– Company and Culture
Leadership in times of digital transformation: "Pursuing the Big Line"
On the occasion of IKOR‘s 25th anniversary, long-time CEO* Sven Geilich talks about his view of leadership and corporate culture at IKOR. He outlines why yesterday and today can only be compared to a limited extent here in terms of maturity and company size.
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- Sven Geilich
"They've all got something"
"It's the people," says Sven Geilich when asked why he still enjoys working at IKOR after all these years. "They're all good at what they do," says the long-time IKOR managing director, who together with co-chief executive Lars Ackermann has been steering the company through its digital transformation for many years. It's not just the results that inspire: "Colleagues can always trust their leadership, peers and work culture," Geilich emphasizes. "We believe in respect, satisfaction, recognition and trust when dealing with our employees. We don't want a machine culture that's all about processes and standards."
Trust and culture were already essential in the founding years of the late 1990s. The only difference is that IKOR is no longer a garage start-up, but a grown, mature tech consultancy with more than 300 employees at eight European locations.
The Big Line idea: "Small are at best the implementation steps".
Easily and steadily, the company grew in its first two decades, Geilich recalls. "Since we ended a difficult negotiation process for a critical project five years ago, IKOR has developed rapidly. " About the then new activity for insurers, he says, a serious strategic positioning has emerged. In the course of the company's development, the IKOR co-managing director learned "that managers have to make or even revise existential decisions every now and then." That sounds trite, he says. "But you have to have an idea of the big picture. Small are at best the implementation steps," he affirms.
Although yesterday and today cannot be compared one-to-one in terms of IKOR's growth, IKOR is on its way there: Despite the ongoing digital change, we - all IKORians - have managed not only to preserve our original values, but also to keep them alive. "I wish IKOR another 25 years because I like the hell out of tech consulting for its culture, corporate success, positioning and strategy," the IKOR CEO proudly sums up.
* Sven Geilich was IKOR's managing director until January 2023, when he moved to the top of X1F. The technology solutions provider owns several brands, including IKOR.
