2022/04/27

Aperto and ecx.io become IBM iX

Pressefoto vom IBM iX-Dach Team zeigt: Markus Dietrich, Tanja Waldeck, Kai Großmann und Holger Horn

The DACH management team of IBM iX with Markus Dietrich, Tanja Waldeck, Kai Großmann, Holger Horn (from left).

The rebranding of the IBM subsidiaries creates a strong new kind of service provider for digital transformation in the DACH market: consulting, digital agency, design studio, and tech company all in one

Berlin/Dusseldorf, April 27, 2022 – IBM subsidiaries Aperto and ecx.io will now operate under the joint brand IBM iX. Both companies have been very successful on the market for over 25 years and were among the first digital agencies operating. In 2016, they were simultaneously acquired by IBM to meet the growing need for digital, creative, and design expertise. Since then, they have been operating as sister agencies and as part of the European and global IBM iX Studio network. As part of IBM Consulting, IBM’s consulting and services unit, they are now a part of one of the world’s largest providers of digital experiences. With the change of name, Aperto and ecx.io will move one step forward in their joint success story.

The digital transformation experts

Ever since their acquisition by IBM, Aperto (headquartered in Berlin) and ecx.io (headquartered in Dusseldorf), as well as IBM’s own studios, have been working closely together across teams to offer consulting, design and technology services. Following the motto, “Innovate like a start-up, scale like an enterprise,” they combine the digital agencies’ creative spirit and culture with the decades of technology expertise and strong international reach of a global corporation like IBM. At the same time, they have continued to leverage their extensive agency networks and numerous partnerships with renowned technology providers to win a large number of well-known customers – including Allianz, Barmer, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, Bundeswehr, Daimler, Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Fressnapf, Grohe, Lufthansa, Migros, Porsche, Siemens, TAG Heuer and Wienerberger, among many others.

“We place a lot of emphasis on our agency culture and the associated agile mindset. At the same time, we benefit enormously from IBM’s know-how and work closely together on many projects. I am pleased that this is now also reflected in our name,” said Holger Horn, IBM iX Leader DACH. “The agency teams have been working hand in hand with IBM iX Studios worldwide for a long time. The rebranding is a consistent step and a clear brand statement to the outside world,” adds Tanja Waldeck, IBM iX Distribution Leader DACH.

More power under one brand

Having previously operated under a multi-brand strategy, the companies will now be renamed IBM iX to focus efforts and continue their success under a single brand. With the change of name, the individual business units will continue to remain independent and the leadership teams at the locations will remain stable.

“Under the IBM iX brand, we want to unite our forces even more strongly, exploit synergies and make our joint power clearer on the market,” says Markus Dietrich, CEO IBM iX Dusseldorf, Austria and Croatia. Kai Großmann, CEO IBM iX Berlin and Switzerland, adds: “When all our employees have IBM iX in their company profile, it has a huge identification and motivation effect. In addition, we have created structures that promote a close exchange and a sense of unity. In the end, our customers also benefit from this.”

The experience Agency of IBM Consulting

As part of IBM Consulting, IBM’s consulting and services unit, IBM iX is one of the world’s largest providers of digital experiences. The new brand sees itself as a consultancy, digital agency, design studio and tech company all in one. Using scalable, agile frameworks such as IBM Garage™ and Enterprise Design Thinking, the teams work on sustainable business models, digital services and integrated customer journeys. In addition, IBM iX maintains premium partnerships with software providers such as Adobe, Salesforce and SAP CX.

Continuation of a success story

The change to the common IBM iX brand is also the result of the successful acquisition by IBM, in which particular emphasis was placed on preserving the culture and flexibility of the agencies. The fact that this has been successful is reflected in strong growth since the acquisition and a very stable management team. In terms of staff and revenue, both agencies have more than doubled in size since the acquisition and have won numerous high-profile clients.

“IBM iX is a huge asset to IBM Consulting. First of all, the deep expertise in customer transformation, marketing, sales and services is an important building block in our projects. On top of that, the creativity, agility and dynamic way of working of IBM iX is very inspiring,” emphasizes Christine Rupp, General Manager IBM Consulting DACH.

One of the largest digital agencies worldwide

IBM iX was founded in 2014 to expand IBM’s capabilities in the area of experience design. Since its founding, IBM iX has been one of the largest digital agency networks in the world. Today, around 17,000 experts – including strategists, consultants, designers, developers and data architects – work in over 50 IBM iX Studios worldwide. In the DACH region, more than 1,200 employees are spread out across ten IBM iX locations. A core competence is the design of digital experiences that focus on people and their needs.

Press contact

Laura Welter
IBM iX Communications
Email: news@ibmix.de

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