Qbus Strengthens Organization with Clear Role Division: Tom Vanden Bussche and Nick De Plus at the Helm
Qbus continues to innovate, grow, and professionalize. To steer this steep rise in the right direction, CEO Tom Vanden Bussche is receiving reinforcement from Nick De Plus (employed at Qbus for 4.5 years) as the new COO. Nick is taking on operational leadership. In this double interview, they explain the new division of tasks and look ahead at what this means for the market, the installer, and the end customer.
The Strategic Split
Where and when did you meet Nick? What is his background, and when did he join the Qbus team?
Tom: "The seed for this decision was actually planted a few years ago. Given the company's growth, our board of directors urged me to find a right-hand man who could take over tasks and be perfectly complementary. I started a targeted search for someone with management experience, an affinity for the construction sector, and a strong technical and commercial background. That's how I ended up with Nick about 4.5 years ago."
Nick: "At the moment Tom contacted me, I was actually looking into how I could make my own Qbus installation run even more energy-efficiently. Professionally, I was working as a Corporate Strategic Officer at a medical company that produced anesthesia equipment. I managed R&D and led production processes there. Before that, I worked at Daikin for three years on the development of heat pumps. The match with Qbus was instant."
The new organizational chart shows a clear division: you focus largely on strategy, Sales, and the Qbus Academy, while Nick takes the helm of the 'engine room,' R&D, Operations, and Support. Can you explain this?
Tom: "That division is strongly based on our natural talents. Nick excels in everything related to operations, processes, and technology. I personally get my energy much more from the customer story, sales, and forging strategic partnerships. In short: I focus on everything externally related to Qbus: sales, distribution, project sales, business development, the Qbus Academy, and marketing.
The operational side now sits entirely with COO Nick De Plus. Through this split, I also get the space to give SUMUM, our architectural hardware sister company, the necessary attention. SUMUM is now going through the phase Qbus went through years ago. I can now perfectly deploy my experience there. Additionally, I continue to scout for potential sister companies and partnerships that fit into our ecosystem."
Streamlining Innovation
Nick, you now have the entire technical ecosystem, Core R&D, Software, and Hardware, under your leadership. How are you going to approach your role as COO?
Nick: "Due to the strong growth of Qbus, these departments are under pressure, and there is a need for clearer roles and processes. In the short term, we are looking at 'quick wins' to improve collaboration between departments, often suggestions that come from the teams themselves. In the long term, I want to define clear KPIs to better evaluate our efficiency.
From an HR perspective, it is crucial to attract the right people for further growth. Guarding the coherence and the unique Qbus DNA within the teams is a top priority in this regard."
The Bridge Between Market Needs and Technical Execution
Tom retains Product Management to capture market needs, while you guard the technical execution within the R&D teams. How do you ensure the 'voice of the customer' is seamlessly translated into technical reality and vice versa?
Nick: "We have set up a strong structure. Erwin Blancquaert, our product manager, and Richard Ballaux, for business development energy, form the bridge. They push market questions into R&D, where everything is translated into technical solutions. Erwin validates the new features and launches them in the market. Additionally, we attach great importance to feedback days with installers, architects, and wholesalers. Our tentacles are everywhere in the market."
Tom: "We work both bottom-up and top-down. Every year we have 'Sales Days' where signals from the market, feedback from installers, and input from our internal teams are systematically included in our strategic process.
Additionally, there is a Qbus core team consisting of Nick, Marketing Manager Livine Quintens, and myself. From this core team, we write out a three-year strategy, based on a combination of these market insights and targeted market research. Every two months, the core team tests the strategy against reality: are we hitting our targets? Does the roadmap still align with the current wishes of architects, installers, end-users, and our own teams? This allows us to adjust quickly where necessary."
Complementary Leadership
Tom and Nick: what characterizes your leadership, and how do you complement each other?
Tom: "Neither of us is a proponent of a strict top-down approach. We give a lot of trust and autonomy to our employees. That's why we prefer to spend a bit more time on the right hiring beforehand, rather than having to micromanage afterward.
Of course, a growing company requires more structure. In that, we are perfectly complementary. Nick has a 'bluer,' engineering profile; he tackles things in a structured way. I have a 'yellower' profile and jump a bit more from pillar to post so as not to miss commercial opportunities."
Nick: "It is indeed a good mix, although it isn't black and white. Tom also works very structurally, but our focus differs. It is pragmatism versus structure, and that balance works."
Stronger Together
Tom, you now have 17 years at Qbus under your belt. What advantages do you see arising for the organization and the customers in the future because of this?
Tom: "It is healthy that after 17 years, a new wind is blowing in the management and that everything doesn't always end up with me anymore. We are now more than 40 employees, and it is no longer possible to be focused on all departments. This new structure allows me to focus more on the strategic and commercial side of the company, which benefits our customers, and Nick on the operational side, which will improve internal processes. Ultimately, this benefits Qbus, our customers, and our suppliers.
We may each have our own responsibilities, but we are at the same level in the organization and are fully aware of each other's activities. In this way, we combine clarity in the company about who does what, but we can also always step in for each other when needed."
Nick: "The division of roles is now becoming clearer for all employees, which leads to more streamlined processes, providing a good basis for our further growth."
The Role of Data in Smart Living
Nick, now that Qbus is evolving towards buildings that think intuitively and save energy, how central will data analysis become in your operational strategy?
Nick: "That intrigued me right from my first meeting with Tom. We have residential home automation, commercial automation, energy management, and a huge mountain of data. We engaged Vlerick to help us better utilize that data. We want to get to know our customers better, but also optimize our own processes, such as production and order picking, via data analysis. To measure is to know."
Tom: "Previously, when I thought about data, I mostly thought about product development. Now we see the broader value. Between 1,500 and 2,000 data points arrive on our servers every second. With this, we can give end customers insights into their consumption, predict when they will consume energy so we can take that into account when controlling charging stations, heat pumps, and batteries, or warn them when solar panels need to be cleaned. But we can also proactively see what installers need. Data will become the engine of our service."
The Next Leap in Smart Buildings
Tom & Nick: Qbus promises buildings that make life carefree and energy-efficient. With this new dual leadership structure now operational, what is the single biggest technological or strategic leap you are enthusiastic about delivering to the market in the coming year?
Tom: "The biggest leap is actually the strengthening of our foundations. You cannot build ten stories on shaky foundations. Nick as COO for Qbus provides that extra stability for the future."
Nick: "Qbus wants to become even more professional without losing that typical identity: accessible, no-nonsense, and 'what you see is what you get,' but at a high level."
Scaling Up Team and Culture
Nick, how do you plan to maintain our agile, innovative culture while the team of specialized engineers and developers grows?
Nick: "Qbus has very loyal employees and low turnover. That is due to our open, no-nonsense culture. The workload is high, but the atmosphere is collegial and fun. That is not something to take for granted, and we want to guard that strictly.
We are maintaining our leadership style of trust and self-steering teams. However, we do want to structure the informal coordination between departments, which now often happens organically, a bit more to guarantee short feedback loops with further growth."