Expert perspectives, practical know-how

The world is changing fast, and digital technologies are both driving the chaos and offering the key. But what’s behind the buzzwords?

SparkOptimus Insights provides expert perspectives and practical know-how on how to make disruption work. Take control and lead the change.

CEO stories

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CEO Prabha Parameswaran, Colgate-Palmolive on driving digital transformation for sustainable impact

CEO Prabha Parameswaran, Colgate-Palmolive on driving digital transformation for sustainable impact

Join us for another exciting episode in the CEO stories series, as SparkOptimus’ Co-Founder and Managing Partner Alexandra Jankovich sits down with Prabha Parameswaran, Group President of Growth and Strategy at Colgate-Palmolive, a values-driven Fortune 500 business executive with 25+ years track record of leading and growing businesses across emerging and developed markets.
Alexandra Jankovich
Alexandra Jankovich
04
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09
/
2023
Herna Verhagen & Jennifer Crites on what’s driving the success of digital transformation at PostNL

Herna Verhagen & Jennifer Crites on what’s driving the success of digital transformation at PostNL

Join us for an exciting episode of our CEO stories series, as Alexandra Jankovich sits down with two leaders from PostNL: Herna Verhagen, one of the few women CEOs on the Dutch Stock Exchange, and Jennifer Crites, the first woman CIO on the Stock Exchange. In this exclusive interview with both of the notable leaders, they delve into PostNL’s remarkable digital transformation journey, their ambitious sustainability goals, and the invaluable lessons they’ve gained along the way.
Alexandra Jankovich
Alexandra Jankovich
31
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05
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2023
Carsten Knobel on taking Henkel’s Purposeful Growth agenda to next level

Carsten Knobel on taking Henkel’s Purposeful Growth agenda to next level

Since taking the helm as CEO at Henkel in 2020, Carsten Knobel has been a driving force behind the company’s Purposeful Growth agenda. In this Interview with managing partner and co-founder of SparkOptimus, Alexandra Jankovich, he discusses the progress made over the last two years, the five key elements behind the agenda and what the future holds.
Alexandra Jankovich
Alexandra Jankovich
16
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06
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2022
Nancy McKinstry, CEO Wolters Kluwer

Nancy McKinstry, CEO Wolters Kluwer

Nancy McKinstry, CEO of Wolters Kluwer shares her key insights from 18 years at the top. How did she lead the company from the print age into the digital era while growing the share of digital revenue from ~30% to ~90%? Watch the full interview for the key insights of this digital transformation journey, the role of diversity, portfolio, revenue reinvestment, talent and much more.
Alexandra Jankovich
Alexandra Jankovich
09
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02
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2022
View all CEO stories

Books

Disruption in Action

Disruption in Action

Disruption in Action reveals how to take on digital disruption and win. Told through seven fictionalised company stories based on the authors’ experience as Europe’s leading digital transformation experts, this book goes to the heart of digital disruption and explores the high-level strategy through to the operational nitty-gritty of transformation projects
Make Disruption Work

Make Disruption Work

We have entered a new era of technology-driven disruption. This presents risks, but also a tremendous opportunity for you to change your company. This book is about how to make disruption work for you. It’s based on our experience of transforming some of the biggest companies in the world.
10 Recommendations to make disruption work in the next decade

10 Recommendations to make disruption work in the next decade

We have developed 10 “conversation starters” on the opportunities we think matter most. Our goal is to Spark a conversation, inspire and challenge you, and work together to initiate these bold moves now.
A Decade of Making Disruption Work

A Decade of Making Disruption Work

It’s been ten years in which digital start-ups have become global brands, and high street titans have toppled like T-rexes, while practically every business left standing has undergone some form of digital transformation. This is the story of what happened and our role in it. It’s also the story of who we are, and our vision for the next ten years of making disruption work.
“We want to express our sincere gratitude towards SparkOptimus for their hard work towards realizing Koningsdagthuis.nl, a digital platform that enabled the virtual celebration of King’s Day during the smart lockdown: stay home, stay in touch, celebrate online. It gave wings to the virtual celebration of King’s Day by connecting tradition with innovation – something that was not deemed possible until recently.”

THEIR MAJESTIES KING WILLEM-ALEXANDER AND QUEEN MÁXIMA OF THE NETHERLANDS

“Disruption is on every business leader’s mind. Alexandra Jankovich and Tom Voskes have taken this complex topic and created a very clear, actionable path.”

WIEBE DRAIJER

CEO of Rabobank

“I have seen SparkOptimus play a crucial role in bringing a strategic perspective to fast-growing digital disruptors and helping them overcome their scaling challenges. They are truly the market leader in hands-on digital  know-how.”

ADRIAAN NÜHN

Chair of the supervisory board of Just Eat Takeaway.com

“SparkOptimus has been a true partner for our digital transformation journey, from strategy to actually doing the implementation work side-by-side with our digital and ecommerce teams.”

PRABHA PARAMESWARAN

Group president, Global Innovation Group at Colgate-Palmolive

“With their digital know-how, enthusiasm, and informal pragmatic approach, SparkOptimus has the unique ability to help companies to truly embrace disruption.”

SUSAN DUINHOVEN

President and CEO of Sanoma, Former CEO of Wegener and Thomas Cook Western Europe

“SparkOptimus played a substantial role in shaping the omnichannel retail landscape we know today.”

DICK BOER

Former CEO of Ahold Delhaize, Member of Nestlé's Board of Directors

“SparkOptimus’ practical view on disruption becomes very apparent in their masterclasses, which offer useful tools to make disruption work for any company.”

FRANCK MOISON

Non-Executive Director of UPS, Somalogic and Hanes Brands Inc., Former Vice Chair of Colgate-Palmolive

Industry focus

Mergers and acquisitions

Estimating market size

So, you've stumbled upon the intriguing world of widgets in an industry you didn't even know existed until yesterday. As you navigate, there’s chatter about the expansive online market size and rapid growth. But how do you sift through the noise and locate the facts, especially when traditional market reports seem absent?
Benedikt LahningerSparkOptimus Team
Benedikt Lahninger
&
SparkOptimus Team
12
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10
/
2023
Mergers and acquisitions

Sizing up the competition

Understanding the competitive landscape is an essential part of any commercial due diligence. Luckily it’s no longer a daunting task if you know the right tools, and how to use them. These tools not only pinpoint who you're competing against, but also provide clues into their strengths and potential vulnerabilities.
Benedikt LahningerSparkOptimus Team
Benedikt Lahninger
&
SparkOptimus Team
21
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09
/
2023
Mergers and acquisitions

The basics of digital due diligence

Let’s set the scene: you receive an investment opportunity - the numbers seem solid, the business model sound. But the proposition is largely online and you have no idea how to assess this. Before diving in, you want to get a first high-level picture of the business; just some quick sanity-checks to understand the basic dynamics.
Benedikt LahningerSparkOptimus Team
Benedikt Lahninger
&
SparkOptimus Team
07
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09
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2023
View all industry focus posts

Digital know-how

Implementing Generative AI
Analytics & AI

Implementing Generative AI

In our previous articles we discussed how to identify the impact Generative AI will have on your business and its potential use cases across the different business functions. Today we’ll get pragmatic: How do you get started with Generative AI?
SparkOptimus TeamMatti van Engelen
SparkOptimus Team
SparkOptimus Team
Matti van Engelen
&
28
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11
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2023
How to build the team for your venture
Ventures and scale-ups

How to build the team for your venture

It may be a cliché, but in our experience, it holds true for venturing: your team is your most important asset. At SparkOptimus, we fundamentally believe in insourcing core capabilities. In this article, we will discuss when and how you should start recruiting, what is the most important role you will hire and how to build a successful team. Read on to find out more!
SparkOptimus TeamHidde van Manen
SparkOptimus Team
SparkOptimus Team
Hidde van Manen
&
23
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08
/
2023
Generative AI use cases
Analytics & AI

Generative AI use cases

In our previous article, we discussed Generative AI, how it works, and its potential effects on consumer behavior. In this second issue, we hope to create some urgency and encourage you to take the first step in using Generative AI.
SparkOptimus TeamMatti van Engelen
SparkOptimus Team
SparkOptimus Team
Matti van Engelen
&
21
/
07
/
2023
View all digital know-how posts
“I was very impressed by the way SparkOptimus was able to translate complex knowledge and diverse insights, captured over a decade of activity, into clear, simple, and easy to implement principles.”

MICHAEL WADE

Professor of Innovation and Strategy at IMD

“The digital expertise and structured, practical approach of the SparkOptimus team have helped us to understand and improve our customer journey. We are now focused on how educators can use Stories that Move to help students feel empathy, be moved, and want in turn to contribute to improving their corner of the world.”

KAREN POLAK

International Coordinator of Stories that move at the Anne Frank House

“SparkOptimus’ combination of an incredibly deep understanding of digital and an ability to extract key insights from thorough industry analyses continues to impress me, and I believe positions them very well as a key strategic partner for digital investing decisions.”

VOLKERT DOEKSEN

Co-Founder of Alpinvest Partners, Senior Adviser of the Carlyle Group

“SparkOptimus has really helped us think through how to practically implement our digital transformation with a strong analytical and pragmatic approach. Their digital knowledge and hands-on experience truly helped us better understand and target our B2B customers.”

MAARTEN STRAMROOD

Managing Director DIGIB B.V. and CDO Brenntag AG

“It’s astonishing to see how well SparkOptimus understands the essence and urgency of digital and the power of data.”

JEROEN VAN DER VEER

Chair of the supervisory board of Philips and Boskalis, former CEO of Shell

“SparkOptimus successfully shared their well-thought through and demystifying view on disruption through a balanced, interactive and highly relevant masterclass.”

HANS WIJERS

Chair of the supervisory board of ING Group, former CEO of Akzonobel, former Minister of Economic Affairs for the Netherlands

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