Promotion to Partner Status
Munich, September 29, 2023: The digital consulting, solutions, and software house valantic has appointed nine new Partners for their outstanding contribution to the successful growth of valantic in the past years. Carsten Bork, Timo Huguet, Oliver Kraft, Patrick Kuske, Uli Müller, Marc Philipp, David Ploss, Jelmer Spoelstra, and Nils Weber have all been appointed as Partners to the valantic Partner Circle as they all have made an outstanding impact, and won the trust of their clients, teams and peers, while fostering an environment of trust, mutual respect and fun.
With revenues of €550 million and around 4,000 employees estimated for the end of 2023, valantic is one of the fastest growing digital transformation consultancies, software developers and IT implementation houses in Europe. valantic is also one of the few consulting firms in the European market that can provide true end-to-end consulting for companies on their path to digital transformation. From strategy to tangible realization, valantic offers a broad range of services that includes the areas of digital strategy, data and analytics, customer experience management, SAP services, smart industries and software development, and financial services automation.
The company is managed by Partners, who are the key decision-makers in all matters of strategy, employee development, branding and company growth. Any employee can become a valantic Partner, but they must first pass the Evaluation Committee’s grueling selection process designed for a 360° screening of all candidates. New Partners must convince the Partner Panel through their entrepreneurial mindset and must already have a track record of contributing strongly to the development of the company beyond their own business unit.
Sebastian Hauptmann, valantic Partner and Chief Sales Officer stated: “All new Partners have shown an incredible ability as well as impressive leadership qualities, contributing strongly to the immense growth path of valantic in the past years. Our new Partner colleagues have an outstanding know-how in their field of work, and they all truly live and breathe valantics values and principles. Appointing them to our Partner Circle is more than deserved.”
Holger von Daniels, CEO and founder of valantic, sees the newly elected Partners as a huge opportunity for valantic’s further growth: “All of the new Partners have already proven many times over the past few years what extraordinary skills they bring to the table, and how they use these to successfully complete their projects to the benefit of customers and valantic alike. In doing so, they not only bring technical expertise that is unparalleled in the market, but also a humanity and a team spirit that enables them to do something very special. It is precisely such individuals that valantic is looking for as entrepreneurs, mentors and colleagues to fuel our further growth course.”
Learn more about our new valantic partners in the following profiles:
Carsten Bork, Member of the Management Board at verovis GmbH – a valantic company and Partner at valantic, is bringing the Future of Finance to CFOs
Christoph Nichau, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, comments on the appointment of Carsten Bork to the circle of Group Partners as follows: “Carsten has become a trusted advisor for the digital transformation of finance departments and for establishing a best-in-class corporate performance management (CPM) portfolio. Finance managers turn to him to transform their finance departments by means of cutting-edge digital solutions of nothing less than the best possible. His experience includes more than 24 years in CPM consulting across various industries such as chemicals & pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, retail, and many more. His peers and team regard him as an empathic and dependable leader who fosters trust and motivation. We are very happy to have Carsten on board to build the most respected digital finance practice in Europe.”
After studying Business Administration, Carsten Bork gained extensive knowledge in the areas of finance and corporate performance management at the consulting firms KPMG, BearingPoint and Horváth & Partners Management Consultants from 2001. There he was responsible for finance and CPM projects with his consulting teams. After being in charge of one consulting field at Horváth, he became a member of the management team at verovis – a valantic company where he has remained since 2019.
Timo Huguet, Co-Head of M&A and Corporate Development and Partner at valantic, is one of the driving forces of valantics M&A success
Commenting on the admittance of Timo Huguet, Patrick Ganzmann, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, said: “Timo perfectly represents the vision, values and culture that make valantic such a great place to work. He started his career as a student trainee eight years ago and has since gone through an extraordinary personal and professional transition. In recent years, he has made an exceptional contribution to our growth and success by co-leading a hard-hitting Mergers & Acquisitions team. As our youngest Partner and blessed with exceptional talent, Timo will not only continue to help valantic grow, but will also shape it into a colorful and closely collaborative organization.”
Timo Huguet concluded his studies of Business and Finance in Munich and London with an MSc in Finance and Private Equity from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. Before that, he completed a dual curriculum program (Duales Studium) at HypoVereinsbank in Munich. Subsequently, his professional career started with an internship at valantic in 2015, where he has grown with the company ever since. Since 2020, Timo is co-heading the M&A Team at valantic. With his position at valantic, two small kids, and a garden Timo is surrounded by growth 24/7.
Oliver Kraft, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, burns for his customers’ e-commerce success
Martin Hofer, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, explains: “Oliver has been active as an entrepreneur for 25 years and has accumulated extensive expertise in the area of nearshoring very early on. As an e-commerce expert, he also has financial responsibility for the Shopware and Spryker practice at valantic. With his unwavering commitment and unpretentious manner, he is making an effective contribution to shaping the development of the new Competence Center for Customer Experience & Commerce in Germany. In doing so, he accepts every challenge and is vigorously supported by his colleagues and staff. I am very pleased to have Oliver as a new Partner colleague.”
Before Oliver Kraft joined valantic in 2019, he founded his own company for e-commerce solutions in 1998. As a state-certified business economist, he combines technical know-how with a market-oriented mindset. Oliver focuses on medium-sized businesses, and he thoroughly enjoys mastering complex challenges. In his free time, he recharges his batteries by cycling and hiking through his hometown of Siegen, especially together with his wife and their two sons.
Patrick Kuske, Co-Head of M&A and Corporate Development and Partner at valantic, loves to bring new members to the valantic family
David B. Hofmann, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, comments on the election of Patrick Kuske as a new Partner: “Patrick Kuske brings a stellar M&A track record, entrepreneurial spirit, and unmatched friendliness to our group of valantic partners. His ambition to drive our growth is boundless. As Patrick’s appraiser for this promotion, I was hugely impressed by his achievements and visionary growth plan. I am eagerly anticipating our continued collaboration in shaping valantics future.
Patrick Kuske studied Business Administration in Germany and abroad, concluding his studies with a master’s degree from the University of Mannheim. He started his career in the M&A team at Deutsche Telekom before joining Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, where he made several investments in IT infrastructure and services companies. After six years in M&A and Private Equity, he co-founded a FinTech company backed by venture capital investors before he joined valantic in his role as Co-Head of M&A and Corporate Development. He thus combines an in-depth understanding of entrepreneurship with a strong track record in M&A which will be pivotal for driving valantic’s structural growth.
Uli Müller, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, is enthusiastic about large SAP transformation projects
Clemens Frank, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, explains: “Uli Müller has been continuously building our SAP Services with enormous success since 2019. For our employees, Uli is an inspiration, and our customers trust him unconditionally with their very large SAP S/4 HANA transformation projects. With his focus on finance, he structures his projects prudently and extremely reliably to ensure their success. His creative abilities will propel valantic to a top market position.”
Before joining valantic, Uli Müller studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Kaiserslautern, then worked at two medium-sized consultancies, before deciding to become self-employed. After a few years as a freelancer, he was determined to no longer work as a “one-man show”. In 2008, he therefore decided to join forces with Rüdiger Hoffmann and Guido Czampiel to found LINKIT Consulting GmbH, now part of the valantic family. In his private life, Uli enjoys spending time with his family: Married for 25 years, he is the father of two adult children. Besides traveling with his family, Uli does bodyweight training as well as jogging on a regular basis.
Marc Philipp, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, is the driving force behind strategic planning with Anaplan
Joao Moreira, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, explains: “As an entrepreneur, Marc Philipp has a great deal of stamina and is highly focused, always striving to offer unsurpassed quality to his clients. He is also a good listener, analytical, and able to create robust strategies. Marc has a sixth sense for creating a strong team spirit among his colleagues. We are more than happy to welcome him to our valantic Partner Circle.”
Marc Philipp holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Information Systems from the University of Münster and worked for Microsoft and Oracle, before joining valantic and moving into consulting. With different stations in Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland, he focuses on business consulting and transformation, data strategy implementation, and planning platform technologies.
Outside valantic, Marc enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons in the mountains. He is passionate about road cycling and mountain biking and spends his time with ski touring and alpine skiing in winter.
David Ploss, Member of the Management Board at verovis GmbH – a valantic company and Partner at valantic, is enthusiastic about data-driven transformation in finance
Volker Scholz, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, explains: “David Ploss has an unswerving commitment to entrepreneurial growth which he combines with his extraordinary consultancy and customer management skills. He founded and has continuously expanded valantic’s Corporate Performance Management (CPM) consultancy and implementation business, and has developed valantic into a leading partner for CPM solutions such as CCH® Tagetik. David is highly respected among his colleagues, shows great leadership skills with his growing team, and always conducts himself in accordance with valantic’s values. Personally, I am highly impressed by his long-term strategic thinking, integrity, and focus on quality.
David Ploss studied Business Informatics in Augsburg. In 2009, he joined the KPMG management consulting team where he was involved with the topics of financial planning, consolidation, and reporting. In 2015, he moved to verovis GmbH – a valantic company with responsibility for the Corporate Performance Management Solutions consulting field. Since 2019, he has been part of the verovis management team and advises his clients comprehensively on digitally transforming the finance sector.
In his private life, he is the proud father of two children and spends a lot of time in the mountains and on playgrounds and soccer fields.
Jelmer Spoelstra, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, lives and breathes Digital Commerce & Customer Experience
Laurenz Kirchner, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, explains: “Jelmer shows a strong vision and the exceptional ability to inspire and lead. Within valantic’s Customer Experience Division in the Netherlands, Jelmer has fostered a culture of excellence and collaboration. With his in-depth knowledge of Digital Commerce and Marketing, he is always on the lookout for a near-perfect customer experience that takes his clients’ projects to the next level“.
Jelmer Spoelstra joined valantic Netherlands in 2017 and has played a crucial role in the company’s growth and success. Jelmer’s vision for valantic is to expand its service and technology portfolio internationally while retaining a local entrepreneurial spirit. Before joining valantic, he gained extensive experience at prestigious multinational companies such as Shell and KPN telecom. He has worked in several roles and is known for creating a high-performance culture, combined with a good mix of fun and prestige. Outside work, Jelmer takes great pride in being a father of three kids. He cherishes spending time with friends and family.
Nils Weber, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, is the spearhead of valantics Salesforce business in Germany
Rainer Lindau, Managing Director and Partner at valantic, explains: “Nils is an exceptional entrepreneur and trusted advisor for transforming the customer experience in marketing, sales and customer service. He joined valantic in 2019 and built valantic’s Salesforce practice in Germany serving more than 30 companies, including many hidden champions of German industry. Nils strives for outstanding results in multiple dimensions – serving his clients, driving valantic’s Salesforce business and creating opportunities for other valantic business units. We are very happy to have Nils on board as valantic partner.”
As Partner & Managing Director, Nils Weber leads our German practice for Salesforce-powered customer engagement. Before that, Nils delivered projects in this field, working for a global consulting firm and digital agency. He studied Management in Leipzig (HHL) and Cape Town and is an expert in the digital transformation of “Hidden Champions”. He regularly publishes with representatives from academia and practice. In his free time, he loves to spend time with his family travelling, sportive activities, food & wine and educating himself on philosophical, political, and other social matters.
