Yves Padrines, CEO of Nemetschek Group, reflects on career-defining moments and transformative strategies. From leading Synamedia to spearheading Nemetschek’s AI initiatives and digital twin advancements, he shares insights into shaping the future of the AEC industry with sustainability and innovation at its core.
Your career has spanned several influential companies in the tech industry. Can you share some key moments and decisions that significantly shaped your professional journey?
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most innovative companies in the tech industry. Of course, some key moments stand out, as some decisions were key for my career. One of them was early on at the beginning of the century. After being a management consultant in one of the Big 5, I decided to launch a music website in Silicon Valley. Working for high-growth software companies and developing them internationally with large Enterprise accounts was also very energising and fun. During my time at Cisco, I was managing the Service Provider EMEA region’s full suite of products, which was key to expanding my global perspective. Leading Synamedia as CEO and transforming it into one of the world’s largest video software providers, was another significant milestone.
Another important step for me personally was joining the Nemetschek Group in 2022. As its new CEO, my goal was – and still is – to embrace the diverse portfolio of brands under the Nemetschek umbrella and create a stronger Nemetschek shaped for the future. This experience has taught me the importance of fostering collaboration and synergies across different segments to drive innovation.
Transitioning from leading Synamedia to taking on the role of CEO at Nemetschek Group, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced, and how did you address them?
The transition from Synamedia to Nemetschek Group presented several challenges. One of the biggest was adapting to a new industry with its own demands and opportunities. While Synamedia is focused on media and entertainment technology, the Nemetschek Group centres on the whole AEC/O sector as well as the media industry. This required me to do a deep dive into understanding the specific needs and trends within these industries. Another challenge was the cultural shift; the Nemetschek Group, together with its brands, required a different leadership approach – a culture of innovation while also respecting the heritage and the strengths of each brand. This involved more cross-brand collaboration to drive digital transformation across all our segments.
Given your extensive experience in the technology and software sectors, what major trends do you foresee shaping the future of the AEC industry in the next five years?
In the next five years, the AEC/O industry will experience significant transformation, driven by the need for more efficiency, productivity and sustainability. The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) will become inevitable as it enables seamless collaboration and real-time data exchange through cloud-based platforms. Furthermore, digital twin technology will transform the management of buildings, offering real-time virtual replicas of buildings to improve monitoring and performance optimisation, predictive operation will become very important. Of course, a world without Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now becoming more and more unimaginable. AI-driven tools will further optimise project management and design workflows, and this is why we introduced the AI Innovation Hub this year. Lastly, sustainability will become an integral part of the AEC/O industry. There will be a growing emphasis on green building practices, circular economy and the integration of renewable energy sources. These trends will enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and significantly improve the quality and sustainability of construction projects.
Under your leadership, what are the strategic priorities for Nemetschek Group to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving AEC tech landscape?
The Nemetschek Group will prioritise AI to enhance both internal processes as well as our product portfolio, driven by a dedicated AI team. Another part of our strategy is that we will continue shifting our business model towards subscription and SaaS, achieving greater revenue visibility and customer proximity, as evidenced by over 85% of our revenues now being recurring.
Furthermore, the ONE Nemetschek platform, with solutions like dTwin, will unify our brand offerings, enhancing workflow integration and cloud infrastructure. We will also strengthen our Go-To-Market approach, and expand our online sales activities, key account management, and market presence, particularly in North America and APAC.
Additionally, we will drive innovation through continuous strategic investments in startups, and M&A activities, positioning ourselves as a key partner for emerging companies. To conclude, we will streamline our business operations, harmonising structures and processes across the group to foster operational excellence and create synergies.
How is Nemetschek Group leveraging emerging technologies like AI, IoT and digital twins to enhance its product offerings and provide greater value to its customers?
In May 2024 we announced the introduction of an AI Innovation Hub. The main focus of the newly created Hub is driving AI initiatives across the brand portfolio with partners, alliances, and customers. At Nemetschek, we aim to accelerate product development as well as the testing and exploring of deploying AI tools such as AI Visualiser (a new feature in Archicad, Allplan and Vectorworks), 3D Drawings (part of Bluebeam Cloud) and our own digital twin platform – dTwin – to help users increase productivity and sustainability in their processes. The goal is to provide our customers and partners with ethical and trustworthy AI. The establishment of this hub will position the Nemetschek Group as an AI-driven, yet human-centric software leader in the AEC/O and media and entertainment industries.
Can you highlight a recent project that showcases the innovative use of Nemetschek Group’s solutions, and explain how it exemplifies the company’s vision for the future?
A recent project showcasing our innovative solutions is our work with industrial real estate manager and developer, BENO Holding AG. BENO adopted our dTwin platform to create digital twins of its industrial real estate portfolio. dTwin bridges planning, construction and operation, enabling data-driven decisions and efficient management. It offers benefits such as virtual tours and execution of conversions, improved data analysis, for example in fire protection, optimised resource management and simpler maintenance and servicing. This collaboration also provides valuable insights for our team to enhance dTwin by aligning with our vision for the future of building management.