HAVING THE RIGHT CONVERSATIONS
VALUECHANGE – A WARM WELCOME
ValueChange offers independent senior advisory services to help companies transform their traditional product-centric businesses to digital customer-centric business models, bringing their people along on the journey. Achieving both a change in business value and a change in cultural values.
Services focus on building capability in others and typically include independent board roles, executive sparring partner, leadership team dialogues, advisory board facilitation, ‘change champion’, how-to change plan implementation.
ValueChange is based close to Geneva, Switzerland, operates internationally and was founded by Anja Langer Jacquin – an innovative mind who is excited about the future and convinced that it is possible to reconcile ambitious business results with human generosity.
FROM PARALYSIS TO BREAKTHROUGH
The digital age is full of opportunity. And of business risk for those companies that are uncomfortable with how to adapt. Rarely are people having the right conversations. Such conversations that respectfully challenge collective thinking and company decisions. Such conversations that set ambitious aspirations for the business and for its people.
During more than 20 years of international strategy and operational experience in the high tech and business services sectors, I have defined, built, and held P&L responsibility for new businesses born out of evolving market dynamics and customer expectations. Having acted as a change agent in addition to my operational responsibilities, I have consistently helped both my employers and my clients balance their appetite and capabilities for change.
In my experience, it isn’t difficult to identify market transitions. The challenge lies in creating a sense of urgency at the right time. Finding the balance between protecting viable business and shifting unviable business fast enough. Ensuring that the right conversations are had at the right time, that the bigger context is constantly in focus. Bringing stakeholders along on the journey, working together to deliver combined financial and human success.
My aspiration with ValueChange is to help business leaders and their companies find the right balance and navigate the execution and cultural challenges they will face.
Anja Langer Jacquin
INTO THE UNKNOWN WITH VALUECHANGE
The most gratifying element of ValueChange’s work are the visible results and the high client satisfaction. When I engage with senior leaders or boards, it is typically in situations where the company needs to redefine its business model and make the actual shift happen – at the right time with the right talent and the right success criteria. I help define the end state as well the journey to get there. And, perhaps more importantly, I go along on the journey to support the company and its teams in ‘getting there’.
FINDING YOUR PATH
“Power brain in her capacity to ask the right questions and foster the emergence of new ideas. Results orientated in any actions she undertakes. Brilliant “touch” in getting people working together. This is my experience in working with Anja Langer.”
Executive Vice President, global software company
“I’ve known Anja for a number of years and most recently as she worked with my firm to help us execute on a major Services business transformation.
Anja has a unique ability to understand, create and challenge strategy. She knows how to take strategy and translate it into meaningful actions, and she understands the fundamental issues required to make change successful in a given culture. Anja has a drive to understand people, and how to motivate and enroll them in a change process. Her pragmatic approach to understanding the culture and the individuals is what sets her apart. She is maniacal in driving an “outside in” approach to business and anchors everything she does with a “Customer First” point of view.
Anja is as intelligent as she is kind, she is as pragmatic as she is theoretical and she is as driven as she is compassionate.
She has been an extraordinary addition to my leadership team and has made a significant impact on my entire team.”
Corporate Vice President, global technology company
“Anja’s diverse background brings a really unique combination of skills that set her apart; from her relentless focus on the customer and business outcomes to strategy-oriented transformation and the development of the people driving that change, she understands the complete picture. She is wicked smart, business savvy, culturally sensitive and a true joy to work with. I hope to have the opportunity to work with her again.”
Independent Communication Consultant and Executive Coach
CONNECTING HEARTS & MINDS
The main objective of any involvement is to foster the right conversations that will lead to decisions and actions which guarantee future business growth and lasting shareholder value. This entails creating a sense of purpose, of appetite, of transparency, of confidence, and of urgency for all stakeholders.
Clarity of Purpose
Any change starts with understanding the bigger context, defining the ‘why’. Articulating the vision-mission-values for the transformed business enables a translation of the resulting market strategy into tangible business opportunities and measurable outcomes for how the company will create, deliver and capture value going forward.
Appetite for Change
Making teams understand why the business needs to transform does not automatically make them want to change... Helping each individual / function understand their contribution and developing the right incentives and support based on a positive environment are key to building the right level of appetite for change.
Transparency of Accountability
Everyone involved needs to know ‘what good looks like’ and who is responsible for what. Especially when the transformation triggers organisational changes. What are measurable, leading indicators of transformation success which individuals and teams can target?
Confidence in Capabilities
Matching a company’s transformation appetite to its capabilities is one of the most difficult elements of any change process. Most often, new capabilities need to be built / bought / partnered and obsolete capabilities evolved. These are not just human capabilities, but also legal, financial, operational and technical.
Actionable Model
Appetite and capabilities are not enough without the ability to execute on a clearly defined operating model, which captures how people, processes, technology, policies and metrics need to be focused to make the transformation happen.
GETTING BREAKTHROUGHS DONE: ANJA LANGER JACQUIN
I have always looked to the future, intrigued by what can be achieved through mixing rigorous business principles with creative ways of thinking. Over the years, my experience has been that by generously helping people understand the ‘why’ and defining a realistic ‘how’ that works for their situation, you obtain a constructive environment of motivation for achieving strong results.
So when I chose in early 2015 to leave corporate life in order to explore in what other ways it is possible to make an impact, it was quite natural for me to look for dynamic and change-minded environments. Today, I spend my time between providing advice and coaching to companies wishing to transform, mentoring young entrepreneurs, teaching at a business school and testing the viability of some of my long term desires including writing books and photography.
Prior to embarking on my ‘portfolio career’, I was Managing Director for Cisco Consulting Services across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia. My responsibilities covered the creation, sale and delivery of all consulting projects, focused on linking business to technology in order to help large enterprises and public sector players adapt to the digital era. I also set up and ran a cross-functional team for pursuing complex deals, gaining the initial corporate learnings around shifting to managed services and recurring revenue models.
During my 15 years at Cisco, I held various international management positions in sales, services, internal consulting, operations, and business development. Prior to working with Cisco, I was with Mercer Management Consulting based in Munich and London. I started my career in international market research in Brussels.
I hold a triple Master’s degree in Management from ESCP Europe (Paris-Oxford-Berlin) as well as a Bachelor in Communication (Brussels). I am a Danish national currently based in Geneva, Switzerland with my French husband and our two children. I speak fluent Danish, English, French, as well as working level German and Dutch and have lived in nine countries so far.