worlds blur and decision making moves from being rule-based to machine-based.” Jordan worries that the space between the regulatory and digital worlds that exists today will get wider as the potentialities of data, for good or ill, expand. “It is terrifying that there is such a big gap between the opportunities technology can offer and our ability to lay down a framework for it.” The next phase of what he calls the digital industrial revolution is already upon us. Every sector will have to engage with it, and here he sees a golden opportunity for Telefónica.
PHIL JORDAN - SAILING CLOSE HAULED
“WE CAN APPLY SOMETHING THAT IS EASY FOR US – CONNECTIVITY. WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE IN THAT VALUE CHAIN BECAUSE WE PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY. WHERE WE HAVE CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH A BUSINESS IN THE CONNECTIVITY SECTOR WE WILL GO BEYOND AND PROVIDE THEM WITH THINGS LIKE CUSTOMER PRIVACY, DATA MANAGEMENT AND CLOUD. WHERE WE DON’T WE WILL BE THE CONNECTIVITY PROVIDER” 109
INTERVIEW
DISRUPTION IS A DANGEROUS
GAME Jordan makes a clear distinction between disruptive technology, which is just another tool at the end of the day, and the process of disrupting a business through technology. It’s only in the latter context that he would like to be considered as one of the more disruptive CIOs in the IT industry. “What I’d call disruption is challenging the business to be something different by deploying technology. The scale of the change I have been driving for some time now is among the boldest in the telecoms industry. Disruption is a dangerous game. The successes are 110
April 2017
remembered but there are hundreds that failed and got fired. My personal contribution as a leader in disruption tends to be in sense making, storytelling and challenging inertia.” The advice that other CIOs would be wise to listen to from the European CIO of 2016 would be to start with the need to understand the business at least as well as the others round the table. “IT is the only function that touches all parts of the business. CIOs who just run IT and understand technology are not remotely transformational given the challenge we have all got. I’d
PHIL JORDAN - SAILING CLOSE HAULED
S suggest they engage the board on the need and the destination of digital transformation, define clear actions and clear KPIs, and then show progress. Digital destination, definition and delivery, balance all three or risk getting fired - this is the dangerous game for CIOs in 2017.” When he gets the chance, Phil Jordan loves boats and sailing. It has some valuable lessons for a CIO, he believes. “As I see it, one of my key roles is to hold the business on its technological journey and not allow short term tactical headwinds to blow it off course.” You need to keep your
destination firmly in sight, even when reaching it means tacking in a different direction. Without conviction as to the destination, the tack will become its own end. In his work for Telefónica he has had to do a lot of tacking, and explain an apparently erratic course even to his own team. “In the blurred world I have been talking about, it would be great if there was a GPS for business evolution, but don’t believe the consultancies that tell you they have one. It’s all about team work, reading the environment, making good decisions and, sometimes, sailing close to the wind.” 111
Buy into Sky Written by John O’Hanlon Produced by Richard Durrant
113
In November 2014, BSkyB came together with Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia to create Europe’s leading entertainment business. From three separate businesses covering five European countries, Sky plc was created and immediately set out on a journey of digital transformation.
W
ith 22 million customers in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy Sky quickly morphed from being a federation of national companies to one team sharing a brand. “Customers will benefit as we launch exciting new services, bring them even more great TV and accelerate innovation across all of the markets in which we operate,” promised Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch at the time. Sky operates in a buoyant and dynamic market. Technology is constantly changing in the entertainment space, and the 65 million households that have not yet signed up to pay TV represent a tempting market. Sky is by no means limited to its core
114
May 2017
business of providing entertainment: it’s playing an ever greater role in the provision of infrastructure which carries that content, such as fibre optic cable, and now a mobile phone service. The strategy behind the merger was to share strengths and expertise from across the group to serve customers better, accelerate innovation and grow faster. Clearly the needs and expectations of German, Italian and English-speaking customers are very different, and the organisations in the three countries will continue to reflect that, but as in any corporate consolidation, synergies existed. A key opportunity lay in procurement. Accordingly, some 18 months ago
Fabio Francalancia, Group Procurement Director at Sky
S U P P LY C H A I N
Group Procurement Director at Sky, Fabio Francalancia, who had created and managed over a five-year period a very successful and visionary team there, was asked to gather together a group procurement team, replicating some of the concepts he had developed in Italy and leveraging best practice from procurement offices in all three countries.
T:297 mm
No more back room To say Francalancia approaches his role as Group Procurement Director with passion is, for once, no cliché. “We Italians are very passionate and anyone who knows me can see how passionate I am. What gives me energy is all the people in the group procurement team. Their work ethic, dedication and desire is amazing, I feel it in every location - together we can achieve amazing things.” It would be very difficult to resist that energy, but why would anyone want to? Procurement may not have been seen in the past as the most exciting department, but it is a function that underpins all other activities, reaches every part of the organisation and is now losing
its back office image and taking its place in the development of corporate strategy and business growth. Procurement was the first internal organisation to merge into a single team. “We are expected to be a change agent, creating a single approach to buying and a single checkpoint before spending any money.” Francalancia’s primary goal was to spread a positive attitude. It’s easy to fall into the old back office admin attitude, rubber stamping other people’s purchasing decisions, he says. But it is better to be a change agent, provoking initiatives and offering internal stakeholders the chance to gain efficiencies through new technology. “We are that change agent across the three countries.” The size and composition of the now merged team has changed very little. It already consisted of dedicated professionals, and the team were bought into the vision. Different challenges were presented in each country – the UK for example had a mature procurement platform in place, whereas Germany had an undeveloped one – it was more like a startup. “Once we had a clear view of our roles, the
w w w. s k y. c o m
117
SKY EUROPE
next thing was to turn to the tools available,” Francalancia explains. “Previously a Procurement Manager working in one country wouldn’t have had full visibility of requisitions coming in from the others – he had to call them first. But that is not the case anymore ” Believing in better The big technical story is around the move from on-premises procurement systems to an integrated, cloudbased system. January 2017 saw the migration of all group procurement activities to SAP’s Ariba platform, which has made buying, contracting, and managing cash as easy and intuitive as using Amazon, eBay, and PayPal. It contributes scalability, mobility and above all transparency to the entire operation. Ariba Cloud is a procurement tool that manages sourcing and procurement processes from end to end in a single system used by all the users across the three countries. Ariba helped the transformation of Sky procurement into a categorydriven organisation, one of Francalancia’s principal objectives.
118
May 2017
Instead of a single individual in each of the five offices dealing with a particular category, such as hardware, software, editorial production, marketing or technology, teams now work as a centre of excellence in each category and are spread throughout the organisation. “You can’t be an expert in 20 categories,” Francalancia states, “and if one individual is an expert in digital procurement for example, it is better that all three customer organisations get the benefit from that expertise.” Today there are around 80 people reporting into him; where they are sitting does not matter anymore. However, it isn’t true to say that procurement activity is limited to those 80 professionals. When a strategic procurement choice has to be made, an average of 10 people will typically be involved. Only two of those belong to the procurement team but the other eight are crucial to that decision, therefore part of what may be termed an extended virtual team. As he insists, systems, processes and people are three legs of the same stool. “Category management across
S U P P LY C H A I N
the three countries will never happen if we are not strong in each of these areas,” Francalancia says. “But with these three concepts firmly in place I am sure we will build a progressive procurement organisation”. Too often he sees the result of companies enduring legacy systems they can’t rely on, or if the systems are sound they fail to invest in people, or they don’t have the support from the leadership that is needed to improve procurement. It’s a single story line and it needs to be intact. “At Sky Italia I had the good fortune to build something really good – now I can do even better things for the group because we have many more resources, intelligence and talent around us, and the willingness is there.”
“Customers will benefit as we launch exciting new services, bring them even more great TV and accelerate innovation across all of the markets in which we operate” – Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch
Procurement in a lead role His team contains a broad range of talent including potential leaders. “Development of that talent is crucial. We can’t succeed without it. Developing people’s careers is a necessity for the business.” Some key jobs need to be filled more urgently though, which is why talent is being
w w w. s k y. c o m
119
S U P P LY C H A I N
hired. Take Jane Dormer, who was appointed as Group Procurement Director, Marketing & Digital only a matter of months ago: Jane previously held senior roles at British Airways and Coca-Cola, where she was the Strategic Procurement Director for Western Europe. She was attracted by the challenge of helping shape the new procurement landscape. “There was a clear job to be done around delivering efficiencies. We had to raise our profile and our game to ensure we are trusted advisers and partners within the business, able to innovate in a brand new world. I also have a strong belief in being a strategic partner to our suppliers, making sure we are driving the right partnerships with the right people in the new setup.” In this she echoes the sentiments of Francalancia, for whom the supplier relationship means dealing with individuals who are as committed to the Sky account as his own people, forming another arm of the virtual procurement team. “Sky was on this journey but still had some way to go, so I saw it as a challenge to help support and lead Sky’s vision
to create the world’s best customer led information and communications company by innovating and challenging the market. All those words can be applied to group procurement.” As well as attracting and retaining the best talent internally, she adds, vendors should understand that Sky wants to be a strong business partner for them. “If Sky becomes the best client in their stable, and the best people there want to work on our account, that will not just be because Sky is a great entertainment and communications company but because Sky’s an effective operator, and they know their role within the bigger picture.” A mania for consensus Another key role redefinition was the recent appointment of Tony Sturcke from his former job as Head of Technology and Entertainment Procurement at Sky to that of Group Procurement Director, Technology. “We are applying a strong category focus across the group,” he explains. “I’m responsible for the technology which covers our IT systems, our broadcasting technologies; the
w w w. s k y. c o m
121
SKY EUROPE
delivery of content to the screens and mobile devices.” He also oversees procurement for Sky’s telecoms networks, a fast growing business. All in all there can’t be much he doesn’t touch. And most of that is a moving target, given the speed at which technology is being developed. As an example he points to the launch of Sky Q, the companies next-generation home entertainment system which gives customers the ability to watch shows from their box, whether live, recorded or on demand, anywhere around the home on another TV or tablet as well the choice to pause on one TV screen and pick up where you left off in another. It’s streets ahead of any competing product and the technology that supports it is cutting edge. “The organisation has diversified and expanded over the last 10 years quite rapidly from the traditional direct to home service to offering services from a choice of platforms, whether that is OTT, satellite, cable or mobile,” says Sturcke. “What has driven this are the core strengths of Sky – delivering the best content whether through original programming, or entertainment
122
May 2017
“There was a clear job to be done around delivering efficiencies. We had to raise our profile and our game to ensure we are trusted advisers and partners within the business” – Jane Dormer, Group Procurement Director, Marketing & Digital
or sports content, where we are seen as the brand leader in each country.” Part of Tony Sturcke’s role is to keep the company’s key technology partnerships working for the benefit of both sides. For example, we already looked at the way migration to Ariba is being managed: however there are a host of key relationships that keep Sky’s infrastructure running smoothly in the longer term. A good
SKY EUROPE
“Working with great partners like HP and Oracle really enables our business: we look on it as combining our core strengths with theirs to enable the business and simplify how things are done” – Tony Sturcke, Group Procurement Director, Technology
124
May 2017
S U P P LY C H A I N
example is Sky’s deep engagement with HP, a primary provider for much of the company’s desktop servers and infrastructure. “We work closely with HP on innovation and the benefit is really felt among our customers both internal and external – for example we host key applications, supporting our key businesses such as Sky Sports and Sky Store, on this infrastructure. Working with great partners like HP and Oracle really enables our business: we look on it as combining our core strengths with theirs to enable the business and simplify how things are done.” Getting the right people in place has been a cornerstone of Fabio Francalancia’s vision (which he himself admits amounts to a mania). Technology giants like HP and Cisco
were among many companies that had direct relations with the three national companies: today Cisco’ former UK account manager and HP’s manager on the Sky Deutschland account were chosen as key account managers for the new global business. “It’s great to be working with best of breed partners but you need their people to buy into the vision too. Our partners have been asked to bring their best people to Sky to serve our relationship. They should, as SAP did with Ariba, be able to suggest which kind of system was best fitted to Sky’s vision of building an agile, expanding virtual organisation, then coming to us with a solution aligned to our vision.” That, he says, defines good practice in a supplier – the ability to listen, capture the vision and then shape their solution to the customer.
w w w. s k y. c o m
125
IMPROVING SIGHT WITH INNOVATION Tata Communications’ global next generation hybrid network accelerates digital transformation for Essilor, empowering the world’s largest producer of ophthalmic lenses to address new market challenges and deliver solutions that meet the visual needs of consumers worldwide.
A NEW WORLD OF COMMUNICATIONS™ See how we accelerate innovation for businesses through our cloud enablement, network services, unified communications and mobility solutions at www.tatacommunications.com