Website: www.evm.de
Board Governance at the Center of Regional Management
Energieversorgung Mittelrhein AG (evm) is an established regional energy supplier based in Koblenz. With approximately 1,000 employees, the company ensures reliable supply to municipalities, businesses, and households, thereby assuming a key role within critical infrastructure where supply security and reliability have the highest priority.
As a regionally anchored company with diverse participations and clearly defined governance structures, management occurs across multiple board levels, from the supervisory board through the executive board to shareholder meetings.
In her role as Coordinator for the Executive Office and Board Management, Janine Mehlem is responsible for the organizational control of these formats and thus operates at the center of company-wide coordination and decision-making processes.
"The supervisory board meetings typically take place four times per year, executive board meetings every two weeks, plus an annual general meeting as well as additional shareholder meetings," describes Janine Mehlem regarding the structure of recurring meeting formats.
Established Processes with Development Potential
The organization of board governance at evm was based on proven and well-established procedures for years. At the same time, the setup increasingly reached its limits with growing complexity.
"Much was handled through various channels and in different file formats," explains Mehlem. "Content was often sent back and forth via email. As a result, several different versions were then circulating."
The complex dynamics of collaboration were particularly reflected in coordination: "When feedback comes simultaneously from multiple directions and needs to be consolidated, this involves considerable effort," says Mehlem.
With a growing number of participants and topics, the desire for the next development step toward a clearly structured, common working basis came into focus.
The Objective: Combining Structure, Efficiency, and Security
Against this background, the group's board governance was systematically transformed. The focus was not merely on digitizing existing processes, but on the structural development of underlying procedures.
"We wanted to make our board governance more efficient, secure, and structured, and to represent the process more digitally," describes Janine Mehlem regarding the motivation for the decision in favor of Boardwise.
The focus was particularly on the question of how to organize coordination across multiple participants consistently and transparently.
Alternative solution approaches were also examined:
"We also looked at other tools or considered developing our own solution in IT. However, we rejected these options," recalls Mehlem.
Security and Data Sovereignty as Central Criteria
Handling sensitive information played a central role. As a heavily regulated environment, the question of clear access rights and data protection comes into focus.
Boardwise was deliberately chosen as a solution in which security is anchored in the company's own system environment and remains transparent in daily use.
"The data is stored in our own environment. We have sovereignty over it and know how it is protected," explains Mehlem.
From Tool to Reliable Working Foundation - From the Beginning
In addition to functionality, intuitive use was particularly crucial.
"It was essential for us that the tool be user-friendly for the users. One should not have to reorient oneself each time," emphasizes Janine Mehlem.
This perception was also reflected in the feedback from board members and manifested in quick acceptance in daily work.
"Boardwise approached us very organized and professionally from the beginning. One was closely accompanied, both professionally and technically. Everything went smoothly," describes Janine Mehlem, particularly highlighting the reliable support. "There are clear contact persons and quick feedback."
Additionally, the accompanying training sessions contributed to board members quickly finding their way around the system. "That such an opportunity existed was received very positively, and through this we could quickly work independently."
Through close onboarding and accompanying support, Boardwise developed into a stable foundation for daily board governance within a short time.
"After three to four meetings, I already felt confident using the tool," notes Janine Mehlem.
30 Minutes Time Savings - In Preparation Alone
The tool's impact is particularly evident in operational daily work, where many small, previously necessary steps are noticeably reduced today. This becomes especially clear in protocol creation:
"Previously, I had to open old protocols, adjust content, and reformat everything. This is now completely eliminated and I can start directly thanks to Boardwise," contrasts Mehlem regarding the work steps before and after implementing the tool.
This change is not only evident as a difference in workflows, but is clearly noticeable in terms of time: "I save about 20 to 30 minutes per meeting through eliminating preparation alone."
Agenda creation is similarly simplified, becoming significantly more flexible and less time-consuming through Boardwise.
"That the agenda can be adjusted via drag-and-drop and all content is automatically carried forward is an enormous relief," explains Mehlem. "Previously, this involved a lot of copying and renaming."
A System That Grows with the Organization
Boardwise created a structure that can continue to develop beyond initial use.
"We currently use Boardwise for evm, but can well imagine using the tool for our participations in the future," emphasizes Mehlem.
This creates a unified approach to board governance that extends beyond individual companies and connects the organization in its entirety.
Conclusion: Where Structure Emerges, Complexity Becomes Manageable
With Boardwise, evm has systematically modernized its board governance toward an integrated and secure working method.
"Our goal was a central location where all documents are consolidated and which board members can reliably access," concludes Janine Mehlem.
The change is evident not only in efficiency gains, but primarily in more transparent, structured, and reliable collaboration that meets the requirements of critical infrastructure.
Ready for the Next Step in Your Board Governance?
Would you like to structure your board processes, design coordination efficiently, and simultaneously ensure the highest security standards?
Boardwise combines governance, user-friendliness, and system integration in one solution, fully embedded in your Microsoft 365 environment.
👉 Request a demo now and experience live how integrated board governance functions today.
