Strategic plan & first steps
Keesing Media Group (KMG) is the number one publisher of puzzle magazines in Europe. In 2017, KMG was acquired by Ergon Capital from its mother company (Telegraaf Media Group) to pursue a European buy & build strategy. As KMG management was in full control of the vision & strategy going forward, it asked SparkOptimus to capture the ambition in a solid plan and kick-start the first actions of the strategy.
The close collaboration between KMG management and SparkOptimus resulted in a solid strategy to capture our ambition. The SparkOptimus team succeeded through a combination of pragmatism, action-bias, data-drivenness, and expertise needed in a high pressure environment. I especially value their role in kick-starting and putting the plan into action with us.
In close collaboration with the KMG management team, we developed the 2018-2020 strategic plan in less than 2 months. We supported management with capturing, structuring, and detailing growth initiatives, while translating them to organization & technology requirements as well as clear actions for 2018. Next, we kick-started by supporting the integration of the first acquisition and ensuring synergies were captured in a matter of months while enabling Keesing to effectively integrate the next acquisitions independently.
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The result of the project was a clear overall strategic plan supported by the entire organization, first acquisition synergies captured, and a blueprint for following acquisitions.
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VNAB is the trade association of the Dutch co-insurance market, which represents the interests of 96 insurers & brokers. They facilitate large commercial high-risk insurances in the Netherlands through different types of services: supply relevant IT technology products, guarantee knowledge transfer between members, and function as a physical meeting center. SparkOptimus & VNAB jointly defined a vision to work towards the optimal, predictable, and digitally enhanced co-insurance chain for an excellent customer experience. This vision was iterated with members in round table discussions, where they subscribed to the ambition, while expressing the need for a business case before committing to the joint effort.
Biocodex, a global family-owned pharmaceutical company, expanded into the consumer health sector by acquiring IPRAD, a large women's health business, in 2020. Recognizing the growing shift towards online shopping, Biocodex sought to strengthen its ecommerce capabilities. They initiated 3 major projects: e-retail, direct-to-consumer (D2C), marketplace selling, led by a global ecommerce & digital team. These early initiatives highlighted opportunities for further alignment among stakeholders regarding the urgency, current state, and future direction of Biocodex's ecommerce efforts.
In recent years, the energy sector has faced significant disruptions due to the energy crisis and the ongoing transition towards sustainability. Eneco, a leading producer and supplier of natural gas, electricity and heat in the Netherlands, recognized the need to not only adapt to these changing market dynamics but to take the initiative in fostering a shift towards more sustainable consumption behaviours. Their vision was not just to introduce a new product but to catalyze a profound behaviour change that benefits both consumers' wallets and the environment. Driven by a vision to empower consumers with greener, more cost-effective energy choices through dynamic pricing and a broad range of services and products, Eneco partnered with SparkOptimus to kickstart the transformation, set-up and delivery of these innovations.
Budget Thuis is a leading energy and telecom services provider in the Netherlands, committed to providing reliable services at affordable prices. Serving more than a million customers, Budget Thuis holds a prominent position in the industry. Recognizing the substantial potential of Generative AI to enhance internal processes and the customer experience, Budget Thuis faced challenges in realizing its value independently. Therefore, they asked SparkOptimus’ support in identifying and prioritizing company-specific use cases, rapidly testing and proving the value by collaboratively building, testing, and improving MVPs, and designing an organizational setup for long-term, sustainable (Gen) AI innovation.
