Ordina in the French-speaking part of Belgium

Interview with Thierry Parquet

Ordina is a Benelux player. Yet Wallonia is near enough virgin territory. This is about to change following Thierry Parquet’s joining of our management board in early August. His mission is clear: to put Ordina on the map in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Mont-Saint-Guibert will be the operating base. Attracting local expertise the  number one challenge. In three years’ time, Ordina aims to have become a major player in the Walloon IT market.

Thierry Parquet has a disarming smile and an open personality. He switches between French and Dutch effortlessly. He has worked a lot with Flemish people. This has given him a different view on the relations in our country. “On both sides of the language border, the press often paints a one-sided and partial picture of the other side,” Thierry says. “That way you create and confirm prejudices. The reality is nuanced. If you want to do business together, you have to have a good understanding of and respect for each other’s culture. That is the basis.”

Ambitious goal
“I started on the 1 August. The aim is to develop the French-speaking market in Brussels and Wallonia. This is vital for the planned growth of Ordina in Belgium. The ambition is to become a major player in the south of the country by 2014. With 40 to 50 consultants, you are at the front of the peloton. That’s where we want to claim a spot.”

New office, new account manager
“Much more so than in Flanders, doing business in Wallonia is a matter of relations and trust. To be successful, you have to serve the market from Wallonia. That’s why we opened an office in Mont-Saint-Guibert on 1 September. It is situated in the Axis Parc Business Center, within a stone’s throw of UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve – 40 km southeast of Brussels. That same day, we also welcomed Catherine Bosmans as account manager for Wallonia.”

“We want to become a local player with local expertise. To support our growth, we like to call on the experience and the savoir-faire in the Ordina group. Our biggest challenge? Attracting and employing the right people.”

Opening doors with decision-makers
Will Ordina concentrate its efforts in the French-speaking part of Belgium on certain sectors or services? “In time, we will align ourselves completely with the strategy of Ordina Belgium and Luxembourg,” Thierry answers. “However, in the initial phase, this is not our primary concern. We want to sell professional services and open doors with customers as much as possible. Ordina’s brand awareness with decision-makers has to improve. Organisations such as the Cercle de Wallonie and l’Union Wallonne des Entreprises are important networking platforms. It seems to me that our name already gives us an edge. Ordina, ordinateur. Can it get any more French?”