As the new year is coming closer, we reflect on what we have been through in the past year: the challenges we faced, the opportunities that have presented themselves and how we have managed to add value through it all. As I did last year, I would like to share my thoughts on the last year and look forward on what is to come.
2021
As we approach the end of 2021, we are experiencing some form of déjà vu. Many parts of Europe have entered yet another lockdown or have announced renewed restrictions. It seems this is our new reality and we will need to find a lasting way to cope with this.
During the last two years, a lot was asked from the individuals who work at LeadingMile. Even more was asked from us as a team, as we adapted and adapted again (and again),doing most of this from our own homes, just like a large share of society. Being a start-up in the dynamic environment of European FinTech meant quite a lot of variable challenges needed tackling.
At the heart of our success has been some of the best team work I have experienced throughout my lengthy career. Looking back at the highs and lows of 2021 in general, a few things spring to mind. Obviously, we look at how the world has changed through COVID-19 and close to home by Brexit. In addition, this year was important for the environment with the Glasgow climate summit. Or at least it was supposed to be.
Personally, I felt the results of this were extremely disappointing, but hopefully (and for the sake of our children) we will see some results soon. As an international consultancy, we are bound to have a relatively large footprint, but we are fully setup to work remotely and from different locations for the foreseeable future and we are actively encouraging our clients to embrace this way of working to achieve the best results by getting the best people in, regardless of their location.
We have and will continue to invest in solutions to make this remote setup as seamless as possible. As a company, we have managed to expand during these turbulent times. We have opened our first international office: in London, the city I have lived in various times myself. We have managed to hire some excellent and very experienced people there and we were noticeably one of only a few companies that managed to make this (reversed Brexit) step despite borders closing due to Brexit and COVID-19. On top of this, we have also set up a centre of expertise in Belgrade, which will catapult our ability to deliver high quality change to the Alternative Investment sector.
As an organization with progress and change at its core, we have had to reflect, adapt and improvise. This has proven to be the most important pillar of our growth and success. It was great to see some of the amazing ways our team has not only coped but thrived. Looking at our services, what stands out is how much we (yet again) have managed to invest in client specific solutions.
We have taken a side step in 2021 to invest in more technology and knowledge, resulting in better and more ready-made solutions. As a result, we are also about to re-launch our testing suite in 2022 as this has undergone a drastic make over and functionalities . I think our current course will make a huge difference to our clients as we continue to invest, also together with our clients.
2022
Looking forward to the new year, there is still much more to come. As Asset based Consulting remains our focus, we continue to invest in solutions. This means we will expect to launch various solutions in the new year and we continue to expand. Our current setup enables us to scale up quicker than before and we are excited to guide our clients through measurable progress in the New Year.
Closing off
I wish to thank everyone who has been involved at LeadingMile not only in the past year, but through our entire journey. Our people are key and we are excited that we have managed to grow in numbers also for the new year. But our clients are just as important, if not more so.
We are grateful for your trust and for embarking on this journey with us. I firmly believe that the investments we do (thanks to you) will make sure you have a trusted expert partner in your specific niche market for years to come. We continue to strive to bring the best solutions tot the market. Keep an eye out for updates in the coming weeks as there is much exciting news to share. I wish everyone great holidays and a fantastic 2022 ahead of you!
Martijn Voorhaar
