The interview emphasizes that successful firms place the client at the center of their strategy from the very beginning. By clearly understanding how clients fit into the broader business ecosystem, organizations can ensure that their underlying data and systems are properly structured to support innovation. This often requires modernizing legacy infrastructure and improving data quality. With this foundation in place, firms can move beyond one-off initiatives and instead build continuous, sustainable innovation processes.

Kurt Vanhee from Objectway explains how the company delivers its modular platform through an iterative solution design. The company begins with workshops and analytics to identify client and business needs, then integrates tailored solutions into the existing ecosystem. This modularity allows for ongoing refinement and improvement, ensuring solutions evolve over time. Once a solid structure is established, artificial intelligence can be embedded to further enhance and scale the overall offering.

Maarten Lindner highlights key challenges faced by Rabobank. These include complex governance structures with multiple stakeholders, stringent and evolving regulations at both European and local levels, and the constraints of aging legacy systems. To address these issues, the organization developed a shared “North Star” vision and translated it into a clear roadmap. This roadmap aligns projects, manages dependencies—such as decommissioning old systems before launching new ones—and provides transparency for stakeholders, ultimately supporting better decision-making and delivering improved client experiences.