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About Us > Press > Volkswagen and diconium further expand their corporation

Volkswagen and diconium further expand their corporation

  • Shareholders agree that the Volkswagen stake in diconium should be boosted from 49 to 100 percent.

  • diconium contributes further key know-how to the Volkswagen Group’s Car.Software organization and strengthens Volkswagen’s capabilities in the field of digital sales solution.

  • Anja Hendel switches from Porsche to diconium as Managing Director

 

Wolfsburg/Stuttgart, January 10, 2020. The Volkswagen Group and the founding shareholders of diconium have agreed on the acquisition by Volkswagen of the remaining shares in diconium. By acquiring all of the shares in the company, Volkswagen is strengthening its capabilities in the field of digital sales solutions. These include the development of a global online sales platform which will allow customers of all Group brands to purchase and manage digital services and on demand functions for their fully connected vehicles in the future. For this purpose, diconium will be contributing its key know-how to the Car.Software organization of the Volkswagen Group, which is responsible for developing software for the vehicle, digital ecosystems and customer-oriented functions for sales across the Group brands. The completion of the transaction is still subject to approval by the anti-trust authorities.

The Volkswagen Group had already announced the acquisition of 49 percent of the shares in diconium in November 2018. By acquiring the remaining 51 percent of the shares, Volkswagen will lay the foundation for a stronger role of diconium in shaping the Car.Software organization.

Under the umbrella of the Car.Software organization, experts from diconium are developing a global online sales platform. In the future, customers of all Group brands will be able to purchase and manage digital services and on-demand functions for their fully connected vehicles via this platform. The functions will include media streaming in the car, automatic payment for refueling, battery charging and parking, as well as updates for the vehicle. In addition, the online sales platform will be linked to the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, which is also being developed by the Car.Software organization.

“The Volkswagen Group is committed to offering our customers a steadily growing range of innovative digital added value services which they can use conveniently and safely both directly in their cars and via their mobile devices,”

says Christian Senger, Volkswagen brand Board Member responsible for Digital Car & Services and CEO of the Car.Software organization.

“The technological basis will be the uniform online sales platform which we are developing for all our brands within the Car.Software organization. The proven expert knowledge, experience and digital culture of our colleagues from diconium will give us a significant boost in this area.“

Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen brand Board Member responsible for Sales and Marketing, says:

“At Volkswagen, we are extending our strong traditional core business with our growing “We” ecosystem which will provide tailored digital services and mobility offerings for customers. Future-oriented skills for the expansion of our digital business activities will play a crucial role in this context. In future, we want to network vehicles, customers and our sales partners even more strongly and to create a seamless Volkswagen brand experience. In order to realize an omni-channel offering for customers, we need the e-commerce competence of strong partners like diconium.“

 

Cooperation also at the new volkswagen we campus in Berlin

Teams from Volkswagen and diconium have already been working together at Volkswagen’s new We Campus in Berlin since July 2019. At this location, Volkswagen intends to gradually bring together about 900 specialists for the development of mobility and digital services. In future, the We Campus will play a key role as a development center within the Car.Software organization.

Andreas Schwend, co-founder and co-Managing Director of diconium, says:

“Following a year of successful partnership, Daniel Rebhorn and I, the founders of diconium, are very pleased to take up this unique opportunity for our company and our employees. We would like to thank Volkswagen for the opportunity of helping to shape what is currently one of the most exciting digitalization projects.“

Schwend also emphazises that the diconium brand and DNA will be maintained:

"For diconium and its employees, as well as our new and existing customers, this step offers a clear new development perspective. This is important because we want to continue to generate a large part of our sales with third-party clients." 

diconium, with headquarters in Stuttgart, was established in 1995 and is a leading specialist in the holistic development of digital business models. Its activities include strategy development and the design of the user experience (UX), as well as the implementation and operational realization of business ideas. The core competences of diconium include the development of sales platforms for digital products and services as well as IT systems in customer management.

Note: This text and images are available for downloading at www.volkswagen-newsroom.com.

 

Digital Expert Anja Hendel switches from Porsche to diconium

diconium is boosting its management team with the addition of Anja Hendel who from now on will be supporting the duo of founders as Managing Director. One of her key tasks will be to expand the direct collaboration with Volkswagen AG and advise the company on its digitalisation ambitions. 

Anja Hendel studied computer science and acquired several years’ experience at the European pharmaceutical wholesaler Celesio AG, now McKesson Europe, and IT consultancy Capgemini. Most recently she was director of the Innovation Management and Digital Transformations Finance department at Porsche AG and worked in Berlin as Director of Porsche Digital Labs. 

With her move to diconium, Hendel is pursuing her passion and bringing considerable management expertise with her in areas such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and mobility.

“I’m looking forward to my new role, the strong team, the practised values and open corporate culture at diconium. Together with Volkswagen AG we’ll be significantly shaping change in the automotive sector. I’m delighted that we’ll be taking this exciting journey together,”

says Anja Hendel. 

Daniel Rebhorn, co-founder and Managing Partner at diconium, says of the new addition to the team:

“Anja Hendel is an expert with considerable experience and digitalisation in her DNA. We’re looking forward to driving forward the digital transformation of the automotive industry with her, which is a key issue for the future in Germany.”

Andreas Schwend, co-founder and Managing Partner, says about the reinforcement at senior management level in diconium:

“With Anja Hendel we’re now even better positioned for working with new clients and will be able to continue building up our digital portfolio in future.”