Room to Shape Things: Patrick Pierron on His First Weeks Leading Our ERP Practice

On July 1st, we officially launched our new ERP Practice – and with it, a brand-new chapter for NETCONOMY. Leading this chapter is Patrick Pierron, our Executive Director ERP Practice, who joined us with 16 years of SAP consulting experience and a clear mission: to build an ERP consulting practice from the ground up – no legacy structures, no “we’ve always done it this way”, just plenty of room to shape things.

A few weeks into his journey, we sat down with Patrick to talk about first impressions, why ERP consulting is anything but dry, and the kind of people he wants to build this new team with.

Get a Quick Sneak Peek

Want to hear directly from Patrick about where he wants to take our new ERP Practice and what’s next on the journey? Check out this short video:

Building a Modern ERP Practice

You’ve now officially been on board at NETCONOMY for a few weeks. How have these first weeks been for you, and what was your first positive “aha moment”?

The first days and weeks were even better than I’d expected. I’d already had the chance to get a sense of the culture at NETCONOMY beforehand, and it’s genuinely great to see how that culture is lived here day to day: open, everyone pulling in the same direction, and decisions made quickly.

In the tech world, ERP often has a reputation for being somewhat “rigid” or dry. Why does ERP consulting deserve better than that image, and what personally excites you about the field?

ERP often gets a reputation for being dry, because people assume it’s all about back-office processes and finance. But our approach is different. We talk to our clients end-to-end – across the entire value chain. We work closely with both the business departments and IT. That’s anything but dry or dull; it’s energizing every single day, because it brings people and expertise together in a way that actually moves things forward and creates direct value for our clients.

You’re building the team from scratch. What have you set out to do to position our practice differently – more modern or more agile – than traditional ERP consulting practices?

We’re building the ERP Practice from the ground up, fully integrated into the NETCONOMY culture. We’re rethinking end-to-end transformation completely. We meet clients where they are, show them the benefits they gain from proven best practices, and identify where it makes sense to map their individual USPs. We don’t limit ourselves to finance modules or sales processes; we advise and guide our clients end-to-end – from purchase-to-pay through order-to-cash all the way to integrated finance.

Which technological trends or new approaches are you most looking forward to in your projects?

What I’m most excited about is being able to show our clients, in real terms, how AI can help them – first, by dramatically shortening implementation time, and second, by creating tangible value in day-to-day operations that has a direct business impact.

You’re already looking for reinforcements: What mentality do people need to bring to fit into your team? Is pioneering spirit more important to you than the perfect CV?

We’re looking for colleagues who have an end-to-end process mindset in their DNA – process evangelists. We’re not looking for people whose first instinct at every requirement is to reach for custom code. We’re looking for strong consultants who live processes and work with our clients as equals, who understand our clients’ business and processes end-to-end, and who have a genuine passion for public cloud ERP.

What, in your opinion, is the best part about joining your practice at this very early stage and helping shape the foundation from the ground up?

The best part is that we get to build and grow our ERP Practice without any legacy structures, preconceptions, or “we’ve always done it this way” mentality – combined with the outstanding company culture here at NETCONOMY.

Join the Team

Does building something new from day one sound like your kind of challenge? Take a look at our open positions – Patrick and the team are looking forward to meeting you.