What was your most surprising insight or lesson in 2024, both business and personal?
I started as CEO at Xelion on January 1st. The past months have been full of lessons and insights. One learns by doing and I have been fortunate to board a moving train. As a result, I've spent less time worrying about whether salaries could be paid at the end of the month, and more time connecting with like-minded people to learn from lessons they've learned in the past. I don't have a lesson that stands out, but the insight is that everyone likes to talk about the things they did right or wrong in the past. And how they look back on that. Whether you are a relationship, a competitor or like-minded person in another industry - sharing is something everyone likes to do.
What decision or strategy in your organization has had the biggest impact this year and why?
Xelion has been around for 35 years. We have done a lot of things in that time but our logo has always been the same. However, rebranding is not just a nice color and a hip logo, it's a whole process. From the vision and mission to the brand story, to tone of voice and what carries through to your apps. A mega-job that I am proud of but also happy that it is now almost complete. It is unprecedented in how many places you find your logo after 35 years!
What technological innovation or trend within the IT/Telecom sector do you think is currently underexposed but will be big in the future?
I don't know if it can be understated but the current trend called AI is everywhere. As a result, instead of speaking into voicemails, I have entire auto attendants on the line who are supposed to make things easier for me. Yet there is a downside to this automation. Sometimes you just want to talk to a human being. There is nothing more annoying than bad AI. This is why I think in the future, for specific things, we will be willing to wait longer to be helped by a human. Human interaction as a USP.
If you could choose one company within the industry that really made a difference in 2024, which would it be?
I am extremely impressed with the decision made by Voys of Groningen. Giving the company “back” to its staff through steward ownership is a commendable move in my opinion. It shows that you want to guarantee continuity for your greatest strength as a company, your employees. A decision for which your organization must be equipped, although I have no doubt about that at Voys.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity you see for the industry in 2025, and how are you as an organization addressing it?
The shortage in the labor market is great and will remain unabated I think. As a result, we find that our resellers have fewer hands available than they would sometimes like. This applies to marketing but also to technical areas. We want to support them in this by training people as Xelion consultants who can then be deployed to supervise projects. This way we help the reseller get satisfied customers with less aftercare and at the same time we make sure that projects are not unnecessarily halted because of a shortage!
What is your personal mantra or guideline for the coming year, business and personal?
Security over speed. I say it very often and it is necessary. The temptation to respond immediately to emails or questions is very strong. Not that it really helps, but I'm continuing to work on this.
What unexpected advice would you give readers to help themselves or their business continue to grow in 2025?
Prepare for a turn in tech. With that I mean we are now 100% dependent on US tech companies for our business, critical infrastructure and government. Calls for a European Hyperscaler or EU mail server are getting louder (too late) slowly but surely. If you think about this now in the preliminary stage, then later when there is choice, you can help your customers with this as well. You won't get growth out of this now, indeed, it will cost money. But over time you will show your customers that you are able to offer choices and that also brings in the money.
