More Humanity, Less Form-filling: Rethinking Digitalization
Interview with Dr. Marc Fuchs, CEO DACH and Tessa Tienhaara, Customer & Growth Marketing Lead at Gofore GmbH
We all feel it daily – whether waiting for a government permit, doing online banking, or in the production of tomorrow. But digitalization is no longer just the transformation of analog processes into digital ones. It means rethinking: How do we work? How do machines learn to support us? And how do we design technologies so that they do not overrun people but empower them? Gofore GmbH answers these questions.
Wirtschaftsforum: Dr. Fuchs, you are a doctorate in computer science with many years of experience in large consultancies. How did you come to Gofore?
Dr. Marc Fuchs: After many years at global IT consultancies like Capgemini or NTT Data, I was approached by Gofore almost two years ago. The company was looking for someone to drive the expansion in the DACH region. I was enticed by the opportunity to actively shape a company using my experience in sales and setting up delivery organizations – and the Finnish culture was also very appealing to me.
Wirtschaftsforum: Ms. Tienhaara, you are responsible for marketing and communication for the DACH region. What makes Gofore special to you?
Tessa Tienhaara: I am a native Finn and have known Gofore for a very long time. For me, it is special that we always think of digitalization with a focus on people. I work closely with the group in Finland and feel daily how values like transparency and codetermination are truly lived.
Wirtschaftsforum: Gofore is a major player in Finland. Could you briefly outline the history?
Dr. Marc Fuchs: Gofore was founded 25 years ago, with the aim of being a better employer than others and at the same time driving forward digitalization in Finland. Since 2020, we have been listed on the stock exchange. In Germany, we have been active since 2017 and currently have about 150 employees here, and over 1,500 in Finland.
Wirtschaftsforum: In Germany, Finland is often regarded as a role model for digitalization. Is this justified?
Dr. Marc Fuchs: Definitely. Especially the public administration there is on a different level. For example, there is a citizen portal named Suomi.fi, through which citizens and businesses can handle all administrative services together. Filing tax returns is done in minutes, as all relevant data is pre-filled and ready. Topics like digital health cards or e-prescriptions have existed in Finland for many years. Digitalization is fundamentally approached differently there: Instead of mapping existing processes one-to-one digitally, they consider what citizens really need, what data is available, and how processes can be completely rethought. Push Government instead of Pull Government is the keyword here.
Wirtschaftsforum: Ms. Tienhaara, how does this digital mindset reflect in the German market?
Tessa Tienhaara: We notice that German customers are very interested in learning from these approaches. At the same time, a lot of change management is needed to support this cultural change. Here, we can act as bridge builders.
Wirtschaftsforum: What specifically does your range of services include?
Dr. Marc Fuchs: We offer end-to-end solutions: from service design and user research to custom software development – both embedded and cloud-based – to change management, cyber security, and testing. Particularly noteworthy is our simulator technology. With it, we can, for example, virtually replicate entire driver's cab of trams, construction or agricultural machines. These simulators are used not only for testing software but also for training users in realistic environments. An example is the tram simulator in Tampere, Finland, used for the training of tram drivers.
Wirtschaftsforum: What role does artificial intelligence play in your portfolio?
Dr. Marc Fuchs: A very large one. In addition to generative AI, which is currently a hot topic, we mainly work with computer vision. We develop software that maps environments, recognizes objects, or analyzes, for example, tree populations. We also use AI in the automotive sector, such as detecting anomalies in infotainment systems. In doing so, we combine our industry specialization with innovative power.
Wirtschaftsforum: Why do companies choose Gofore?
Dr. Marc Fuchs: We are an end-to-end provider with high industry specialization and are simultaneously innovative. Especially in the field of commercial vehicles, we can cover everything from product design and user interfaces to the development of embedded software. Additionally, our simulator technology is scarcely available on the market. Another important aspect of our approach is the strong focus on user-centricity: we involve end customers and employees alike and always consider digitalization from the perspective of people – not just from a technology viewpoint.