By: Joshua Finley

With over 20 years of experience in the world of business transformation and enterprise resource planning (ERP), Christophe Derdeyn has established himself as an expert in guiding organizations to effectively leverage these powerful systems. However, his journey into the industry took an unexpected path.

Initially pursuing a career in the army after growing up in an entrepreneurial family, Derdeyn soon found himself drawn to the emerging world of information technology. He recounts, “I got my first computer at 12… I spent more time in the computer lab than I did in class.” This early fascination set the stage for his later career pivot after ending up in the field of chemistry.

IT Training & Managing Infrastructure

In the late 90s, Derdeyn embarked on intensive IT training in the Netherlands. He built expertise around infrastructure and networking, getting hands-on experience at major companies like KLM. Notably, an early role handling IT support and helpdesk work proved formative. “You learn how to deal with frustration of people,” he shares. Working directly with aggravated users frustrated by systems issues taught invaluable skills in patience, communication, and empathy.

From 2000 onwards, Derdeyn took on roles managing infrastructure and applications for companies like ID&T, the organizer behind massive festivals like Tomorrowland. While gaining well-rounded exposure to IT platforms and gaining experience operating in teams, he still had to forge focus and career direction.

Becoming an Independent Consultant

A pivotal moment arrived when Derdeyn began consulting for Anheuser-Busch InBev, assisting the global brewer with the international rollout of an application for the Brewery Operations. He recounts, “I started my own company in Belgium. I became an independent consultant.”

This new positioning as an external expert ushered in over a decade of consulting work and extensive global travels. As InBev underwent major mergers and outsourcing initiatives, Derdeyn liaised between internal teams and international vendors, sharpening his aptitude for clear communication across cultural barriers.

By 2011, sensing a need for SAP expertise within growing Southeast Asian enterprises, he became Managing Director at “Delaware” to lead regional implementations. “I started it up in 2011. There was nothing here. In 2023, I left. There were over 500 people and the company was valued at over 30 million,” he conveys. While the firm grew exponentially, Derdeyn felt impeded by the localized nature of operations. This restraint ultimately spurred him to embark on a new independent chapter.

Guiding the ERP Future

Now, as many organizations brace themselves for a major SAP platform migration slated to happen before  2027, Derdeyn sees immense opportunity on the horizon. He explains, “The current SAP market is already very constrained. Because of the migrations that need to happen, the demand is going to be on the rise.”

However, he notes that many existing ERP consultants follow an outdated model of configuring as asked rather than leading through process optimization. Herein lies Derdeyn’s new vision. He seeks to build a team of forward-thinking consultants, equipped to steer companies through the coming age of cloud-based and AI-driven ERP systems.

Instead of just making legacy processes work within new platforms, Derdeyn’s consultancy will proactively guide organizations to re-engineer enhanced workflows fully harnessing the cloud’s potential. He explains, “You help them optimize their process to make it more efficient.”

Keys to Guiding Successful Change

As Derdeyn looks to the future, he reflects on pivotal lessons learned from his early help desk days through complex enterprise software implementations.

• Understand Stakeholder Perspectives

Derdeyn emphasizes the importance of answering “What’s in it for me?” from each stakeholder’s viewpoint to drive engagement and successful outcomes.

• Bridge Cultural Communication Gaps

Miscommunication across teams with varying cultural norms poses immense risks. Radical candor techniques promote unambiguous understanding.

Armed with people-centric wisdom and an insider’s grasp of the impending ERP landscape pivot, all signs point to an industry ripe for Derdeyn’s seasoned guidance. He’s built a career by guiding organizations to effectively adopt new technologies. Now, he’s poised to enable enterprises to smoothly embrace the ERP future.

To learn more about Christophe Derdeyn’s business philosophy, follow him on his LinkedIn profile.

Published By: Aize Perez