This new division's mission is to keep a watching brief on how information and communication technologies evolve and the uses they are put to, with a view to identifying and then developing new activities within Hardis Group.
Hardis Group, an IT services and business software publishing and facilities management company, announces the creation of an Innovation Division, as of January 1, 2014. This new division's mission is to keep a watching brief on how information and communication technologies evolve. It will also be responsible for putting in place an exchange program with Hardis' major clients and recognized players in research, development and education. Objective: to anticipate tomorrow's needs and uses and outline the activities that will bring growth to the group in the years to come while at the same time being aligned with its strategic positioning.
Software Publisher and Digital Services Company
Hardis carries on the dual activities of software publishing, its original business which still accounts for 30% of revenues, and IT services and consulting, which now represents 70%. In 2012 the group posted organic growth of 3.2%, ahead of the average for the IT services sector, driven notably by advisory services and digitization.
In 2013 the group, which has 630 employees, strengthened its management with the appointment of two deputy general managers and a human resources manager. With the creation of this new Innovation Division, Hardis group takes a further step in its strategy aimed at consolidating its growth. Its mission: to keep a watching brief on how new technologies, services and digital uses evolve, and to conduct exchanges with Hardis' environment (clients, institutions and organizations in the new ICT sector), in order to set out a roadmap of growth activities for the years to come. "Innovation has steered Hardis Group's development since its creation. We are lucky enough to be able to benefit from the dynamism of the Grenoble region in this field, and in particular from our closeness to the GIANT innovation campus," says Nicolas Odet, Deputy Manager with Hardis.
A division headed by Philippe Hoguin
Hardis Group has entrusted the mission of creating and implementing this program to Philippe Hoguin. Aged 57, he has nearly 35 years experience in consulting, process engineering and IT. He spent 20 years working for Schneider Electric, where he held various operational management positions, most notably that of head of organization and IT of the Medium-Voltage/T&D division (10,000 people in 60 countries). With his passion for IT developments and uses, in 2000 he established Hardis Conseil, whose activity consists in facilitating collaboration among users (businesses and project managers) and information systems divisions. Philippe Hoguin holds an engineering degree from Supélec and an MBA from the IFG.
In this position, Philippe Hoguin will be responsible for setting up an innovation committee to bring together the in-house skills of Hardis' various departments spread among the head office in Grenoble and the four branches in Lyon, Paris, Lille and Nantes. He will also represent the group in the regional and national bodies, both public and private, that promote innovation and the creation and development of businesses in the IT sector. Lastly, he will steer the exchange groups with Hardis' major clients in order to define with them a roadmap of digital services to develop so as to allow them to differentiate themselves in the medium and long term (mobile applications, connected objects, data access and exploitation, etc.).