What the bartender and his cocktail classic
links with Serge Meyer and the Datalynx Group

When he talks about a milestone, it is not the successful revenue in year X or the establishment of new business fields. Serge Meyer - the CEO of Datalynx Group - refers to a very special moment as a remarkable milestone.

It is the phase in which he expands his management team and no longer leads all employees directly. A big step, as he says. On the one hand, the growth of the company becomes tangible and on the other hand, it was a real challenge for him, after all, "you would always know best how to do it yourself" - not easy for a doer. However, the trust invested was a "good investment" and made the further steps possible in the first place.

Many important decisions marked the path of the Datalynx Group. They were not all popular and Serge Meyer could certainly have done without some of them. And yet, for today's company construct to present itself in such a stable and innovative way, all of these decisions were needed.

Let us take a step back. In March 1992, he decided to stop working as a student intern at Ciba-Geigy AG and to offer the knowledge gained from his studies and practical experience as a service. It worked. However, anything that "only" works is somehow not Serge Meyer's style. He always wanted to write the next chapter. Thus, instructive years went by, business relationships fell apart and finally a new way had to be found. So, on 22 March 1996 he founded Datalynx.

As if the challenges in the first founding months were not enough, they were compounded by the fact that Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz were merging. In merger times, projects get shut down and decisions are withheld. Thus, Datalynx had to face a bitter setback - with the loss of almost its only and certainly its biggest customer. The subsequent reorientation was on the one hand threatening to the company's existence and yet also vital to its survival. An opportunity to grow. In the years that followed, major projects were implemented with Novartis as an important customer.

From 1998 to 2015, the company really took off and experienced its most successful phase to date. In 1999, Stefan Heer became an important figure in the company's history. He became a co-owner of Datalynx and took on strategic and operational tasks, which he still carries out today with great commitment and pleasure.

The company is growing and establishing itself as a legitimate player in the IT market. Soon it was possible to take the step abroad. In close cooperation with customers, new national companies were continuously established. As of 2021, the Datalynx Group is represented in 10 countries. In addition, the structures were also adapted in Switzerland. With Primetrack – in 2010 – and Skillcloud in 2018, companies were integrated that are different, but in the overall context fit the group very well.

Provoked by the question «why did this expansion make sense?"», Serge Meyer does not allow himself to be unsettled. Clear statement:

«Thanks to the wide range of competences within the group and the use of synergies, we can respond in flexible way to all customer concerns - modularly and scalably in every phase of the company. In addition, the market conditions coincided with my plans for the company and I could not resist the temptation to build something new».

The guiding principle, «What got you here won’t get you there»*, is also always in the back of Serge Meyer's mind. That is why he and his team act proactively towards the customers and in the interest of the employees. Always ready to write the next chapter.

Now to the title of this story. If a bartender had been responsible for bringing the companies together, he would probably have mixed the Italian classic from the "Caffè Casoni" in Florence:

If you put 3cl dry gin, 3cl vermouth rosso and 3cl Campari in a glass, let 2 ice cubes gently swirl around in the glass three times, then remove one again and refine the whole thing with a small (briefly squeezed) piece of organic orange peel, you get the perfect Negroni.

Although the ingredients themselves are quite enjoyable, it is only when they are combined that they will make the perfect drink. In the case of the group, these are the three different companies, which - combined with skill and in the right proportion - result in a strong brand.

To write the next 25 years, the group gives itself a new corporate identity. For the graphic implementation, fresh, clear and comprehensible was not only the requirement, but also an essential part of the desired brand perception. The Datalynx Group presents itself as proactive and innovative.

The group presence strengthens the overall image, and the individual companies stand out through their different core competencies.

Datalynx is the consulting company for digital transformation and compliance.

Primetrack acts as the specialist for customised IT solutions.

Skillcloud offers workforce solutions and, as a professional recruiter, always seeks the best possible fit between subject matter expert and company.

Each employee contributes to the overall image of the group with his or her professional competence. A very important contribution, but not the most important one, according to Serge Meyer. Because every employee is also a part of the corporate culture and it is this contribution that makes a company truly valuable.

The group therefore presents itself as a "house of IT" and the customer receives hardware, software, manpower and advice from a single source. Respectively, many hands, but all working towards the same objective: making life easier for the customer. The various competences are noticeable and visible and thus also have a positive effect on the external perception.

Datalynx can look back with pride on the past 25 years. Decades full of expansion, growth and success, but also times with price discussions, business branches that have collapsed and difficult personnel decisions. But all this has contributed to the group being able to celebrate its 25th anniversary today as a strong IT partner, innovative service provider and attractive employer.

* from Marshall Goldsmith