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About Damien
Damien Dhellemmes is an executive leader in the field of sustainable energy technology with more than 25 years of experience. He is currently Senior Vice President of Schneider Electric’s Digital Energy Commercial Organization, which drives sustainability, efficiency, and resilience for building owners throughout the world. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Asia Clean Energy Summit and a Vice President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. Damien holds an MSc from ISEN, and an MBA from EDHEC Business School.
Leveling Up Business Growth for Partners and Solution Excellence for Customers
Unique to the industry, the award-winning EcoXpert™ Partner Program offers an esteemed partnership between Schneider Electric and a truly global, cross-expertise ecosystem of solution providers.
Certified on Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ architecture and platform, EcoXpert partners employ some of the highest levels of competency in the industry. The program offers 11 certification paths in integrated building control, reliable power management, and efficient energy solutions to customers all over the world. With nearly 4,500 certified EcoXpert partners spanning 80 countries, EcoXpert partners digitize and electrify our world for a more sustainable future.
EcoXpert partners share our mission to deliver smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable solutions to our shared customers.
Interview with Damien Dhellemmes, SVP of the Digital Energy Commercial Organization
Q: Why did Schneider Electric decide to evolve the EcoXpert program?
Damien: The EcoXpert program has been successfully deployed for more than six years. In fact, we recently received our seventh consecutive 5-star partner program rating from CRN. However, we are always seeking to improve and optimize so that we keep up with market trends, meet customer expectations, and broaden business growth strategies. It was time to take a pulse on the program and identify areas for optimization.
The core of the program’s evolution was largely driven by the voice of our EcoXpert partners. We spent nearly two years interviewing EcoXpert partners all over the world to better understand their challenges, requirements, and program expectations. And we learned a lot. Schneider’s commitment to driving more success for our EcoXpert partners has always been top priority – and after assessing the partner feedback, we redesigned the program to center around three key pillars:
- Generate more demand for EcoXpert partners through better addressing end-user market needs, simplifying the program, converting to a more value-based approach, and focusing more on segments and solution prescription
- Expand the EcoXperts’ technology basket to enable end-to-end portfolio opportunities in both building and power solutions, and integrate sustainability competencies into the certification paths
- Accelerate the EcoXpert digital transformation by ensuring digital expertise at the core of each certification. This means delivering software as a service (SaaS) and digital services to help you engage in an added-value service business, as well as collaborating with third-party software vendors and technology providers that complement our EcoStruxure portfolio
Q: What are the primary program evolutions?
Damien: Through two years of assessing the program and partner feedback, it became apparent that we needed to simplify the certification framework to ensure its value was well-balanced for both our partners and our customers. This framed the overall evolution. We optimized the training paths in our building and power certification competencies, as well as added certification options to address our customers’ growing demand for microgrid and eMobility solutions. With that, we split the new certification framework into three domains:
- Building & Residential Automation
- Power Distribution & Management
- Grid & New Energy Landscape
The badge certifications in our building and residential automation domain now better address solutions in specific market segments. They solve unique customer demands and complement technical competency expertise.
The domain of power distribution and management now includes integrating digital expertise from design through maintenance of the project lifecycle. These competencies now better align with customer site criticalities, applications, and unique solution needs.
However, I am most excited and passionate about the introduction of our grid and new energy landscape certification domain. We launched two new badges to enhance the value proposition of the program – Microgrid and eMobility. These competencies will accelerate the journey of our EcoXpert partners – and customers – to achieve more sustainable buildings, efficient installations, and advanced expertise in electrical vehicle and grid-related applications and solutions.
Q: What are the benefits for existing EcoXpert partners — or those looking to join the program?
Damien: The benefits for our EcoXpert partners have not changed. Rather, we’ve revamped the program to ensure its benefits accelerate business growth through optimizing certification training paths and technical competencies. Partners will not experience any disrupt in priority commercial or technical support, access to product and software tools, comarketing campaigns and promotions, exclusive program communications, or event and networking opportunities. In fact, with this new program framework, our EcoXpert partners will encounter improved and advanced program benefits that will elevate them above competition and boost profitability.
Q: What are the benefits for Schneider’s customers and why should they partner with an EcoXpert in the future?
Damien: My team has been intricately involved in every step of the program’s evolution and we believe that it will accelerate our customers’ ability to achieve their objectives. It’s important to keep in mind that this evolution was not only designed to benefit our partner base – but also to ensure customers are confident in their selection of solution providers. More than ever, our EcoXperts are positioned to deliver on Schneider’s industry-leading offer portfolio. We’ve spent an abundance of time strategically aligning the technical competencies tied to each certification badge. One of our goals was to elevate our EcoXperts to be well-equipped to not only deliver on project specifications but also reduce the risk and cost of project implementation. I am confident that the partnership between our customers and EcoXpert partners will be strengthened to continue providing solution excellence.
Q: How does the new EcoXpert program solve for sustainability and decarbonization trends?
Damien: Perhaps I’m biased, but Schneider Electric is pioneering in our market with its sustainability solution strategy. The EcoXpert badges have encompassed competencies in this area for quite some time. However, when you couple the existing competencies with the introduction of our new energy landscape certifications (Microgrid and eMobility), our EcoXperts will be leap years ahead of their competition.
In fact, this is an exciting time for us and our channel partners. Complementing the EcoXpert Partner Program, Schneider is now launching their new Sustainability Program for Partners and its associated training through the Sustainability School for Partners.
These programs are specifically designed to accelerate the decarbonization journey of our channel partners in their own operations – as well as deliver the tools and solutions needed to help customers decarbonize their buildings.
This learning journey is just one more way that Schneider is helping its EcoXperts to further solidify their position in the market as a sustainability advisor … while enabling customers to achieve their net-zero ambitions and realize a real ROI on their investments.
Perspective from an EcoXpert Partner
Tried & true inspiration. This EcoXpert success story and customer testimonial demonstrate how the competence and commitment from an EcoXpert partner can deliver results such as $1.5M in annual energy savings, 36% reduction in carbon footprint, and a ROI realization in less than two years. Hear directly from a Master EcoXpert in Building Automation, C&C Group – as well as our customer, Aspiria Campus, as together they unveil the strategy and details leading Aspiria on the fast track to achieving their decarbonization goals.
Watch the video testimonial.
Read the full story.
Dive Deeper into the EcoXpert Next-Level Program
It is important to note that the new EcoXpert certification and program framework may vary by country. Please reach out to your local Schneider Electric sales representative or EcoXpert channel manager for details pertaining to the local EcoXpert program.
For more information, visit the global EcoXpert website or send an inquiry to ecoxpertpartnerprogram@se.com.
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