Markus Glaser-Gallion has overseen plenty of change in the short time he’s been CEO of Leadec Group. For one, Leadec Group didn’t even exist when he assumed the role in April 2015; instead, it was known as Voith Industrial Services.
In 2016, private equity firm Triton acquired Voith, before it was rebranded as Leadec Group early this year. Under the Group’s umbrella, there are now two clearly defined divisions: Leadec and Veltec. Leadec is the automotive and production industry arm, while Veltec focuses on refineries and the petrochemical industries.
Markus Glaser-Gallion steers Leadec into the future
“We learned in the process that having two different brands representing the two different industries is more beneficial than having just one brand for all of the industries,” Markus notes of the changes. Very passionate and committed to their people and services, Markus and his team have implemented the glittering new branding of the holding company.
“Since we have a presence in more than 200 locations worldwide, the change of our company name to Leadec Group is a long-lasting process,” he says. “We’re in the middle of that transition, but it’s going very smoothly. We made our staff a priority, and have thrown events especially for them to create an emotional bond with the new brand name, and it’s been a great success. We’ve already received excellent feedback from our customers too.
“The big advantage is that we’re working in the B2B segment and have very good personal contacts, so we can inform our customers directly. Our next big challenge is to establish our new brand in the job market to attract new talent.” Having previously helped drive Voith Industrial Service’s growth from a turnover of €300 million to more than €1 billion, as a member of the management board since 2003 and as CEO of the automotive business branch, Markus is well positioned to steer Leadec Group in its new direction.
A frontrunner in innovation and digitisation
“Triton has demanding governance, as well as high expectations on speed, a willingness to improve, and a strong focus on business priorities,” Markus explains. “And this ties in well with my own leadership style. I am decisive, and have plenty of ambition and energy, but more than anything I want to see Leadec build on its broad portfolio and ensure it meets customers’ needs with tailored solutions. We are currently developing our growth strategy, but we have a clear target to grow organically, faster than the market by at least 5% to 10% over the next three to five years.”
More than anything I want to see Leadec build on its broad portfolio and ensure it meets customers’ needs.
The automotive sector, in which it currently has 16,600 employees, has been at the core of Leadec Group’s operation for more than 50 years. Markus draws on that expertise, with the company looking to leverage its existing capabilities into new markets.
“We have just developed a new strategy that focuses on automotive as well as selected adjacent industries. With our global service portfolio, we’re focusing on manufacturing processes and the relevant peripherals, including facilities. We want to be the preferred service partner for the manufacturing sector of today and tomorrow, and we want to be a frontrunner in innovation and digitisation.
“Digitisation is a core driver for our strategy. The whole industry is at the beginning of this journey, and to lead the way we’ll need strong partnerships, because you can’t invent all the ideas or manage all the different approaches yourself. One aspect will be to partner with suitable companies to foster our growth plans.”
“Leadec means leading tech”
Under Triton’s governance, Markus has the flexibility and freedom to be an entrepreneur rather than a manager. “In terms of my overall vision, I see us participating in the growing market of plant services and expanding our capabilities and regional reach,” he continues. “To be successful, we need to not only focus strongly on digitisation but also continue to enhance our efficiency.”
When you throw in Leadec’s benchmark occupational safety initiative, ‘Safety – It’s your life!’, and a corporate culture that focuses on employee and customer satisfaction, it’s no surprise Markus is optimistic about the future of the company.
“Leadec means leading tech, and that is where we want to be. We want to be a frontrunner in innovation and digitisation. Our key leading-edge services in the future will all be around automation, installation, making Big Data available for our customers, and optimising production processes.”
Considering that the best piece of advice Markus has ever been given is, ‘Any decision is better than no decision,’ you can bet the passionate manager will surely lead his team on challenging and beneficial new paths.