No goodbyes are forever at Delaware

Colleagues Vincent Guillaume and Sander van der Stap both left Delaware a few years ago to pursue other opportunities, but soon realised the grass wasn’t greener on the other side. They missed the Delaware spirit, the challenging projects and the skillful approach. Luckily, no goodbye is forever at Delaware. As Vincent and Sander returned, they brought back their valuable experience, fresh perspective and passion for innovation. 
 
“Leaving is difficult, but returning is even more difficult. However, great things never come from comfort zones”.  Sander van der Stap  

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What were the main reasons behind your exit? 

Vincent: “As an English-speaking member of the French SAP delivery team, I was traveling a lot and felt like I was missing out on family occasions regularly. I’m afraid I didn’t express this struggle enough before I was completely worn out. Exploring new horizons enabled me to return with more assertiveness and new objectives.”  

Sander: “For me, it was quite the opposite: I was attracted by the opportunity to travel and work for a big software vendor as business development manager. After 12 years in the information management ecosystem, including 7 years at Delaware, I felt a bit stuck in one role, one technology. I was ready for a new challenge to drive my personal growth.”  
 

What made you ‘miss’ Delaware?  

Vincent: “The tagline we commit, we deliver is being taken to heart. We don’t promise things we can’t do. Thanks to its pragmatic and skillful approach, delaware turns the most complex projects into something outstanding. Those challenging projects were what I was missing, in addtion to convivial and easy-going atmosphere, of course.”  

Sander: “I can relate to that. At Delaware, we’re innovative entrepreneurs that think out of the box. We look over the barriers or constraints of one technology and reach out to colleagues. That synergy brings a lot of satisfaction, for our customers, but also for the#peopleofdelaware. I soon realised I missed this Delaware spirit.” 

Did you have specific expectations making these shifts? 

Vincent: “While I worked elsewhere, delaware continued to grow into a large organisation but managed to sustain its friendly, creative and stimulating environment. Therefore, I was tremendously looking forward to working again for a company that combines best of both worlds.”   

Sander: “Leaving is difficult, but returning is even more difficult. However, great things never come from comfort zones. I was wondering how colleagues would perceive my return. At the same time, I also felt confident and ambitious, coming back with new knowledge and a refreshed and wider perspective.”  
 

What Delaware project are you most proud of? 

Vincent: “All of them, I guess. Nothing is ever easy and everything is a challenge. However, once I did get into a very heated discussion with a customer on an implementation project in the Chinese aerospace industry. The customer was over-demanding and I stood firm on the impossibility of their demands. Later on, I was thanked for it by my colleagues and by the customer itself. Delaware only commits to what we know we’re able to deliver.” 

Sander: “It’s somewhat cliché, but as a sales executive, I’m proud of every project or solution that was created in collaboration with other teams and eventually solved our customer’s problem. Teamwork creates added value for our customers.”

 

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What’s the most unique asset of Delaware?  

Vincent: “The combination of a competent and targeted approach with a creative and stimulating environment is definitely unique.  

Sander: “Delaware cherishes entrepreneurship. The fact that there’s room for trial and error enables the #peopleofdelaware to grow as a person and become better in what they do professionally.”

What do you see when you think of Delaware in 2123? 

Vincent: “I hope that in in 2123, AI will cut all boring tasks of our job. All jokes aside, I hope that Delaware will still leverage AI’s full power to deliver game-changing solutions to customers.” 

Sander: “It’s already hard to imagine what Delaware will look like in 10 years, let alone 100 years. In the long run, I hope delaware maintains its agility and strong focus on both customers and employees.” 

In fact, we do not longer (want to) say goodbye anymore. Delaware recently launched its #friendsofdelaware initiative, bringing together a community of former colleagues to maintain relationships, collaborate in knowledge sharing opportunities and spark innovation amongst each other. 

To reach 150 years, you must explore new horizons

As Delaware grows, the #peopleofdelaware grow along – even if that involves crossing borders. In 2012, Christophe Derdeyn, 2023 partner of Delaware Singapore, decided to discover new horizons in southeast Asia to help establish a new delaware entity in Singapore. Just over a decade later, Ayaka Ghoos, senior SAP EWM consultant, made the same decision to get out of her comfort zone. Did it change their lives? Most definitely! Together, they look back on their relocation adventure.   

“Because of the shared values across various delaware entities, there will always be only one delaware.” Ayaka Ghoos. 
 

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What’s the secret behind your bold move? 

Christophe: Some people may call it ‘bold’, but my wife and I considered this a unique opportunity to explore the world and different cultures. 
Ayaka: I was looking for a way to get out of my comfort zone, experience new things and learn more about cultural differences. 
 

Did you have specific expectations? 

Christophe: I didn’t have concrete expectations, but I knew I was going to be immersed in different cultures, as southeast Asia has many wide-ranging cultures. I was looking forward to being enriched by those new cultures.  
Ayaka: One of the main drivers to start working for Delaware was its company culture. Moving abroad, I was hoping to experience the same values and working atmosphere.  

How did you make it happen? 

Christophe: One of the core values of Delaware is entrepreneurship. Back in the days, I worked together on various projects with Delaware as a supplier. Wim Van Eyken and Jan Vets, partners of Delaware Belux, encouraged me to help develop a practice in Singapore. Delaware truly puts its values into practice. 

Ayaka: Christophe and I coincidentally bumped into each other in the Lummen office. A small talk about our shared passion for exploring new horizons got the ball rolling. 

Christophe: I immediately saw the opportunity to expand our existing SAP practice with a new line of business. Speaking of a win-win situation: Ayaka’s relocation fulfilled her dream and took our services to the next level.  

What’s key for you to grow as a person? 

Ayaka: Taking on new challenges and opportunities enable me to really get to know myself. And for me, growth is in discovering myself while looking at the world with an open mindset. 

Christophe: I feel like getting out of my comfort zone, always trying to push my boundaries and doing things that make me feel uncomfortable, make me who I am. 
 

What’s the strongest and most unique asset of delaware’s culture? 

Christophe: the #peopleofdelaware are incredibly entrepreneurial and supportive. In all honesty, we’re not the most organized company, but relationships are very strong and people are extremely helpful and encouraging.  

Ayaka: Delaware provides excellent support. Whether it’s support on operational matters, growth opportunities or new challenges, there is always someone ready to help. When I look back at my relocation or the start of my new role as lead consultant, I felt very supported by delaware Belux, delaware Singapore and the whole warehousing team. This definitely helped me grow. 

How do you think delaware's international footprint will grow over the next 20 years? 

Christophe: So far, we’ve always been very prudent in our expansion plans, but quite bullish in the execution of those plans. So, I predict that in 20 years from now, we’ve planned to be active in 30 countries, when in reality we’re already located in 50.  
 

What do you see when you think of Delaware in 2123? 

Ayaka: I see more entities worldwide with local leadership, local cultures and even more diversity. All entities are still working together where possible, learning from each other and growing together. Because of the shared values across various entities, there will always be only one Delaware.” 
 

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The power of long-term vision in times of crisis

Jan Delaere, founding partner of Delaware and Fabio Carneiro, partner & chairman of the board at Delaware Brazil, discuss the positive results of having a unique vision.

To reach 150 years, you go against all odds. Jan Delaere tells how Delaware Belgium went its own way during the financial crisis in 2007, turning the crisis into an opportunity. In 2022, Delaware Brazil went its own way in implementing SAP's cloud strategy, dramatically increasing its market share. Fabio reflects on how Delaware Brazil went its own way.

"It's important to realise that our projects have a big societal impact." 
Fabio Carneiro 
 

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How do you approach growth, and how did you manage to navigate through the 2007 financial crisis? 

Jan: "Our approach to growth includes having a long-term vision and commitment. When the 2007 financial crisis hit, we were affected just like our clients. While other companies were downsizing, delaware invested in talent, delaware saw it as an opportunity to strengthen the workforce and prepare for the resumption of the war for talent. 
 

What made you create a company designed for never being sold? 

Jan: "I was one of the 3 partners who launched delaware. The decision to never sell is based on the insight that we need all #peopleofdelaware to make this company a long-lasting success." 

Fabio: "We took the same starting point as Jan 20 years ago; we have created a strong local team that has to become #peopleofdelaware. They will work closely with skilled people from other countries, and this combination is the key to our success in the future." 
 

How do you create trust in times of crisis? 

Jan: "With a combination of vision, actions and especially also a lot of communication. We don’t hide our concerns and make people aware of the dangers, but at the same time we highlight our long-term focus and confirm our commitment to our stakeholders. We empower everyone to stay sharp." 

Does focus on the long term always pay off and where do you see delaware in 2123? 

Fabio: "In our case it really does, as it helps us to stay focused. When markets shift, we don’t chase the quick wins but stay focused on what we believe to be our true assets." 

Jan: "I want to add that delaware envisions a strong, worldwide and well-managed company, still building on the same values of today in 2123. And still being an independent partnership, because this gives us competitive advantages in a world where agility is key and where building on the world’s best talents is crucial." 

 
What’s the project you are proudest of? 

Fabio: "We have carried out a fantastic agrobusiness project, where we generated value and reduced social inequalities. Our projects often have a big societal or environmental impact." 

Jan: "Absolutely true. The project I’m most proud of, is delaware itself. I’ve always been fascinated about how to unleash the amazing potential of people and organizations."