It’s a bold move, Chief Transformation Officer Wim De Clercq readily admits, but he is certain it will be a compelling story: Partena Professional is joining forces with Odoo. The brief was not to build the “next best payroll engine”, but to develop a future-proof, AI-enabled solution that resolves both customer and legacy issues. The focus is on small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for 85 per cent of the Belgian market.
The key elements are:
– HR and payroll are fully “embedded” within the Odoo platform, without separate integrations – a unique collaboration for Odoo.
– “One Team” approach: business, Odoo and functional experts from Partena Professional work together at one of Odoo’s R&D sites (Odoo has 3 ‘farms’).
– The system is designed as an ecosystem for all stakeholders – employer, manager, employee, service provider, legal expert and accountant.
– Customer benefits include Partena Professional’s expertise in legal compliance and human support, combined with Odoo’s digital power: a single source of truth for business and people, one-time data entry, fully AI enabled.
The first pilot clients will go live in January 2027, ranging in size from one to more than 450 employees, representing Joint Committee 200, 302, as well as business owners. During 2027 Partena Professional will significantly expand the sectors supported by this solution.
‘This is not an IT project, but a complete transformation,’ says Wim De Clercq. ‘Every function and role within our company had to be reviewed. Because this is a completely different way of working.”
This is also special for Odoo. A digital player is joining forces with a service provider. This is unique solution that sits natively within Odoo, and is also the largest investment ever made by Odoo. The cultural differences are significant, but the ambition is even greater. The aim is to reach hundreds of thousands of payslips per month.
The vision and ambition are wonderful, but the execution really is. ‘Our team is working their socks off. So, if you ask me what my key role is here. It’s ‘make it happen’ and help the teams to overcome hurdles. I’m someone who’s incredibly passionate and very results-oriented. My boss always says, ‘When Wim sets his mind to something, he will move mountains to make it happen.’
It’s a Belgian story, but according to Wim De Clercq this pioneering project will certainly also go global.
