Mendix is a leading enterprise low-code platform and part of the Siemens software portfolio. There are 1,400+ employees at Mendix, which helps organisations build and deploy business-critical software. The founding principle of Mendix, to bridge the gap between business and IT, is still relevant. Raymond Kok, CEO at Mendix, talks about how the company has evolved, the clients it serves and the company’s vision.
What has your career looked like so far and how has the business grown since you joined, and how did you ensure growth?
I’ve been with Siemens Digital Industries Software for over 20 years, starting my career back in 2001 as an intern with the NX R&D team, our flagship 3D CAD solution. Over the years, I’ve transitioned through various key departments, including Global Sales & Services and our Technology Office, leading to my role as Senior Vice President for our Industrial IoT and Embedded Software business and, subsequently the platform for Siemens Xcelerator. Earlier this year, I was excited to be named as the Chief Executive Officer at Mendix, a leading enterprise low-code platform and part of the Siemens software portfolio.
The founding principle of Mendix, to bridge the gap between business and IT, is still relevant. When the people making the software and the people using the software collaborate, they are able to make something better together than they could have done alone. Mendix, as a platform, supports this way of working and provides a way for organisations to build better software faster. This is a key concept in a digital landscape where change is now a known constant.
I was an early adopter when it comes to low-code and Mendix in particular. I was one of the first people to visit the Mendix office in 2016 and those early meetings eventually led to the Siemens acquisition of Mendix. Seeing Mendix evolve as a company and low-code evolve as a technology has been interesting. I’m looking forward to driving the Mendix vision and business even further as CEO.
What is the company’s vision and goal?
Organisations are able to build and deploy business-critical software with Mendix. And that business-critical software is inclusive of entire core systems to deeply embedded legacy software to department-level point solutions.
Our broader goal is to ensure that all applications built on Mendix are future-proof. Our platform is engineered to change, evolve and adapt. We’re always keeping an eye on developing technologies, and we incorporate them into the platform – either directly or through our growing ecosystem. This means that our customers will always be able to access and leverage the potential of cutting-edge tech. One powerful example is the ease of access we provide to Generative AI capabilities through our partnership with AWS. Through Mendix-built connectors to the Amazon AI services like Bedrock – customers have easy access to an impressive variety of LLMs.
What kind of clients and market does the business serve?
Mendix serves a diverse range of industries, including both industrial and non-industrial sectors. We have a strong presence in highly regulated industries like financial services and the public sector, where best-in-class governance capabilities are particularly valued.
Mendix’s client base comprises over 4,000 organisations across 46 countries, with a community of over 300,000 developers who have created over 950,000 applications. Our clients seek solutions to complex enterprise software development challenges, aiming to drive innovation, agility and productivity within their organisations.
What’s your approach to management?
There are many elements that make a good manager, but for me, what we do as a business is also the foundation of my managerial approach. Mendix enables businesses to transform at unprecedented speed and scale. We believe this brings real value to the customers, so speed and scale are key to my management approach. To promote innovation at speed and scale within our organisation, we encourage people to work in independent units with clearly defined areas of ownership and responsibility. Having a high level of autonomy empowers people to think bigger and bolder.
The other crucial element of my approach is promoting collaboration. As a company, we are continuing to expand a strong ecosystem of partners with whom we exchange insights and experience. Equally, within Mendix, we encourage tight collaboration between independent units when it’s beneficial for their goals and our goals as a company.
As a result, this approach to management promotes collaboration and innovation on all levels – for Mendix people and for our partners and clients, too.
How do you equip staff with skills and knowledge?
Your first best step forward regarding your workforce is to hire capable and eager creative thinkers who are already good at what they do. Hiring is a challenging process, and it’s tempting to get it done quickly rather than wait to make sure you’ve found the right fit for any particular role.
If you hire the right person for the right role – they will excel at that job because it’s what they want to do in the skillset they know. People who are competent are also open to learning and want to grow and develop their skills. At that point, as an organisation you want to make sure there’s room to grow and expand. Nothing feels worse to an ambitious person with a curious mind than to feel trapped in a dead-end role. Opportunities for growth are crucial – every employee at Mendix has access to many sources that will support continuing education or new certifications. Siemens also has a great tuition reimbursement programme, and I’ve heard of a few people who have gone after advanced degrees in their fields while still working their full time jobs.
We also support people who are eager to grow into leadership roles. Many of our line managers here started out at Mendix when it was a much smaller company and have moved on to build out teams in their own area of expertise.
How do you work with your C-suite to make sure the company delivers against its strategic goals?
As Mendix’s C-Suite, we work as one team. Each of us has a clear role and set of responsibilities – mine is to give this clarity and make sure individual goals are aligned with the wider business strategy. This involves not only setting the right expectations but also providing the necessary resources for each member of C-Suite to deliver effectively.
Mendix transitions from hyper-growth to a scaling phase, and I drive conversations about our medium- and long-term goals, focusing on optimisation and growth opportunities. I act as both a coach and a quarterback, making strategic calls and guiding the team through execution.
How do you ensure different teams in your organisation work together efficiently?
Clearly defined and communicated goals are necessary. At Mendix, our leadership team defines organisational goals, and we’re open and transparent about what we’re going after, as well as the why. I’ve found that helping people understand the why is vital. Understanding something makes it easier to believe in and work towards.
Those organisational goals are then broken down into each department, each working group, each individual. That’s one side of it.
But defining organisational and individual goals alone isn’t enough. You also need to define the projects and actions that will lead to those goals being realised and support and nurture the leaders who will bring people together to achieve those targets. You need enough organisational oversight that work gets done in the timelines it needs to, but also a degree of flexibility that affords individuals enough autonomy to thrive, innovate and contribute. It’s not the easiest balance to strike, but it is an important one.
The customer is a starting point for us – we work backwards based on the customer’s specific needs. As a first step, we clearly defined the customer experience and interaction points needed across the organisation, mapping out the customer journey and identifying the necessary units and their points of interaction to ensure a seamless experience. By maintaining a balance between teams’ autonomy and integration, we can nurture speed and innovation while ensuring essential interlocks prevent silos and enhance collaboration.
We also emphasise purposeful and focused collaboration. Teams come together with clear objectives, ensuring that interactions are meaningful and people work together towards the customer’s goals. Open communication, transparency and the use of collaborative tools further facilitate coordination, enabling real-time information sharing and project management. This integrated approach ensures that while teams operate independently to maintain speed, they remain aligned towards a common goal of delivering a superior, cohesive customer experience.
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