Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?
André: ‘Own the strategy. Read all the information there is on OneLely Home. Discuss it in your team: What does it mean for us? How can we contribute to the success of Impact30? It’s not just up to the Executive Board and the Strategy office to make this a success.
And I’m happy to see that great examples can already be found within Supply Chain and Innovation, where there is already a clear focus on Impact30 and the Farm of the Future. Let’s work together towards that future, whether for farmers or for us as an organisation. We’re in this together.’
What’s the next step?
Lex: ‘The next step is to set clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These are clear sub-goals that allow us to monitor our progress in executing the strategy. And that’s where the internal organisation comes in. This needs to be done by all teams – starting with the directors defining what the strategy means for their teams, and further down the line at sub-team level. For myself, the challenge is to align all these plans and make sure that everything comes together in the end.’
André: ‘We are in this together; I cannot emphasise that enough. A great strategy and goals are nothing but a bunch of words if the organisation does not believe in it, step up and start acting. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” as the saying goes. In other words, we all share responsibility for the company’s success. Impact30 gives direction and focus, and we need that. It helps us to get ahead, especially in the tough times we face today. It’s up to all of us to keep that focus in our jobs. Trying to work on ten projects will most likely be less successful than focusing on two or three that really make an impact.’
What are the main differences between Route25 and Impact30?
André: ‘First and foremost, the Innovation pillar differs from Route25. Whereas we used to innovate at product level, we now focus on the five impact areas for our future innovations. Secondly, we have added the Supply Chain pillar to Impact30, for the reasons I mentioned earlier: we run our business in a rapidly changing world, stable supplies of components are no longer a given, and rules and regulations get stricter by the day. Compliance is the key to success.
We retain our focus on the omnichannel approach to further grow the adoption of robotisation. But perhaps the biggest change is related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG): we need to report on our ESG goals.’
André van Troost
Studied at UK universities in Birmingham and Gloucestershire
Started his career as a professional cricket player in the UK – retired at the age of 26
Earned his stripes at various multinationals
Joined Lely in 2014, heading the marketing team.
Appointed as Lely’s CEO in 2020
Lex van Bruggen
Graduated from Delft University of Technology in 2005 where he studied Mechanical Engineering
Worked as a strategy consultant for seven years, before joining Lely
Joined Lely in 2012 and has had several roles since.
Became Head of Strategy Support in September 2023.
Lex, you were closely involved in shaping Impact30. How did that process go?
Lex: ‘Well, basically it all started while shaping our vision on the Farm of the Future, which was launched last year. Diving into the challenges that define the farmers’ daily work gave us a clear insight into what is needed in the coming years. After defining the five impact areas, we had many more lessons and valuable input still on the table. Those formed the basis for our strategy, in which we focused heavily on the outside world: which trends do we see? How do they impact us? How’s our organisation doing? And which further internal steps do we need to take to prepare ourselves for the future?’
On 11 September, we launched our new strategy: Impact30. This strategy allows us to further shape the future of farming. In addition, this strategy will help us to tackle the challenges we face in an ever-changing world. In this Boardwalk article, André van Troost, our CEO, and Lex van Bruggen, Head of Strategy Support, reflect on the changes Impact30 will achieve.
André, that sounds like quite a process. How did it differ from the process to shape Route25?
André: ‘First of all, our starting point was different. The world has changed drastically, and doing business today cannot be compared to the business climate of seven years ago. We need to deal with political and societal issues, and face consequences of wars, component shortages and trade conflicts. That influences us as a global organisation. So it’s no longer only the cow and the farmer who define what we do.
Besides that, our discussions didn’t only revolve around the strategy. We reviewed other important elements of our DNA as well, such as our True North, vision and mission. Another difference compared to the Route25 process was that we held discussions with many stakeholders, not only from within our own organisation but also with external experts. All this resulted in Impact30 and our revised mission: ‘Creating the future of farming through innovative and valued solutions’. Lastly, the guidance of our Supervisory Board was key, and their signatures gave us the final ‘Go’ to launch and implement Impact30.'
'Culture eats strategy for breakfast: we’re in this together'
BOARDWALK
Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?
André: ‘Own the strategy. Read all the information there is on OneLely Home. Discuss it in your team: What does it mean for us? How can we contribute to the success of Impact30? It’s not just up to the Executive Board and the Strategy office to make this a success.
And I’m happy to see that great examples can already be found within Supply Chain and Innovation, where there is already a clear focus on Impact30 and the Farm of the Future. Let’s work together towards that future, whether for farmers or for us as an organisation. We’re in this together.’
What’s the next step?
Lex: ‘The next step is to set clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These are clear sub-goals that allow us to monitor our progress in executing the strategy. And that’s where the internal organisation comes in. This needs to be done by all teams – starting with the directors defining what the strategy means for their teams, and further down the line at sub-team level. For myself, the challenge is to align all these plans and make sure that everything comes together in the end.’
André: ‘We are in this together; I cannot emphasise that enough. A great strategy and goals are nothing but a bunch of words if the organisation does not believe in it, step up and start acting. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” as the saying goes. In other words, we all share responsibility for the company’s success. Impact30 gives direction and focus, and we need that. It helps us to get ahead, especially in the tough times we face today. It’s up to all of us to keep that focus in our jobs. Trying to work on ten projects will most likely be less successful than focusing on two or three that really make an impact.’
What are the main differences between Route25 and Impact30?
André: ‘First and foremost, the Innovation pillar differs from Route25. Whereas we used to innovate at product level, we now focus on the five impact areas for our future innovations. Secondly, we have added the Supply Chain pillar to Impact30, for the reasons I mentioned earlier: we run our business in a rapidly changing world, stable supplies of components are no longer a given, and rules and regulations get stricter by the day. Compliance is the key to success.
We retain our focus on the omnichannel approach to further grow the adoption of robotisation. But perhaps the biggest change is related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG): we need to report on our ESG goals.’
André van Troost
Studied at UK universities in Birmingham and Gloucestershire
Started his career as a professional cricket player in the UK – retired at the age of 26
Earned his stripes at various multinationals
Joined Lely in 2014, heading the marketing team.
Appointed as Lely’s CEO in 2020
Lex van Bruggen
Graduated from Delft University of Technology in 2005 where he studied Mechanical Engineering
Worked as a strategy consultant for seven years, before joining Lely
Joined Lely in 2012 and has had several roles since.
Became Head of Strategy Support in September 2023.
André, that sounds like quite a process. How did it differ from the process to shape Route25?
André: ‘First of all, our starting point was different. The world has changed drastically, and doing business today cannot be compared to the business climate of seven years ago. We need to deal with political and societal issues, and face consequences of wars, component shortages and trade conflicts. That influences us as a global organisation. So it’s no longer only the cow and the farmer who define what we do.
Besides that, our discussions didn’t only revolve around the strategy. We reviewed other important elements of our DNA as well, such as our True North, vision and mission. Another difference compared to the Route25 process was that we held discussions with many stakeholders, not only from within our own organisation but also with external experts. All this resulted in Impact30 and our revised mission: ‘Creating the future of farming through innovative and valued solutions’. Lastly, the guidance of our Supervisory Board was key, and their signatures gave us the final ‘Go’ to launch and implement Impact30.'
Lex, you were closely involved in shaping Impact30. How did that process go?
Lex: ‘Well, basically it all started while shaping our vision on the Farm of the Future, which was launched last year. Diving into the challenges that define the farmers’ daily work gave us a clear insight into what is needed in the coming years. After defining the five impact areas, we had many more lessons and valuable input still on the table. Those formed the basis for our strategy, in which we focused heavily on the outside world: which trends do we see? How do they impact us? How’s our organisation doing? And which further internal steps do we need to take to prepare ourselves for the future?’
'Culture eats strategy for breakfast: we’re in this together'
On 11 September, we launched our new strategy: Impact30. This strategy allows us to further shape the future of farming. In addition, this strategy will help us to tackle the challenges we face in an ever-changing world. In this Boardwalk article, André van Troost, our CEO, and Lex van Bruggen, Head of Strategy Support, reflect on the changes Impact30 will achieve.
BOARDWALK
