Harold Goddijn, CEO of the Dutch in-car navigation systems maker TomTom, talks about the road ahead for transportation technology
Netherlands-based TomTom NV, founded in 1991, pioneered in-car navigation systems for millions of motorists around the world, but almost lost the way itself, caught off guard by the surge of smartphones and Google’s free maps, among other factors. But the Franco-Dutch couple—CEO Harold Goddijn (57) and Co-founder and Managing Director Corinne Vigreux (52)—who built the company with two other technologists, dug deep and reinvented themselves to stay relevant. Today TomTom continues to make reliable maps, but also licenses its software, sells telematics technologies and even fitness-focussed smartwatches.
Goddijn was in India recently to visit TomTom’s software development centre in Pune, and spoke to Forbes India about the future of transportation, and India’s push towards electric cars.
Q How has TomTom changed, especially in recent years?
The world has changed, but we’re still loyal to our old mission of helping people go from [point] A to B, and changing how mobility works. [However] we’ve moved into modern map-making, traffic information, telematic services, and online APIs.
We’ve also had to change our business model, partly under pressure from the proliferation of mobile phones, which brings a whole new dynamic. We have become, over the last four or five years, much more of a business-to-business operation. We still have a significant retail and consumer business, but the growth and the strategic direction is much more towards business customers.
We have fantastic technologies for location, mapping, and APIs; we’ve a very good customer base, including Apple, Uber, Microsoft, and most of the important car makers around the world. We’ve reinvented ourselves in the last five years, and now we’re back to grow in the areas we’ve chosen to play.
この記事は Forbes India の December 8, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Forbes India の December 8, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet
