talent and experience across borders
OneShore:
With the rebranding of Lalandi Conclusion in South Africa and the acquisition of Neotalent and Score Consulting in Portugal, both completed in 2023, Conclusion is taking significant international steps. Now that OneShore – the expansion of capacity across borders – has become a reality, it is time to take stock. Bert Jan de Jongh, a member of the executive team focusing on internationalisation, talks about Conclusion’s ambitions.
“We have noticed that our clients’ needs are changing. The market is shifting due to globalisation and technological developments. Digital transformation is becoming increasingly important – and more complex. By strengthening and scaling our ecosystem with additional international capacity, we can continue to grow in step with our clients’ needs. Scaling up within the Netherlands is difficult because the labour market is tight. Fortunately, working in international teams is now perfectly feasible, as remote work is more often the rule than the exception. Thanks to capacity abroad, we are able to expand more quickly and continue to deliver on our promise to clients.”
“Client questions are becoming more complicated. By expanding our capacity abroad, we can support them better. For example, we now have more opportunities to place professionals directly with our clients. And because we work in blended client teams, clients suddenly have access to a tremendous pool of expertise. They benefit directly from this. We can offer the same high-quality service, but more efficiently. The reality is that cost and price remain important for our clients – and quality must also be safeguarded.”
“Client questions are becoming more complex. By expanding our capacity abroad, we can support them more effectively.”
Bert Jan de Jongh
“International ambitions are often shaped by classic nearshoring and offshoring – in other words, sending work abroad to be carried out at lower cost. That approach doesn’t suit us. At Conclusion, we start from a principle of equality; that is where the name OneShore comes from. We continue to operate as a single team towards the client, regardless of where someone is based. We are expanding capacity in Portugal, Spain and South Africa. The sense of equality is reflected in the fact that these companies have become part of the Conclusion family.”
“These countries tick all the boxes. Think of the availability of IT talent, the level of education and strong English proficiency. We also looked at political and economic stability. Just as important is how a country approaches inclusivity and diversity. Portugal and the Netherlands are a good cultural match as well. People are approachable and collaborate easily. The same goes for Spain. With South Africa, we share a similar directness: we say what we think. Ultimately, it’s about sharing values so we can build one family together. And of course, the great weather, food and drink certainly don’t hurt.”
“In the Netherlands we have proven that the ecosystem concept works. The success formula lies in the entrepreneurial spirit of each company. Creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset are crucial to spotting opportunities and staying relevant. That is therefore a key requirement for international companies wishing to join our ecosystem. They must also have the desire to collaborate. It is a matter of give and take. And to be able to contribute, a company must offer high quality and be one of the top players in its market. It must invest in training and innovative projects. Together, these traits form the DNA of a typical Conclusion company: courage, ambition and quality. Expanding across borders does not change this DNA.”
“In the Netherlands, we have proven that the ecosystem concept works.”
Bert Jan de Jongh
“We have an extensive set of criteria to assess whether a company is a good fit for us. In addition to DNA, for example, we look at whether we share a similar client philosophy. By that we mean: do they serve the types of clients we would serve? How does the company speak about its clients? Do they attach the same value to the relationship? In practice, these companies often serve clients in public transport, healthcare, financial services, construction and the energy transition. That’s when you start to see natural crossovers. Take myBrand Conclusion, active at the Port of Rotterdam. Full-service SAP specialist Score Conclusion serves nearly all ports in Portugal. Both companies can share knowledge and expertise. That only works if you share the same client philosophy.”
“For colleagues in the Netherlands, the English language is perhaps the biggest challenge. Many people don’t use English daily, so they feel a bit rusty. In my experience, it’s mostly a matter of confidence and practice, but for some, it’s still a hurdle. We have English language training available to support colleagues. English also plays a role in documentation. For most of our Dutch clients, everything is recorded in Dutch. It is also important for colleagues across countries to build a connection. When you work remotely, you know each other – and yet not really. Fortunately, we can build on the experience of teams like Conclusion MBS and Yellowtail Conclusion. They not only work for international clients but also have diverse teams themselves. They understand how to bring cultures together and create one team from different backgrounds.”
“Connection is one of the core principles of the Conclusion ecosystem. Seeking connection across borders is more complex than within a small country like the Netherlands. Despite the physical distance, we believe it’s important that people meet each other every now and then. We want to build international teams. That only works if people get to know one another and build rapport. That’s simply easier when you share lunch or do something fun after work. Recently, around ten colleagues from Lalandi Conclusion, our software development specialist in South Africa, visited myBrand Conclusion in the Netherlands. Colleagues could meet and get a feel for each other’s environment. You could see how much people from both countries enjoyed meeting in real life. Ultimately, it’s still people’s work – and enjoying what you do together makes all the difference.”
“I can imagine clients worrying that things may change for them. When new (international) colleagues join their team, that is a change, of course. But what absolutely does not change is our client focus. For clients, working with familiar faces and keeping the same point of contact is very important. It’s important to us as well, and we want to reassure clients about this. At the same time, we want to offer them the best of both worlds: the trusted faces who understand the client combined with expertise and capacity from abroad. I am convinced that this blended model works extremely well for most clients. Many clients have no issue with remote collaboration and benefit from the cost-effectiveness that comes with this approach. More importantly: we can support them even better with all their IT and business transformation challenges.”
Conclusion OneShore
In today’s challenging and constantly changing digital transformation landscape, due to globalization and technological advancements, we believe in one powerful and balanced team. One team, consisting of experienced international IT talent, jointly working on one solution.
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