CEO Ed Auriemma explains why Körber Supply Chain Software rebranded as Infios

Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in the Straight Talk newsletter on March 23. To sign up for the weekly newsletter and receive news like this before others, click here.

Ed Auriemma is a little more than 10 months into his role as a first-time CEO. That hasn’t stopped him from setting a clear path forward for his employer.

When Auriemma joined Körber Supply Chain Software, a joint venture between Körber AG and KKR, immediately spent time talking with the employees. Auriemma says he spoke to 1,500 employees in his first 90 days on the job and there was one word nobody used. “Not one person talked about growth,” he says. The company had been focused on EBITDA, but Auriemma notes that not every employee’s job is defined by EBITDA. And that is the focus that Auriemma is trying to change—building an idea that the company is about more than EBITDA.

“This wasn’t just a name change. We fundamentally changed how we operate, how we deliver for our customers, and how we position ourselves for the future.”

“Everything that we’re doing, it’s not rocket science,” he notes. “But what we’re doing is foundationally restructuring, reorganizing to make people feel empowered, to make them feel a little bit differently about this big unified, half-a-billion dollar company than they may have … before because they might’ve been on the German team that deployed WMS [and] nobody ever felt part of the same organization in Americas or Europe. Well, we broke down those silos and said, all right, we don’t have a geographic approach anymore. Now if you’re in professional services, you’re on the professional services team. You may deploy geographically based on your product, but there’s a global leadership team. When I think about sales, it’s a global sales organization now.”

The most obvious change from the outside is not what is happening internally, but what took place recently externally. Körber Supply Chain Software is no more. Welcome to Infios.

Impetus for a rebrand

Auriemma says the acquisition of MercuryGate in 2024 really jump-started the rebrand talk. Körber Supply Chain Software focused inside the four walls, he says, but the acquisition of MercuryGate and its transportation management system extended to solutions outside those walls.

“We literally, overnight, went from warehousing fulfillment to full supply chain execution,” he says. But, the acquisition also highlighted some areas of concern. As a joint venture company, it was “murky to figure out who we were; we really didn’t have an identity. [I went to the board] and said it’s time, it’s time for us to now go create a new identity that differentiated on who we are.”

Additionally, Auriemma felt the German parent company, Körber AG, didn’t resonate enough with an American audience. “As an American, it was hard to spell Körber. You don’t have the umlaut on the keyboard. The need for a clear, compelling brand became evident.”

An accelerated rebranding process began, with more than 1,000 potential names considered. Aided by consulting agency Prophet, Infios was chosen as a combination of the infinite possibilities and optimized solutions. It is a reflection of what is possible—the adaptability, innovation and global reach that Infios is able to deliver.

A bold strategy

Auriemma not only led a name change, he also led a culture change inside the organization. Saying that many companies cite company values such as being trustworthy or showing integrity, Auriemma took a different approach. He wanted the organization to have a guiding principle, not just a value. In fact, Infios settled on four guiding principles:

• Growing with customers: Ensuring solutions evolve alongside client needs.
• Purposeful innovation: Implementing technology that delivers real value.
• Thinking ahead: Anticipating industry shifts and customer challenges.
• Adaptable solutions: Tailoring services to diverse business needs.

“This wasn’t just a name change. We fundamentally changed how we operate, how we deliver for our customers, and how we position ourselves for the future,” he says. “We moved away from having a list of corporate values hanging on a wall. Instead, we have what we call the Guiding Principles. They’re designed to help every team member understand how to act in ways that benefit our customers—whether it’s through purposeful innovation, thinking ahead, being adaptable, or growing with them.”

These principles, Auriemma believes, not only focuses Infios on its external messaging, but also helps it define its internal restructure. “We created a new operating model, aligning teams globally and breaking down silos,” Auriemma says. The restructuring included establishing a unified product strategy team, reviving customer advisory boards, and integrating the sales and marketing functions under a single growth-oriented leadership.

Additionally, as was necessary with the integration of MercuryGate into the operation, the executive team has been adjusted, with Auriemma saying about one-third of the team is made up of existing Körber Supply Chain Software leaders, one-third from MercuryGate, and about one-third outside hires. This provides a mix of new and established legacy voices. Auriemma also combined the CFO and COO roles to eliminate friction that sometimes exists between these two functions, which he notes do have a lot of overlap to begin with.

Defining success

With over 2,100 employees in 12 countries, more than 5,000 customers and revenue surpassing $500 million, there is a lot at stake in the rebrand, but Auriemma is convinced this is the right approach for the future success of Infios. But how is that success going to be defined? Well, revenue is an important gauge, but it will not be what Auriemma looks toward first.

“We’ve implemented ... what I call 3-4-3,” he says. “What do my next three months look like? What are my next four quarters and what are my next three years? And we’ve built our strategy and our plan for the next three years in the last 10 months. What I’ve realized in my career is that nobody takes the time to do that. And that’s what we’re doing differently; we’re actually architecting. Here’s the house. Here's the vision of purpose. Here’s 2025, here’s what we’re going to focus on this year—growth and operational excellence. If we do that, these are the metrics that we’re going to impact and we should start seeing the leading lagging indicators across each one of my operating pillars start to change and evolve and improve.”

Ultimately, by thinking differently about its approach internally, Auriemma believes it will drive success externally. “Three years from now, I want happy people, 100% referenceable customers, and Infios recognized as the leader in supply chain execution,” he says.

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