As you read today’s post, I want you to keep the following three things in mind:
- AI needs humans more than humans need AI
- Logos on maps and lists create more confusion than insights
- Business is and will always be “Personal”
I was recently asked the following question: why did you choose Achilles for your Analyst Map over EcoVadis?
It was a fair question.
I met EcoVadis Cofounder and Co-CEO Pierre-Francois Thaler many years ago at an IACCM conference in Las Vegas. At the time, sustainability was not the hot topic it is today. During our brief discussion, I found Pierre to be quite knowledgeable about the subject matter.
More recently, I had the opportunity to interview Julia SALANT, Carbon Solution Director, who has been with the provider for over 10 years.
The EcoVadis logo is present on at least a couple of solution provider maps, including the ESG Ratings section of the giki Sustainability Services Ecosystems Map below.
However, EcoVadis did not make Sustainability Magazine’s Top 10: ESG Platforms list. How did they make one and not the other? Keep this question in mind as we continue.
One final note – EcoVadis was founded in 2007.
I had never heard of Achilles until they contacted me earlier this year. While my initial research indicated that they made Spend Matters’ Procurement Provider To Know List (2013 to 2020) for seven consecutive years, their absence on virtually all of the current-day solution providers’ maps I looked at was noteworthy. By the way, Achilles was founded in 1990 – 17 years before EcoVadis.
Here are a few of the most recent solution provider maps, – where’s Achilles?:
The next obvious question is to see who is behind this company, which has been around for 34 years but has an almost invisible footprint.
Let’s start with Achilles CEO Dr. Paul Stanley FRSA FIoD AFRIN. I have never met or spoken to Dr. Stanley, but when I looked at his LinkedIn profile, it was clear that he has the same depth and breadth of experience and expertise as EcoVadis’ Pierre-Francois Thaler.
One of the people I spoke to at Achilles was Ellis Hall. Even though Ellis joined the company in April 2023 as its new sales manager, his LinkedIn resume shows that from a professional and academic standpoint, his depth of understanding regarding ESG compliance and the goal of zero carbon footprint is somewhat impressive.
Here is his “unedited” response to my question regarding his qualifications:
“Fortunately, I have been working with organisations measuring GHG emissions for the past 7 years and my MBA dissertation focused on the challenges and motivators for GHG report for organisations in the UK – these points will resonate with organisations all over the world. If there are any technical GHG measurement questions, I can support, as I am also running our Private Equity GHG programme and supporting private equity with the measurement and verification of their portfolio companies.”
Based on the above information, I could not identify a single reason why one is on the solution map and the other isn’t. Can you?
Other Thoughts?
At the end of the day, you are not dealing with a company, a logo, or even technology—you are dealing with people. Or, as Kate Vitasek put it, “business is personal!”
Having dug deeper into Achilles’ past, I remember my last post about my exchange of InMails with the company’s former CEO, in which I asked a few very pointed questions. The frankness with which the information was forthcoming was notable.
From an experience and expertise standpoint, Achilles’ “people” are as knowledgeable, if not more so, than EcoVadis’ team.
From a technology standpoint, I haven’t found any indication that would distinguish one provider’s solution from the next regarding features, functions, and benefits.
However, one thing that does stand out is that Achilles screens suppliers directly rather than doing a data scrape. The feedback I have received on this last point is that their data is more accurate and, therefore, more reliable.
My Conclusion
How many other companies like Achilles are off the map but possess the necessary experience and expertise to deliver results?
By the way, even though Achilles was at times not necessarily thrilled with my approach, I am sure they will appreciate the added scrutiny in the long run. Through this process, we will finally be able to differentiate between a sea of logos and vanilla functionality—and yes, after 40 years, I can say with a high degree of confidence that technology is generally sound across the provider board.
So, here is my question to you: Based on the above, why would you choose EcoVadis (or any other provider) over Achilles? No, really, I am asking.
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Procurement Insights
Achilles Versus EcoVadis: Why You Need To Make It “Personal”
Posted on May 23, 2024
0
As you read today’s post, I want you to keep the following three things in mind:
I was recently asked the following question: why did you choose Achilles for your Analyst Map over EcoVadis?
It was a fair question.
I met EcoVadis Cofounder and Co-CEO Pierre-Francois Thaler many years ago at an IACCM conference in Las Vegas. At the time, sustainability was not the hot topic it is today. During our brief discussion, I found Pierre to be quite knowledgeable about the subject matter.
More recently, I had the opportunity to interview Julia SALANT, Carbon Solution Director, who has been with the provider for over 10 years.
The EcoVadis logo is present on at least a couple of solution provider maps, including the ESG Ratings section of the giki Sustainability Services Ecosystems Map below.
However, EcoVadis did not make Sustainability Magazine’s Top 10: ESG Platforms list. How did they make one and not the other? Keep this question in mind as we continue.
One final note – EcoVadis was founded in 2007.
I had never heard of Achilles until they contacted me earlier this year. While my initial research indicated that they made Spend Matters’ Procurement Provider To Know List (2013 to 2020) for seven consecutive years, their absence on virtually all of the current-day solution providers’ maps I looked at was noteworthy. By the way, Achilles was founded in 1990 – 17 years before EcoVadis.
Here are a few of the most recent solution provider maps, – where’s Achilles?:
The next obvious question is to see who is behind this company, which has been around for 34 years but has an almost invisible footprint.
Let’s start with Achilles CEO Dr. Paul Stanley FRSA FIoD AFRIN. I have never met or spoken to Dr. Stanley, but when I looked at his LinkedIn profile, it was clear that he has the same depth and breadth of experience and expertise as EcoVadis’ Pierre-Francois Thaler.
One of the people I spoke to at Achilles was Ellis Hall. Even though Ellis joined the company in April 2023 as its new sales manager, his LinkedIn resume shows that from a professional and academic standpoint, his depth of understanding regarding ESG compliance and the goal of zero carbon footprint is somewhat impressive.
Here is his “unedited” response to my question regarding his qualifications:
“Fortunately, I have been working with organisations measuring GHG emissions for the past 7 years and my MBA dissertation focused on the challenges and motivators for GHG report for organisations in the UK – these points will resonate with organisations all over the world. If there are any technical GHG measurement questions, I can support, as I am also running our Private Equity GHG programme and supporting private equity with the measurement and verification of their portfolio companies.”
Based on the above information, I could not identify a single reason why one is on the solution map and the other isn’t. Can you?
Other Thoughts?
At the end of the day, you are not dealing with a company, a logo, or even technology—you are dealing with people. Or, as Kate Vitasek put it, “business is personal!”
Having dug deeper into Achilles’ past, I remember my last post about my exchange of InMails with the company’s former CEO, in which I asked a few very pointed questions. The frankness with which the information was forthcoming was notable.
From an experience and expertise standpoint, Achilles’ “people” are as knowledgeable, if not more so, than EcoVadis’ team.
From a technology standpoint, I haven’t found any indication that would distinguish one provider’s solution from the next regarding features, functions, and benefits.
However, one thing that does stand out is that Achilles screens suppliers directly rather than doing a data scrape. The feedback I have received on this last point is that their data is more accurate and, therefore, more reliable.
My Conclusion
How many other companies like Achilles are off the map but possess the necessary experience and expertise to deliver results?
By the way, even though Achilles was at times not necessarily thrilled with my approach, I am sure they will appreciate the added scrutiny in the long run. Through this process, we will finally be able to differentiate between a sea of logos and vanilla functionality—and yes, after 40 years, I can say with a high degree of confidence that technology is generally sound across the provider board.
So, here is my question to you: Based on the above, why would you choose EcoVadis (or any other provider) over Achilles? No, really, I am asking.
30
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