Cologne/Düsseldorf, 22 November 2024. The management and technology consultancy Detecon has been awarded first place in the category “Energy and Infrastructure” of the Best of Consulting Award announced by the business journal Wirtschaftswoche for a project at the energy company Uniper. Uniper and Detecon had jointly designed and driven forward a program that would develop Uniper into a data-centric organization. Goals included the creation of tailored data strategies for various business divisions, the establishment of data governance and the related organizational structures, and the strengthening of a data culture. The team, led by Christiane von Flotow (Head of Data Design at Uniper), Peter Struckmann (Head of Digitalization (COODE)), and Volker Rieger, the responsible Partner at Detecon, accepted the award on 21 November during a festive gala at the Hotel KÖ59 in Düsseldorf.

“Thanks to a strong data strategy and, above all, the establishment of a genuine data culture, Uniper is continuing to develop into an insights-driven company — a commitment that has now been recognized with this prestigious award,” says Christiane von Flotow, Head of Data Design at Uniper. “The initially chosen bottom-up approach was effective solely due to a clear data vision, common goals, and the strong support of visionary colleagues at Uniper who share the same enthusiasm for data. Thanks to the cooperation in a spirit of trust with the COODE and to Detecon’s practical expertise, we have made significant strides on our road to data excellence that will serve well both our business and the energy transition.”

The data transformation will support Uniper even more strongly in actively driving forward the energy transition and the associated transformation of its business model. The management consultancy Detecon accompanied Uniper during the establishment of the data-centric approach over the course of several years, working very closely with the Data Design division and the COO division’s digitalization initiative COODE (COO Digital Evolution) directed by Dr. Peter Struckmann. The data strategy includes a comprehensive data model characterized by a uniform data architecture and substantial improvements in data quality and data discoverability. Moreover, an organizational structure for data governance was developed and a data council that promotes cooperation in data-driven activities in line with clearly defined responsibilities was established. Along with the bottom-up approach, an essential factor for the project’s success was the support of all Uniper Management Board members, who actively serve as role models exemplifying the values of data understanding.

Managing Partner, Dr. Volker Rieger, Head of Detecon’s Energy sector and in charge of the consulting portfolio in the Digital Strategy division at Detecon, emphasizes: “The cornerstone of our success was the high value placed on establishing a data culture centering on Uniper’s employees as well as the active example set by the Management Board. Technological capabilities, tools, and new organizational structures were further important building blocks for the transformation.”