PCG announces a long-planned move: On January 1, 2024, Thorsten Raquet is taking over responsibility from Oliver Schallhorn at the head of the company. This decision is the result of long-term strategic planning to guide the company smoothly into the coming growth phases.
Oliver Schallhorn passes on CEO position
Formed in 2021, Public Cloud Group (PCG) is already an undisputed player in the European cloud and IT market. Co-founder and initiator of this success story, Oliver Schallhorn, formed a solution-oriented portfolio tailored to transformative customer requirements in line with the company vision "Being the independent go-to cloud partner for customers, skilled employees and hyperscalers across wider Europe". This not only combines the three relevant hyperscalers AWS, Google and Microsoft, but also the technologies that drive customers' IT today: security, data & AI, and cloud-native development.
This has already convinced around 400 employees and now over 1,000 decision-makers from SMEs and the enterprise segment.
"I met Thorsten more or less by chance about eighteen months ago. It quickly became clear to me that he would have to be the next CEO of PCG when I move to the PCG Advisory Board in the second half of 2024, as planned," Schallhorn begins the explanation of the CEO change.
"I am handing over my responsibilities to him on January 1, 2024 with absolute confidence and certainty that the company will master the next necessary growth steps with Thorsten at the helm. He not only has the professional skills in the digital market, but also shares the same values and stands for the same principles that are important to me personally and to the company: 100% customer and employee focus, unconditional commitment, honesty and transparency as well as absolute commitment to PCG," says Schallhorn, describing his trust in Thorsten Raquet.
Oliver Schallhorn (left) and Thorsten Raquet (right) at the PCG Company Event in Berlin in October 2023.
Schallhorn will not be leaving PCG, but will move to the role of Chief Advisory Officer and, in the long term, to the PCG Advisory Board. There he will continue to use his many years of expertise in the IT and cloud sector for the success of PCG, take on projects and provide support where necessary. He will remain part of the Management Board and the PCG Management Team.
Focus on strategic orientation and expansion in Europe
PCG's strategy for the coming years focuses on increased expansion into new European countries, the expansion of existing business areas around the hyperscalers AWS, Google and Microsoft, as well as increasing relevance with existing customers. The technology fields already described around data & AI, security and cloud-native development and their operational automation, also known as Managed Cloud Operations (MCO), are the focus of the strategic direction.
Thorsten Raquet explains PCG's specific plans: "In the coming years, we see enormous potential for growing our business in Europe and in countries where we already have a presence but have not yet reached our full potential. Switzerland is one such example. Here, we are not only expanding our expertise in AWS, but also developing our competence with Google as a hyperscaler and in the area of data & AI."
PCG is also planning further organic growth to over 500 cloud experts by the end of 2024, making it one of the few major players on the European market that is 100% focused on the public cloud.
With Thorsten Raquet as CEO, Stephan Pawlowski as CFO, and a stable management team, the company is ideally positioned to successfully achieve its planned growth targets.
About Public Cloud Group (PCG)
Public Cloud Group (PCG) guides companies along their entire cloud journey through the use of public cloud solutions. As an experienced partner of all relevant hyperscalers (Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft), PCG holds the highest certifications of the respective providers and advises its customers independently.
In addition to Cloud Infrastructure and Modern Workplace, the relevant service areas of the Cloud Journey also include technological focus topics such as Data & AI, Security, Cloud-native Development, SAP Cloud Services and comprehensive operations, known as Managed Cloud Operations.
Today, PCG brings together the expertise of more than 400 cloud experts at numerous locations in Europe.
PCG's more than 1,150 customers include Allianz, BurgerKing, Flaconi, Generali, HelloFresh, KlassikRadio, Linde Group, Lorenz, McDonalds, myposter, N26, Veolia, Viessmann and many other companies, primarily from the upper midmarket as well as public and private educational institutions.
Press contact
Alina Schneider
Head of Marketing & Communications
Public Cloud Group
+49 (0) 175 7852 476