Board Impulse Thoughts (BIT) – A little BIT for everybody

64th Board Impulse Thoughts with Matthias Klaesener and his views and assessments of the upcoming and last 12 months

1. Which were your biggest learnings over the past 12 months?

A key learning is that the Covid crises and the resulting disruption of global supply chains, as well as the war and the subsequent energy crisis in Europe have significantly increased the complexity of corporate management and governance. A world that was already characterized by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) became even more difficult to analyze and to choose the right strategy.

2. What are your observations on executives over the last 12 months, did they change their habits and attitudes?

The most successful executives in this period have understood that it is not enough to create and follow a strategy, but that different strategic scenarios, pro-active risk management as well as close market observation and agile execution is key to success in this situation.

3. Why is excellent execution important right now?

The risk of failure in execution increases when companies face such uncertainties or take major new steps, such as a large reorganization or entering new markets, or acquiring and integrating other companies for the first time. In such cases, companies sometimes lack the necessary experience. Here, external advisors can help to avoid typical pitfalls and to effectively follow the right path.

4. What do you expect from 2023?

I expect to see a wide range of corporate developments. A number of companies will unfortunately have to cope with severe crises, especially if they were not well prepared. Others will be successful despite the crisis and even use it to prepare for the next growth phase or to acquire other companies.

Matthias Klaesener is a board member and a private equity advisor to high-tech companies. He has more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive in the software and information technology industry. Most recently, Matthias was CEO of Corporate Planning (financial performance management software) and COO of proALPHA Group (ERP software). He started his career as a software engineer and later held executive positions in sales and professional services.

Today, Matthias is a board member of SaaS companies and acts as an executive and founder coach for technology startups. He also supports companies in their go-to-market strategy and business development in the DACH region.