Across Germany’s shifting energy landscape, Steag Iqony Group is transforming procurement into a strategic force for resilience, sustainability and digital excellence. We speak to Chief Procurement Officer André Snoeijer, Head of Digital & Process Excellence Janet Würpel, and Head of ESG Julia Morks, to see how procurement is being rebuilt for a future defined by challenges, innovation and change…
In 2023, as Germany’s energy sector reeled from geopolitical pressure, supply volatility and increasing regulatory demands, Steag Iqony Group stood at the crossroads. The company had recently been divided into two entities: Iqony, focused on renewables and low-carbon solutions, and Steag Power, responsible for operating flexible, dispatchable power plants that ensure Germany’s vital security of supply.
For Chief Procurement Officer André Snoeijer, the division created significant operational complexity and required a fundamental redesign of procurement structures. “We wanted to separate the conventional assets from the renewable assets and prepare ourselves for the sale of the company,” he explains. “My task was to prepare two independent procurement organisations: one for Steag Power and one for Iqony.”
Steag Power, with its highly specialised workforce and system-relevant infrastructure, required a procurement model centred on reliability, continuity and operational excellence. Iqony, by contrast, demanded a digitally enabled and growth-oriented function that could support rapid development in renewable markets. It was, in effect, one transformation divided across two organisational worlds – each with its own strategic role in the energy sector.
Following a subsequent acquisition by Asterion Industrial Partners, a strategic decision followed. That was the moment the Steag Iqony Group was born: While the companies would remain legally separate, the support functions would be reunified. “At least the support functions should work together again,” says Snoeijer. “Procurement governance would be one organisation.” The result is a procurement ecosystem that is structurally dual, strategically unified and designed to leverage the strengths of both energy worlds.