Mendix, a Siemens business and established leader in the low-code market, as of February 12, 2024, welcomes Raymond Kok as its new CEO. Previously a Senior Vice President for the platform development of Siemens Xcelerator, Ray brings with him almost two decades of experience in the industry. Kok succeeded previous CEO Tim Srock, who recently chose to step down.
Throughout his 22-year tenure at Siemens, Kok played vital roles in company evolution. He supported the transition to Software-as-a-Service, led the Industrial IoT platform business and its amalgamation with digital manufacturing, and implemented unified services for Siemens Xcelerator.
Ray articulated his profound enthusiasm for the low-code platform concept, and Mendix's role in its development, stating that "The founding principle of Mendix – the concept of bridging the gap between business, software engineering, and IT – is as critical an issue as it was almost 20 years ago when Mendix was founded." Adding that Mendix's core strength lies in its ability to enable business and IT to collaborate, enhancing organisational agility, speed and access to advanced technology.
An early adopter of low-code platforms, Ray places high value on productivity. In his words, "Productivity may not be a headline-worthy buzzword, but it is critical. Empowering people to be more productive is the foundation of digitalisation at any company." He sees the Mendix low-code platform as a catalyst for creativity and innovation, by freeing up resources from redundant tasks and fostering a productive, collaborative atmosphere across business and IT departments.
Ray is eager to guide the continuing development of Mendix's low-code platform, enhancing its ability to unify complex technologies, applications, and data silos. The platform has already proven successful across multiple sectors, particularly those heavily regulated such as financial services and the public sector. This is in large part due to Mendix's exceptional governance capabilities.
With extensive industry experience under his belt, Kok is perfectly positioned to further refine Mendix's reputation as the go-to low-code platform for tackling intricate enterprise software development challenges. He intends to facilitate closer integration of Mendix with the broader Siemens software catalogue, strengthen connections with other technologies under the Siemens Xcelerator platform, and encourage customers to harness the optimal potential of this synergistic relationship.
Moreover, Ray is committed to promoting the Mendix's distinct spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, lovingly nicknamed "Mendix Blue". "Being brave and making bold decisions, having no limits as we strive for innovation beyond traditional processes," he says proudly of the Mendix ethos.
In conclusion, Kok commends the Mendix workforce's dedication to ongoing platform improvements and reflects on the company's bright future. Although a native of the Netherlands, he resides in Orange County, California and is highly optimistic about the new phase of global reach and growth for the company with its C-suite team strategically based across the US, UK, and Europe.