May we present Dorothea von Wichert-Nick. In her role as the new Corporate Innovation Director since January 2017, the 49-year-old has been heading up consultancy and support for companies in the digital transformation. In a personal interview, we asked her what her aims are and how she sees the future for etventure.

Dorothea, how would you describe yourself in three sentences?

I am very curious and sometimes like to jump in at the deep end – loosely based on the mantra of my middle son: “If you want to wake up, you have to take a cold shower.” As a systems thinker, I see the big picture and like to take existing structures to a new level. My aim is to live life to the full: family and career, exciting work and an appreciative environment, intellectual challenges and making jam – there is no need to limit yourself.

Which professional milestones do you like to look back on?

Overall, I wouldn’t have wanted to do without any of my steps. Having spent many years as a director at strategy consultants Solon, I didn’t just implement many exciting projects, but also developed the company itself. By developing recruitment, training and knowledge management, I helped to create an organization that enabled efficient working in an appreciative climate. I like to look back on my work at affilinet (a Sedo Holding company). Here we made a first generation online marketing company sustainable. Now affilinet is Europe’s fastest growing performance network. Experiences that I will now also bring to bear at etventure.

You have now completed your first week at etventure. What is your first impression?

etventure has been on my radar since it was founded in 2010, and I was enthusiastic about the business idea, the unconventional, bold market launch and the unbelievable growth right from the start. Now I have been there for one week and can confirm that etventure is much more than you see from the outside. Inspiring people who don’t just do their jobs, but really take personal responsibility for the development of their clients and etventure. A detailed methodology that takes the design thinking approach to a new level, and a culture that is dedicated to continuous development.

What marks etventure out from other consultancies? What do you think the etventure DNA is made of?

For me, the etventure DNA consists of three components: the entrepreneurial spirit, enabling clients, and a focus on implementation. Many employees have already founded their own companies or worked in startups. Their aim is to really enable clients to take charge of their own digitization. An etventure project is successful when the client implements new business models in their own teams using etventure’s methods. The first prototype, the successful market launch of a minimal viable product and, even better, the roll-out of a new business – these are the actual aims of our work.

How do you define digitization and what is your view of it?

Digitization means realigning a company’s own business model against the background of the new digital opportunities and competitors, thus making itself sustainable. The starting point is the company’s core function: its core competences and the added value created by the company. With this knowledge, it involves re-interpreting existing processes with the aid of the digital opportunities, thus creating a better user experience in the long term. My favorite example is MyTaxi. They also only act as an intermediary for taxi journeys, but all interactions in the process of ordering, usage and payment are consistently rendered digitally, with clear added value for both the taxi driver and the user. The only losers are the old intermediaries – the taxi companies. One of the first consultants in the founder team actually came from the Hamburg taxi company – but they didn’t agree with his ideas…

What are your plans for etventure Corporate Innovation?

etventure has grown at a rapid pace in the last few years. This growth has been sustained by the huge personal effort of all the staff. Further healthy growth is only possible if we develop sustainable organizational and management structures – cue “scaling”. I will apply my experience from developing consultancies and from transforming digital companies in this area. My aim is to create processes and structures that enable lean working and a startup culture even with an even larger team. We will certainly also do a lot of experimenting with agile tools and organizational forms here – so we ourselves can learn about the subject of “new work”.

Where do you see etventure being in 12 months’ time?

Up to now, many companies have not been open enough for a comprehensive digital transformation – but that has now changed. More and more companies are grappling with the subject of digitization and experimenting with a number of digital initiatives. Therefore we will be able to support our clients even more comprehensively and in even more depth in 12 months’ time in the transformation of their companies. From digital stock taking, or digital due diligence, to developing comprehensive transformation strategies, right through to executing them. This will happen through developing new business models, developing digital ecosystems, and digitizing the core processes. We will help our corporate clients to think beyond the usual industry logic and benefit from the experience of the digitization pioneers. As a result, we will continue to stand for lean and therefore swift implementation.

Will etventure be able to continue to grow at this speed?

At etventure, our vision is to make a significant contribution to the digital transformation of the industry and so, not least, to secure the future of Germany as a location. We can only achieve this if we continue to grow. It is our and, not least, my responsibility to create a good framework for this growth whilst, simultaneously, retaining the very special spirit of etventure. Because only then will both our colleagues and our corporate clients be happy with what we are achieving together.

Dear Dorothea, thank you very much for the interview!

Read the press release on Dorothea von Wichert-Nick, Director of Corporate Innovation.