Insieme – Building a New Alpiq Together

"The new Alpiq must be more than the sum of its parts." This was the goal declared by Alpiq CEO Giovanni Leonardi as he explained the motto behind the merger between Atel and EOS at the launch of the Insieme project on 1 February 2009 to combine the strengths of the two companies.

Insieme means "together" – a name that says it all. This project was dedicated to shaping Alpiq's operating structure over the eleven months up to the end of 2009, and the company successfully started operating on 1 January 2010, armed with a new organisation, a revised business model, a changed role for the Corporate Centre and the first new processes.

Teamwork within the Insieme project was constructive and goal-oriented. Employees rapidly identified with the new company, joining forces across old Atel and EOS boundaries to engage in the discussion on structuring Alpiq. With project targets achieved on schedule and within budget, the Insieme project was successfully completed at the end of January 2010.

With their different languages and cultures, the two partners will enrich the new organisation through diversity, enabling synergies to be exploited.

The main content and results of the project can be summarised under the four headings of organisation, business model, Corporate Centre role, and processes. The basic task was to reorganise the Energy Switzerland and Trading & Services business divisions and the Corporate Centre, all of which were heavily affected by the integration process. Roles and responsibilities were reviewed and revised, interfaces defined and employees assigned to their new organisational units. The new business model and the Corporate Centre's changed role also necessitated adjustments in the Energy Western Europe and Energy Central Europe business divisions.

The core objective of the Insieme project was to develop standardised business processes for the Energy segment's asset-based activities, bringing together the best aspects of the existing Atel and EOS models and taking into account regional market attributes such as legal requirements or existing contracts and partnerships.

In future Alpiq's Corporate Centre, comprising the three functional divisions for Financial Services, Management Services and Business Development, will be responsible for steering, coordinating and controlling Group-wide business activities, defining Group-wide guidelines and standards, implementing interdisciplinary and Group-wide processes, and providing services to support Group steering.