He describes himself as a bridge builder, or even as a “business whisperer”. He doesn’t issue invoices; instead, he is evaluated based on growth. Michiel Gedopt leads MiCRONOS, which was founded five years ago and now brings together 80 companies from the Cronos group working with Microsoft. Together, they form a community and are one of the software giant’s largest business partners.
Michiel Gedopt, 43, is a cycling enthusiast who holds the title of “Microsoft Alliance Manager”. He cut his teeth at Ferranti, where he worked for just under 20 years, much of which was in the Canadian city of Vancouver. Since early 2022, he has been at the helm of MiCRONOS, part of the Cronos group—a conglomerate of some 500 companies, 10,000 employees, and a turnover of no less than €1.4 billion. Cronos is the “partner for everything”. MiCRONOS represents 80 companies, around 2,000 employees, and achieves a total turnover estimated at about €300 million with Microsoft. Azure solutions form the core of their activities, but they also encompass infrastructure, the modern workplace, business applications, security and, of course, data and artificial intelligence. On this latter point, the Cronos group, based in Kontich, now employs 450 certified consultants. For years, they have recorded double-digit growth in their turnover—a trend that is expected to continue this year and into next.
“I don’t have much contact with the clients—if any at all. Each company is responsible for itself and has its own profit and loss statement. I focus on potential business opportunities and practically have an office within Microsoft’s premises,” Michiel Gedopt explains with a laugh. “For those who think Microsoft is complex, Cronos is as well. I try to clear the fog between the two companies. Working together means strengthening one another,” declares this diplomat’s son and father of two boys, aged 10 and 6.
Oh yes, Cronos employees call themselves the Cronosites, and many of them are thus MiCronosites—but they are by no means insignificant.
Article Luc Blyaert
