DE
Through close collaboration with Swiss GRC, NEQSOL Holding has transformed its approach to governance, risk, and compliance by implementing a comprehensive GRC platform that unites diverse business entities under a single digital framework, enhancing transparency, efficiency, and accountability across the Group.
Background and objectives
NEQSOL Holding, an international group with headquarters in Amsterdam, Baku, and Kyiv, operating in 11 countries and comprising subsidiaries such as Bakcell, Azerconnect Group, Vodafone Ukraine, Nobel Energy, Nobel Upstream, and Norm, set out on a journey to further digitalize its governance, risk, and compliance practices. Operating across diverse markets, NEQSOL Holding explored the options to adopt a unique approach to cover a group-wide risk management system that could respect the unique requirements of each subsidiary while maintaining a unified oversight structure at the holding level.
Key drivers behind the initiative:
- Upgrade the risk management practices across its group companies.
- Meet internal compliance and regulatory requirements.
- Digitize health, safety, and environment (HSE) processes for efficiency and greater transparency and accountability.
Implementation and collaboration
The implementation of the GRC Toolbox was the result of a close and structured collaboration between NEQSOL Holding and Swiss GRC. From the outset, both teams worked hand in hand through a series of focused workshops to define requirements, model workflows, and tailor the platform to the diverse realities of each subsidiary while preserving consistency across the holding.
Built on a modular architecture, the solution empowers subsidiaries to manage their risks, controls, and compliance activities autonomously. At the same time, it provides NEQSOL Holding with a unified, real-time view of group-wide performance—turning complexity into transparency.
On NEQSOL’s side, Samir Karimov, Head of Risk Management, guided the initiative, ensuring alignment between strategic goals and practical execution. From Swiss GRC, Erlete Baliqi (Solution & AI Engineer) led the technical implementation and served as the primary contact throughout the project, later joined by Edona Shala (GRC Consultant).
The result is a fully integrated GRC ecosystem covering Risk Management, Internal Control System (ICS), Compliance, Corporate Governance, Strategic Initiatives, Contracts, and Health, Safety & Environment (HSE), supporting consistent governance and risk oversight across the entire Group.
Challenges and lessons learned
| Challenge | Solution Approach |
|---|---|
| Different requirements across subsidiaries | Creation of a configurable solution enabling each entity to adapt the framework locally while maintaining overall consistency. |
| Complexity of HSE processes | Digitalization of the full HSE process chain—from permits and approvals to incident reporting, inspections, and employee health registers. |
| Ensuring group-wide adoption | Continuous engagement through workshops, iterative testing, and user training to foster ownership and drive user acceptance. |
| Data consistency and reporting across entities | Implementation of standardized data structures, reporting templates, and automated dashboards. |
| Balancing speed and quality during rollout | Phased implementation approach, ensuring stable rollouts with continuous feedback cycles and quality assurance at each stage. |
These challenges were overcome thanks to the strong collaboration and mutual understanding between NEQSOL Holding and Swiss GRC teams. This close cooperation ensured that requirements were clearly understood, solutions were quickly adapted, and both sides worked as one team throughout the project.
Key outcomes and benefits
NEQSOL Holding chose Swiss GRC for its ability to deliver flexible, dynamic solutions that could adapt to a group-wide environment with very different local requirements.
The key benefits include:
- Risk management across four companies is now harmonized in one tool, with clear responsibilities and efficient review cycles.
- Compliance and ICS frameworks are fully digitized, reducing manual effort.
- HSE processes are simplified and transparent, empowering employees and managers with real-time insights and faster approvals.
By implementing a unified platform, NEQSOL Holding has not only improved daily operations but also ensured alignment with both regulatory requirements and internal governance standards. The solution has significantly enhanced transparency, governance, and efficiency across all relevant areas.
