ELEVATE2024-12-13T10:01:33+01:00

Final update

The detailing phase for the Target Operating Model at SARIA Ingredients & Energy is coming to an end, and we are getting ready for implementation. In the video, the SARIA co-CEOs Tim Schwencke and Harald van Boxtel provide a final overview of Project Elevate and look ahead to our next steps.

Updates

First achievements

In this video, the SARIA co-CEOs Harald van Boxtel and Tim Schwencke give an overview of the new organizational setup for the SARIA Ingredients & Energy division and the SARIA holding.

Let’s Elevate our future together

Welcome! We would like to introduce you to an exciting new topic: project Elevate and its slogan “stronger together, better tomorrow”.
Based on our experience and the need for continuous evolution, it is time for our next organizational step forward. With clear structures, responsibilities, leadership and of course a taste of entrepreneurial spirit we want to drive our sustainable growth within our Group even further. For this reason, we decided to introduce a new powerful organizational structure starting in 2024!

Welcome statement from the project sponsors Harald van Boxtel and Tim Schwencke

Your questions, our answers

The idea behind the project

10 things to know

Where do we come from?

In March 2021, SARIA started a journey called 3 DIVISIONS – 1 GROUP, during which we built our current organizational structure with a clear customer focus. The divisions have worked extremely hard to find their best set-up, and together we have taken so many successful steps in professionalizing, innovating and growing our business. At the same time, we’ve also become aware of some challenges, areas where things do not work as expected. For example, responsibilities and processes were not always as clear as we want and need them to be to achieve the best results. Sometimes it seemed like we lost some of the “SARIA team spirit” and spent more time on solving internal issues instead of focusing on our core business and the market.

Introducing project Elevate

After three years and with market dynamics requiring constant evolution, it is time to take a new look at our organizational structure. We want to find out what we are already doing well, and we want to identify areas where we can improve.

Our goal is to be competitive in our markets, stay close to the customer and find growth opportunities in new markets. We want to empower our people and re-strengthen collaboration and our entrepreneurial SARIA DNA, where people take responsibility and drive the business forward with their ideas and their know-how.

How do we do that? With Elevate, we will define a so-called Target Operating Model, which is a model version of how our organization would be set up and function to achieve the best results. This project includes all activities within the SARIA Group except for SARIA Food & Pharma. Food & Pharma is not part of Elevate, because they already started a similar project last year after Devro joined the Group. They defined their structure, processes and responsibilities – a Target Operating Model for SARIA Food & Pharma. And this will help us going forward, we can learn a lot from their great outcome.

The first draft for the Target Operating Model and the new organizational set-up for our activities that are included in the project will be presented at the SARIA Management Meeting 2024 at the beginning of September. Until then, a lot of people from all over the Group will be involved. Over the course of 100 days, we will ask questions to find out what is good and what needs to be changed, develop a first idea for the new architecture and all the details from that.

Elevate at a glance: the top 10 things you need to know right now

1

Elevate is a project to develop SARIA’s organizational
set-up further

2

SARIA Food & Pharma is not part of Elevate; they started a similar and very successful project in 2023 to define their set-up, processes and responsibilities and will continue on this path

3

All activities and functions outside of SARIA Food & Pharma are included in project Elevate

4

In the future, SARIA’s organization will consist of a holding and two organizational units, one of which will be SARIA Food & Pharma

5

One main goal of Elevate is to define the future Target Operating Model (= a blueprint for the way our organization would function in an ideal world) for the second organizational unit and the holding

6

The Target Operating Model will focus on three pillars: organizational design, governance, and processes

7

Until September 6, our current structure and all responsibilities will stay the same

8

The two project sponsors of Elevate are Tim Schwencke and Harald van Boxtel. Starting September 4, they will be co-CEOs of SARIA, each responsible for one of the organizational units

9

Throughout Elevate, we will involve many people from all over the Group to find out what is already working well and in what areas we can improve

10

Our goal is to build a strong platform for sustainable growth, be competitive in our markets and find new opportunities for our businesses

Get to know the project sponsors

Harald
van Boxtel

Executive Board Member

Harald van Boxtel is one of the two project sponsors and will be one of the two Co-CEOs starting from the SARIA Management Meeting (Sept. 4-6).

He has been a member of the SARIA Executive Board since 2017. As he did in his role as a member of the SARIA Executive Board, he is now responsible for the internal organizational unit SARIA Food & Pharma, which covers the business units Van Hessen, Devro and Bioiberica. Harald van Boxtel (*1968) is Dutch, lives with his wife in the Netherlands and has two children.

“We believe in our teams, colleagues, and the company, and we know that we can do best when we work together. By combining our strengths, we are creating a structure that maximizes our collective potential.”

Tim
Schwencke

Executive Board Member

Tim Schwencke is one of the two project sponsors and will be one of the two Co-CEOs starting from the SARIA Management Meeting (Sept. 4-6).

He has been a member of the SARIA Executive Board since 2014 and is the CFO of the SARIA Group. In his new role, he will be responsible for the SARIA Group’s second organizational unit. This encompasses all activities relating to the renewable energy business, including rendering, as well as the entire pet food, animal feed and oleochemicals business. Tim Schwencke (*1974) is German, lives with his wife near Selm (Germany) and has three children.

“We are sharpening our focus with clear structures, responsibilities, and leadership. By leveraging our strengths, we can enhance our business and achieve even greater success together.”

Your questions, our answers

Elevate is a project that involves defining a uniform organization in the form of a target operating model (TOM). It is not a restructuring project, but an organizational project for effective and efficient structures. As part of the TOM, the control systems (key figures/KPIs) for the new organization are also defined and subsequently communicated. As the management systems follow the strategy and structure, they will not be finalized at the beginning of September, but as soon as the standard KPIs have been defined, they will be communicated and applied.

Over the next 5 weeks, we will be drafting initial ideas for the Target Operating Model (TOM) and discuss them with external and internal experts. The initial focus first and foremost will be on “the business”, as this is where we have the most urgent need for action. Our administrative functions will follow them and look at how they can support the business best. We will firstly look at the functions, that are deeply involved in this new organization, e.g., finance. In the next step, we will look at the functions that already have a global “footprint” or haven´t been “affected” by the division process and/or the UNO project so far, and then adjust them to the new TOM – if necessary. This will happen in a structured process, in which all functional experts will be involved.

The involvement of certain functions is currently based solely on prioritization aspects, there is no “ranking” behind this – all administrative functions are important and make a significant contribution to the company’s success.

At this point, we are too early in the process to say anything specific about the new operating model because we don’t know yet and the result of the project is currently completely open. We want to develop a TOM that is fit for purpose, and the next weeks will show what exactly that will look like.

The exact functions that will be found in the holding will be determined as part of the TOM process. For now, we only know that the holding will include the two Co-CEOs, the SARIA Executive Board, and whichever functions are necessary at this level, which will be evaluated during Elevate.

Until September, everything stays the same. For the new structure that will be implemented starting in September, there is no framework for local governance yet. The decision about the future setup is open and will be based on the requirements of the business model and strategic objectives. Any legal changes that may arise with the Elevate project will be communicated internally and forwarded to the relevant authorities in a timely manner.

With Elevate, we pursue a holistic approach to analyze all internal structures. The IT department, like any other function, is also examined as part of the Elevate project in terms of structure, organization and processes. Clearly defined structures, responsibilities and leadership should also help us to remain competitive in this specific area.

Elevate is a three-month-lasting project to further develop SARIA’s organizational set-up. One main goal of Elevate is to define the future Target Operating Model (= TOM, a blueprint for the way our organization would function in an ideal world) for the second organizational unit besides SARIA Food & Pharma and the holding. All activities and functions outside of SARIA Food & Pharma are included in project Elevate.

Everything is included in the project scope. Only SARIA Food & Pharma is out of scope.

No, there are no predesigned structures, and the decision is open. The business model (TOM) needs to be worked out first, and then aligned with business capacities and strategic objectives.

SARIA Food & Pharma will stay as it is. In the future, SARIA’s organization will consist of a holding and two organizational units, one of which will be SARIA Food & Pharma. Clear structures and responsibilities of the other unit have not been defined yet, this is the subject  of the project. We will now use our expertise to further develop our organization to ensure the greatest possible effectiveness and administrative support.

This decision is up to the Supervisory Board of SARIA Group. However, it is already clear that an independent CFO is a prerequisite from the Supervisory Board. Having said this: yes, a new CFO will come.

From September on Harald van Boxtel and Tim Schwencke will take the lead for the two operational units as Co-CEOs. Harald van Boxtel for SARIA Food & Pharma and Tim Schwencke for all remain businesses and activities. All exact roles and functions will be defined during Elevate. Further organizational structures are still to be discussed and are not defined up to now. This also includes the future responsibilities of the other Board Members.

UNO has been a success and a very good foundation and preparation for our upcoming improvements. With the development of RACIs for the functions in scope of UNO, we are now able to proceed with Project Elevate even more efficiently and effectively.

We proceed with business as usual. So please do not pause the projects that are in planning. However, of course, please consider – as we are currently reviewing our structures – projects which could have the potential to be beneficial for more than one Business Unit (e.g. IT projects), should not be reduced to the specificities of the activities involved in the project. In such cases, the project needs to be discussed by the Executive Board.

Please do not adjust any processes as we proceed with business as usual until September to remain efficient until structures are clearly defined.

For questions on the project feel free to use the project e-mail address: elevate@saria.com or the contact form on this page. All incoming questions are treated confidentially and answered as quickly as possible in consultation with the project team Elevate. If you want to raise a question completely anonymously, you are welcome to do so as well.

Questions, comments, ideas?
Let us know!

We count on each and everyone of you to support and participate in this project to take SARIA to the next level. Let us know your thoughts, your ideas, your feedback and any questions you may have by using the contact form or sending a message to: elevate@saria.com

The project team and the communications department will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also submit your question anonymously. In that case, we would address it either in the FAQ section of this website or in one of the updates that will be shared throughout the project.

Send us a message
Name and e-mail are optional



    Information about Privacy & Cookies.

    Elevate: stronger together, better tomorrow

    Together towards a sustainable world and healthier living.

    You want to learn more about the SARIA Group? Check out saria.com for further information.

    SARIA SE & Co. KG
    Norbert-Rethmann-Platz 1
    59379 Selm
    Germany

    Phone: +49 2592 210 0
    Email: info@saria.com

    © SARIA SE & Co. KG

    Nach oben