Where there’s a will, there’s a way! 18 years at SupplyOn: Thomas talks about team spirit, change, and opportunities.

An interview on the occasion of 25 years of SupplyOn

Thomas, you’ve been with SupplyOn since 2007. How did you experience your early days?

In one word: intense. Even though I didn’t witness the first seven years of the company’s history, there was still a real sense of new beginnings in 2007. We worked a lot back then—significantly more than today. But it was also a time when everyone contributed. I remember how we tested releases together. People from Consulting, Finance, Onboarding, Product, and IT all in one meeting room, often on weekends.

I remember one Sunday when our current CEO dropped by and brought cake for everyone. You don’t forget moments like that. They show the team spirit that has always distinguished SupplyOn.

What were the most formative milestones for you on this journey?

Definitely the major turning points. My first project was SLM, and we even had our own T-shirts made for it. Later came the shift from our then-technology partner to our current one. That was a huge transformation. These moments show how continuously SupplyOn has evolved.

What has inspired me over all these years is the forward-looking mindset. We never settled for the status quo—we always asked ourselves where we could improve, what was holding us back, and how to remove those obstacles. This attitude still shapes SupplyOn today.

And today? What has changed in your day-to-day work?

Back then we were 70 people. You really knew everyone. Today we are significantly more, and because of remote work you don’t see many colleagues every day. Still, we continue to collaborate closely across teams.

Especially in the product area, a lot has changed methodologically. Back then we worked waterfall-style; today we’re agile and much more closely aligned.

In recent years, we’ve also built strong expertise in user experience: we’ve adopted methods like user-centered design, established our own UX governance, and built a shared-service UX team.

Overall, this brings us much closer to the actual needs of our users. We develop new solutions together with our customers and the development team. This makes us significantly better at creating real user value and responding quickly to changing conditions or new challenges.

What makes SupplyOn special for you as an employer?

Three things.

First: our culture. Despite our growth, we’ve never lost our character. If you want to make an impact here, you can.

Second: the team. I work with great colleagues I can rely on.

And third: the continuous development. It has never been boring. New topics, new challenges—every year brings something I’ve never done before. And that’s exactly what motivates me.

What personal growth do you attribute to your time at SupplyOn?

I’ve grown with my responsibilities over the years—from starting as a Product Owner to becoming a manager with departmental responsibility. I’ve learned how software development works, how to build business cases, how to lead teams. It has truly been a journey. I’m grateful for every step of it.