How can we ensure we drive sustainable growth, simplify how we work, and always deliver excellent service to our customers?
Since October 2024, Allianz Trade teams around the world have been tinkering away at these very questions, as part of the Shape It Up innovation contest, which has galvanized hundreds of new ideas and fresh proposals. After the ideation phase in late 2024 and the live pitching sessions in January 2025, six finalist teams will be heading to the two-day hackathon at the end of March, after which the winners will be announced.
The contest is organized around three topics – growth, simplification, and client service – each represented by a topic owner. They are there to share their knowledge of the market, highlight gaps and opportunities for improvement, and provide external benchmarking for products and skills. They also help evaluate the projects and select winners.
Before the hackathon, we sat down with Anna-Katharina Wichmann (Commercial Director for Allianz Trade in DACH), Ahmet Ali Bugay (CEO of Allianz Trade in Turkey), and Ed Goos (CEO of Allianz Trade in Benelux), topic owners for client service, growth and simplification respectively, to find out more about their roles, what they brought to the contest, and how our innovation culture furthers our Shape & Scale strategy.
Conversation edited for length and clarity.
Can you describe your role as a topic owner?
Anna-Katharina Wichmann – I see my role in guiding and enabling project teams to bring their innovative capital to life. In an innovation contest the winning idea must be new – it’s in the name. But in a global company such as Allianz Trade sometimes what is new here might be already invented there. Hence, I dedicate my role in this contest also to connecting people and ideas to make sure we really come up with something new. Also, I like to challenge and support them in coming up with a pitch that delivers an innovative edge.
Ahmet Ali Bugay – As the topic owner for growth, I had the privilege of connecting with several colleagues during different stages of the contest. Initially, interacting with teams to help the ideation phase of their projects, and later on for reviewing & providing feedback on their value propositions and the pitches, with the aim of bringing out the clarity of their proposals and the actionable vision of their ideas.
Ed Goos – I see myself as the advocate for simplification. It’s seen (unfairly in my view!) as a less interesting topic, so part of my job was convincing participants that there’s a lot of fun and satisfaction in improvements and innovation, and to have a positive impact, through simplification. My priority was to motivate people to solve problems that keep coming up across the company, to stand up for their ideas, and pitch their proposals effectively.
What have you been looking for in rounds when you are involved in the selection process?
AAB – I have been looking for bold ideas that are transformational, that challenge how we do things, that bring concrete value, and that offer a real solution to a real problem – ideas that combine all these things while also proving to be achievable.
AKW – While assessing proposals I want to see clarity, potential for impact, and something that’s scalable globally. It has to be something – small or big – we can implement in a relatively short timeframe, and not a change that’ll come years down the line.
EG – ROI has been a guiding idea for me - we have to know what benefits we’ll see. Like Ahmet said I want to see a real solution and a solid business case – how will the proposal make our employees or customers’ lives easier? Even better if it covers both.
Has anything surprised you?
AKW – Everyone has shown up with so much passion!
AAB – Yes! I’ve been most surprised by how much energy people have brought to the contest, their dedication to their proposals, and the time they’ve put into them. It was interesting to see similar ideas but from different angles. It’s fair to say that everyone who’s taken part has enjoyed putting something original out in the world.
EG – I was surprised to find that there are more similarities than differences between the business units and regions. In my time at Allianz Trade, I have seen a lot about the Northern Europe region but not much beyond it. Now I’ve learned so much about other regions and the challenges they want to solve.
AKW – It was interesting to see how united we are as a company: there are lots of different approaches and perspectives, but the same common mindset for customer excellence. I've been overwhelmed by the number and the quality of the proposals. It’s been a really energizing and enriching experience.
What’s been your favorite part of the contest so far?
EG – Hearing so many great ideas – together with the cross-functional connection and ideation the contest has fostered. It gets your own creative process going. I’ve also really enjoyed connecting with colleagues in other business units!
AKW - I've really enjoyed the pitching sessions – a live event with the whole company tuned in, and the teams are presenting their ideas and fielding questions from colleagues in every corner of the world. I'm also looking forward to the hackathon, which promises to be an exciting final round.
AAB - I've enjoyed something in each stage of the contest – the proactivity of the teams putting their ideas and proposals together, perfecting their pitches and the exchange of ideas during the live events. I'm looking forward to seeing how the winning team will put their project into action, and how we will benefit from the other interesting and applicable ideas within our organization following this contest – the job isn’t over yet.
AKW - I completely agree!
EG - We’ve seen so many fresh ideas and hope to see the teams follow up on them no matter what the outcome of the contest.
How has Shape it Up benefited our business and our people?
AAB – One of the main benefits I’ve observed are the interactions and collaboration among colleagues worldwide – it has been an excellent networking opportunity that has brought us all closer to each other. Shape it Up has reinforced the idea that everyone contributes to our business and our successes, and that ideas will be heard and evaluated seriously. The fact that the company will invest in implementing the winning idea puts that into action.
EG – Shape it Up shows our ambition and propels us in the right direction – driving local change and a global vision. Exposure to senior leadership is valuable for people who don’t have regular interactions with them. And it’s good practice for pitching ideas to a large audience.
AKW – I think the bottom-up approach to innovation is what makes a difference at Allianz Trade. That gives us our competitive edge. We all benefit from each other’s ideas, and Shape It Up has confirmed that we have the energy and finesse to tackle the challenges we face and meet the ambitions of our Shape & Scale strategy.
What do you hope will be the impact of Shape It Up in the long run?
AKW – Thanks to Shape it Up, we have a treasure trove of good ideas and business proposals that can bring a good return on investment and make a positive impact. The culture and mindset of innovation is something to be nurtured through initiatives like this. The world is changing fast, and we are always here with new ideas.
AAB – Transformation is inevitable, and we always need to be more creative to sustain our growth trajectory - it’s essential for the long-term resilience of our company. I think this will change how we continuously create value and grow, and maintain a habit of coming up with new ideas and solutions to problems as soon as we face them.
EG – Seeing the company’s openness to new ideas is motivating for everyone, not just for participants. Everyone’s been so engaged and invested in finding solutions together, and it’s important for the company to create the time and opportunities to work together like this. People want to reach the finish line and see their idea shine. And of course, when our teams are engaged and motivated our customers feel it too!
