Mendix has announced the appointment of Raymond Kok as its new CEO. He replaces Tim Srock, who had joined the company as CFO from Siemens when the technology giant acquired the company in 2018. He became CEO in 2021. Srock recently decided to step down from the role, but it is not clear what he will be doing next. Both are Siemens veterans, with Kok having joined the company over 20 years ago.
Kok is Dutch, although he has been living in the US for the last 20 years in Orange County with his family. This is a return to Mendix’s roots since the company was originally founded in the Netherlands. That is not the only element of continuity, with Kok no stranger to Mendix as he was part of the early adopters of Mendix within Siemens and was involved in the initial acquisition discussions.
Kok commented, “The founding principle of Mendix – the concept of bridging the gap between business, software engineering, and IT – is as critical an issue as it was almost 20 years ago when Mendix was founded. Enabling the business and IT to collaborate in the same platform throughout the development lifecycle is a huge part of what sets Mendix apart. The digitalization of any enterprise requires agility, speed, and access to best-in-class technology across all participating departments in an organisation and Mendix is definitely a key component to this as the leader in enterprise low-code.”
Who is Raymond Kok?
Kok has had a variety of roles within Siemens during his career. Initially, he worked as a technology consultant, moving up the management ladder to become Vice President of CTO Architecture and Innovation at Siemens PLM, where he implemented Mendix. In 2019, he was appointed SVP of Cloud Application Solutions within Siemens Digital Industries Software and, most recently, was SVP of Siemens Xcelerator Foundational Services, an integrated portfolio of engineering software, services and an application development platform that included Mendix.
Looking forward with Mendix
Kok sees huge potential in Mendix, and one of the things he believes it delivers as it supports digital transformation projects is productivity.
Kok noted, “Productivity may not be a headline-worthy buzzword, but it is critical. Empowering people to be more productive is the foundation of digitalization at any company. Productivity means people aren’t bogged down by low-value, repetitive work and arcane decision-making. It means they aren’t solving the same problems over and over. In a productive enterprise, where business and IT are working collaboratively, there is room for creative thinking, there is time for innovation, there is room to reach towards – and accomplish – ambitious digital innovation goals. Building software in Mendix increases productivity across any enterprise and puts the focus on innovation.”
He further believes that Mendix has proven its low code and capabilities across multiple industries. In a world where organisations seem to leverage a growing number of SaaS applications every year, low-code platforms can prove vital. The platform helps to bring together data and processes, acting as the heart that keeps the organisational body working efficiently.
Will anything change?
The press release indicates that Kok will continue to drive innovation at Mendix, helping to differentiate it from the competition. He will also work closer with Siemens technology solutions, notably the Siemens Xcelerator platform. He intends to enhance the integration between the solutions.
That could drive the companies on two separate paths. One is that it means the relationship between the two organisations is closer, and Mendix would expand its footprint with other Siemens customers. Second is that there may be a longer term plan to subsume Mendix fully into Siemens. It is the former that is exciting, especially if Kok can drive Mendix to become the bridge between physical and digital with a low-code approach that is accessible. Kok also sees Mendix as a growing selection of integrations to AWS services and industry-specific ISV-built adaptable solutions.
In response to the idea that Siemens would subsume Mendix into the larger organisations, Mendix rebutted the opinion with the following response:
“Mendix is part of the Siemens portfolio, most notably as part of the Siemens Xcelerator platform, but it will continue to have its own clients, roadmap and ways of working. Mendix will absolutely continue to expand its footprint with other Siemens customers, but it will retain the ability to have dedicated Mendix customers alongside those.”
Kok sees a bright future for Mendix adding. “Now that I’m a part of the team, I can proudly say that we call it Mendix Blue: being brave and making bold decisions, having no limits as we strive for innovation beyond traditional processes, exploring and cherishing the differences we have, and holding ourselves to high standards. That is the spirit of Mendix, and I’m committed to championing and growing it together with our exceptionally talented people across the globe.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
While Kok has not previously worked for Mendix, the transition could be fairly seamless. He is clearly an advocate for the business. Kok appears to have a full understanding of how it already does and could fit even better within Siemens. The handover between the two leaders should be relatively smooth. Kok also appears to be a good cultural fit for the low-code platform vendor.
What will be interesting is to see how he evolves the company. As a technician at heart, he could easily drive the platform to new heights of capabilities. This could be a very interesting journey to watch. What was different from most appointment announcements and an indication of his enthusiasm was the volume of comments he made in the announcement. It demonstrates his familiarity with the technology and where it fits.
Kok concluded, “The Mendix workforce is continually improving on the low-code platform for building impactful digital solutions. Our customers use that platform to make better software, faster – turning their ideas into outcomes. I have always thought the vision Mendix holds for enterprise software is something vital – something singular. I’m looking forward to seeing, and being a part of, how that vision evolves and expands.”
This article was updated to correct a factual inaccuracy