Andreas Baude, general manager of Veolia Romania and of Apa Nova, has been appointed country chairman for Veolia in Germany, in charge of everything that has to do with the energy sector.
Baude, who is half French and half German, arrived in Romania in 2002, after working in Gabon, and turned Apa Nova into one of the most profitable subsidiaries of French group Veolia, while managing a very intricate public-private partnership.
His Romanian term ended on September 24, reads Business Construct monthly, to be published on September 25 together with ZF.
"When I came to Romania in early 2002 I was amazed by the political jungle at that time. I was coming from Africa, Gabon, but I still was amazed," recounts Andreas Baude.
What is he leaving behind? Although bringing only 0.3% of Veolia's global turnover, Romania brings 2.5% of net income, meaning it is eight times more profitable than the average of the global giants' worldwide operations. At the same time, the relationship between Apa Nova and Bucharest city hall, though a tumultuous one, represented one of the few domestic successful public-private partnerships.
The first challenge, after the lease contract with the city hall was signed, was to raise workforce productivity, namely massive layoffs.
Apa Nova went from 5,200 to 3,500 employees in just eighteen months at that time, and now has less than 2,000 people. The gaps left by the departed employees had to be filled quickly, though, as expectations were rising and Apa Nova had to come up with concrete results.
While acquiring adequate equipment, Baude also boosted the efficiency of the professional training programme. However, the peak of the firm's human resources policy is in 2008.
In the period he spent as a general manager of Apa Nova, Baude worked with the last three mayors of Bucharest. The future head of Veolia Germany, who was asked not only to take the pulse of the German energy market, but also to bring a 10% increase of local turnover in five years, says the initially difficult relationship between the two sides, Apa Nova and the city hall council, finally matured.
"Unpleasant memories? I don't have any such thing. They're archived. I'm keeping the list, but I don't give them any thought," says Andreas Baude.
When Apa Nova took over the water and sewage service of Bucharest, losses along the network revolved around 60%, meaning the network was only 40% efficient. Baude says he expects the ratio to be reversed in 2010.
Statistical data show, as Baude says, something that is highly obvious: the policy of administrations, either local or central, of clinging on to utilities services is wrong. Everywhere across Europe these types of services are managed together with a private partner.
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