Various Pentalog committee leaders were very busy during the month of December 2009 because 3 of the 4 general committees were held: an Extraordinary General Meeting, a Board of Directors and Presiding Committee, finally only the Steering Committee, exceptionally, did not meet.
Amongst the many subjects discussed, many were focused (but not exclusively) on the potential roles of research and investment in the future. We have endorsed a policy which I previously mentioned… incubation, and its link to R & D and financial resources followed by the necessary human resources.
In 2009 Pentalog’s sales clearly rose above the EUR 10M mark to 13.5 M. But more importantly, we were able to generate profits which would more typically be found in companies 2 or 3 times larger than Pentalog. We must use these profits wisely, without wasting them.
The advantage of being nearly 40 years old (or soon to be), including 16 years as an entrepreneur, is that the mistakes one usually makes generally at 20 to 30 have already been made. If the volume of our profits gives us a means to act, we must ensure the return on investment for the company that generated this profit, that is to say, Pentalog. In order to do this, our efforts in R & D must be related either to the activities of Pentalog or those of its customers. But definitely this leverage must be used directly and MANDATORILY in the core business elements of the group.
For more than 10 years Pentalog has been working on developing its competence in marketing and its development is based on this. It is natural to continue in this manner. The group, along with PeopleCentric and with the help of Pentalog Labs (currently being constituted), and the Technical Management, will therefore make an investment in professional social networks. Pentalog will start developing its own software in this sector. People Centric will progress in evaluating competence and career management. Our strategy is to combine these two elements together.
That’s not all. Pentalog will also move forward and invest in building a development monitoring platform, based on the actual performance of the development teams, which will enable them to be challenged on all levels but will also finally rationalize the dialogue with the client in regards to the evolution of service prices. It will no longer be necessary to tell a client that because of the inflation in wages, we are obliged to request a price increase. I’ll tell him that now, thanks to our efforts in education and project management, in all sectors, we are able to present a substantial gain in productivity. This investment is probably the most crucial for our future.
Finally, the various committees endorsed the launching of a policy of external incubation (PeopleCentric-type ) using, in addition, the leverage of investment in engineering capital and in management. One of these first companies could emerge in the coming weeks…
It remains lastly for me to wish everyone a happier year 2010, more fun, more prosperous, better than 2009!





















