Since 2016, the Sewan adventure has gone beyond the borders of France. Spain, Belgium and then Germany, the Sewaners are gradually setting up in Europe. This international presence is a development opportunity, but also a human challenge. How to coordinate or how to succeed in living a real group experience? On the occasion of Euro 2021, we are organising an internal challenge: Let’s Bet Together! An online betting platform for a moment of sharing. An opportunity to look back at the construction of Sewan in Europe…
1. Coming together… differently
An international organisation means distance. This is an important parameter in the relationship with teams in Europe. On the professional and operational side, this is less the case: calls, videoconferencing, teams, all tools for easy exchange regardless of location. It is on a more relational and almost informal level that we are doing everything we can to get together in a different way…
“Because of Covid, I have not yet had the opportunity to meet the teams from other countries in person, but despite the distance, since I joined Sewan last year, I feel good and I can’t wait to be able to participate in a big European event! ” says Clémence from Belgium.
Are the football teams in Europe coming together for an international competition? Sewan teams have decided to do (almost) the same. The Euro football tournament is on the betting side for all Sewaners. Gathered in international teams, it will be the occasion to share a convivial moment… to make strategic bets for the passionate ones or more random ones for the more novices. Whatever the final score, the aim of this event is to bring together, even from a distance, all the Sewaners around a common event… while waiting to be able to play a real football game all together soon! Until then: let’s bet together!
2. Sewan in Europe : the timeline
Nine years after its creation, in 2007, Sewan is embarking on a European adventure. The first step was our border neighbours: Spain. The European expansion will continue progressively until the integration of Germany in 2020.
- 2016, Sewan Spain: Sewan’s international strategy began with the acquisition of Vozelia, an operator specialising in telephony solutions. In addition to its recognised expertise, Vozelia already had a network of distributors in the country. The Spanish adventure was launched. Today, the teams have 60 employees in Madrid and Murcia. At the time of this first acquisition, our CEO, Alexis De Goriainoff, emphasised the specific nature of our business, which encourages international development: “The services we produce for companies are universal: telephony, e-mail, internet, cloud…“.
- 2019, Sewan Belgium: international development continues with the acquisition of 3StarsNet, a Belgian VoIP operator. Today, Sewan Belgium has 18 employees based in Brussels. This acquisition in Belgium comes at a time when the group is raising €75 million from a European investment fund to support its European ambitions. The Sewan Group aims to grow in Europe through two means: external acquisitions and strategic partnerships.
- 2020, Sewan Germany: Sewan and its network of partners are now heading for Germany. The company 42one has joined the Sewan Group with its expertise as an operator of telecommunications services in the Cloud. Based in Berlin, the 25 members of the Sewan Germany team are taking their place in this international organisation. For the record, this acquisition was made, with the help of Covid, in a particular economic context since the final signature was done remotely. An unprecedented situation which demonstrates the agility and capacity of each person to adapt to all external conditions.
3. They talk about it: being a Sewaner in Europe
To find out more about what it’s like to be a Sewaner in Europe, we took advantage of a video to erase the borders and collect the testimonies of Clémence in Belgium, Laura in Germany and Alfonso in Spain.
“I am Marketing Manager for Sewan Belgium. We are a small team here, but being part of the Sewan Group means being part of a big company with a family atmosphere. For each product launch, my colleagues and I are advised and supported: we learn a lot from the experience of each Sewaner. Every month I attend a meeting with the marketing departments of the other countries to discuss the different projects in Spain, Germany and France. ”
Clémence, Sewan Belgium
The stakes for each European country on product launches are high. If the business model of the White Label and a network of distribution partners is identical everywhere, certain product launches are progressive. At this point, knowing how to coordinate and take advantage of past experiences is therefore essential.
“Working in the Sewan Group is inspiring because we have the opportunity to exchange ideas with innovative people, not only in our own country but also across Europe. We learn from all the challenges faced by our colleagues in other countries and we benefit from each other’s feedback to better develop together. ”
Laura, Sewan Germany
“Being a Sewaner in Spain means being part of a big European company. It’s really important to focus on that because everything changes when you are part of an international team. The communication and relationship with our colleagues is different and we need to be in touch with them all the time in order to follow all the projects, solve problems or launch new products and services.
Fortunately, the processes at Sewan are much simpler than you might think. Every week, we participate in meetings with different French teams. This simplifies our work in terms of coordination and ensures that we are always aware of any new developments.
We meet many people from different countries. It’s a great opportunity to learn about other cultures. I hope we can meet soon in Paris, Berlin, Brussels or anywhere else.
I dream of a huge event with hundreds of people. All together in one place, gathered and talking about everything and anything. But that’s not the most important thing. What’s really important is the feeling of being in a team like a family. That’s what happens at Sewan.”
Alfonso, Spain
Sharing common projects and multiple experiences, evolving together and, soon, meeting for even more conviviality… This is a quick overview of what it can be like to be a Sewaner in Europe!