Ralf Baron
Partner
Ralf works with key players in the mobility ecosystem on strategy, innovation, transformation and performance improvement.
Areas of Focus
Education
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
M.A. Political Science
Past Experience
United Nations, Centre for Science and Technology for Development (New York)
Scientific Officer
Institut für Organisationsforschung und Technologieanwendung (IOT)
Researcher and Management Consultant
Ralf is a Partner at Arthur D. Little based in Frankfurt.
Ralf has more than 25 years of experience in management consulting and has worked in the mobility sector for more than 20 years. He advises leading players in the mobility industry and ecosystem on strategic orientation and performance improvement, as well as organizational change and transformation.
As global Head of Arthur D. Little’s T&T practice, Ralf works on mobility issues around the world and addresses key transportation-related topics in various cultural contexts.
CEOs and management board members regularly seek Ralf’s advice as a challenger, change manager, and coach. Ralf is a passionate team worker with strong communications skills and a highly recognized talent to manage group meetings and workshops.
Ralf has served as chairman for leading industry conferences and is a sought-after speaker for conferences and meetings.
Ralf started his career at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, working on technology assessment and innovation.
A core value that Ralf pursues in his work and private life is “respect.”
Optimistic global CEOs focus on people and skills in an AI future
Embracing the opportunities that artificial intelligence (AI) and talent together can unlock, CEOs are looking beyond the current instability, and increasingly confident about the future prospects for their organizations and the wider economy. Two-thirds are highly positive about the global outlook over the next three to five years, a major increase from 2023. Given that global tensions have worsened over the last 12 months, with conflict in the Middle East, disruptions to Red Sea supply chains, and the continuing war in Ukraine, this optimism is dramatic and heartening.
Positive in an uncertain world: Confident CEOs reskill companies for AI-driven growth
Embracing uncertainty, driving growth
A crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind, according to a Chinese proverb – and the world is currently beset with crises. The global pandemic, climate change, and unprecedented geopolitical volatility have provided a wake-up call to all organizations, bringing a long-lasting era of worldwide economic growth to a close.
Turning Turmoil to Advantage: How CEOs Are Navigating Change to Drive Growth
Aviation year zero – New non-aero revenues
Retail shops, food & beverage outlets and car parks are perceived as integral parts of an airport. These so-called “non-aero revenues” have long been a reliable and profitable source of income for airports. However, in recent years, airports’ vital income source has been under attack. Now, due to the COVID-19 crisis, airport terminals around the world are deserted. Is COVID-19 the last bullet that will break airports’ fortress?
The Company of Tomorrow
The COVID-19 crisis hit the world as this edition of Prism was in preparation. Needless to say, the outlook for business, at least in the short term, has changed radically in just a few weeks. Nevertheless, it’s becoming increasingly clear that one effect of the crisis has been acceleration of trends that were already there, such as virtualization of the workplace, further penetration of digital technologies (for example, AI and the IoT), and “asset-light” business models that make businesses more responsive and resilient to rapid shocks.
Lost in transformation
Transformation has arrived in the transportation & logistics industry. However, we have only just witnessed the start of an extensive change process that will shake up the balance of power. Players unable to adapt to the new reality will face immense pressure, as entire business models are at stake.
Converging on the Future
Convergence seems to be everywhere in the business world these days. It covers a wide range of factors which can come together to change the status quo in an industry or value chain. Think of food and healthcare in functional foods, or telecoms and energy in smart grids. Digital technology has been a huge enabler of convergence.
Sense of Purpose
From time to time concepts that, at first sight, seem quite old fashioned suddenly get a new lease of life. For example, open innovation has been around for decades, but it’s come to the fore again in recent years in the context of converging industries, start-up collaborations and the rise of the innovation ecosystem.
The low-cost puzzle for long-haul trains
Long-haul (high-speed) rail has been gaining popularity globally in recent years – especially in Western Europe and East Asia. Due to the growing popularity among travelers and branching out of incumbent operators, it is likely that we will see diversification of business models in the near future. The airline industry saw such diversification in the late 1990s. Here, low-cost-carrier models have been particularly successful. Recently, the low-cost movement has also started to transform the coach industry. Could rail be next?
Integrated Mobility Platforms
Global trends towards urbanization are confronting cities and governments with new sets of challenges related to public safety and security, the supply and consumption of energy, waste treatment, and traffic management. In 2013 alone, the cost of congestion in the US – defined as fuel plus opportunity costs (time) – totaled 124bn USD. In metropolitan areas, smart mobility turns out to be one of the most difficult topics and, at the same time, one with the most impactful prospects to face.
Digital platforms in freight transportation
The wind of change is blowing strongly in transportation & logistics. Digitization is in full swing: it is opening a whole portfolio of new opportunities to reduce costs, differentiate product offerings and redefine business models. Digital freight platforms are driving the transformation. The narrow focus on clearly delineated market segments currently restricts their disruption potential. However, the longterm effect on the industry can be immense, as other sectors have shown.
Urban mobility – Learnings from the Middle East
The Middle East may have been late to urbanization, but this has provided a unique opportunity to shape its urban-mobility strategies. Rather than adopting a piecemeal approach, leaders such as Dubai are following an ecosystem model that addresses mobility holistically. In this article, the authors explain this new model and the lessons it provides for other cities across the world as they struggle to meet their own urban-mobility challenges.
Smart Cities – Turning challenge into opportunity
The 100 largest cities in the world produce 25% of the planet’s wealth. To succeed more and more cities are going “Smart” in order to meet their biggest challenges and enrich the quality of their citizens’ lives. This unstoppable trend is driving double-digit growth in a trillion-dollar global market. What are the opportunities for telecom companies, utilities, financial institutions, transportation companies, software developers, equipment manufacturers and others in this market?
The Change Side of Transformation - A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
In the new era of "Hypercompetition", companies increasingly need to be agile enough to reinvent and transform themselves. In this article the authors take a closer look at transformation, focusing on the human or change management aspects which are widely recognized as the key obstacles to success.
Integrierte Logistikdienstleister unter Druck
Wie lange dauert es, bis Managemententscheidungen an der Basis Ihres Unternehmens angekommen sind? Wir meinen hier nicht die einmalige „Chefentscheidung“ – denn die funktioniert meistens. Oftmals entfalten Maßnahmen zur nachhaltigen Steigerung der Profitabilität nicht die gewünschte Wirkung oder Projekte zum Customer Relationship Management kommen nicht an der Kundenschnittstelle an; die Lenkungsimpulse verfehlen ihr Ziel. Verkürzt kann man hier über eine „Governance Schwäche“ reden.
The Headquarters Redesign
For a long time, steering a corporation from its head offices was like a long-distance drive on a straight and broad highway: a smooth and comfortable ride – no sharp turns, constant speed and high reliability. For most corporations, the global economic crisis in 2009 changed this driving mode to “off-road”. Today we frequently need radical turns to steer the corporation in the right direction. The role and effectiveness of a corporate headquarters become more important to mastering megatrends as well as industry specific changes. This development affects whole industries.
Ralf is a Partner at Arthur D. Little based in Frankfurt.
Ralf has more than 25 years of experience in management consulting and has worked in the mobility sector for more than 20 years. He advises leading players in the mobility industry and ecosystem on strategic orientation and performance improvement, as well as organizational change and transformation.
As global Head of Arthur D. Little’s T&T practice, Ralf works on mobility issues around the world and addresses key transportation-related topics in various cultural contexts.
CEOs and management board members regularly seek Ralf’s advice as a challenger, change manager, and coach. Ralf is a passionate team worker with strong communications skills and a highly recognized talent to manage group meetings and workshops.
Ralf has served as chairman for leading industry conferences and is a sought-after speaker for conferences and meetings.
Ralf started his career at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, working on technology assessment and innovation.
A core value that Ralf pursues in his work and private life is “respect.”
Optimistic global CEOs focus on people and skills in an AI future
Embracing the opportunities that artificial intelligence (AI) and talent together can unlock, CEOs are looking beyond the current instability, and increasingly confident about the future prospects for their organizations and the wider economy. Two-thirds are highly positive about the global outlook over the next three to five years, a major increase from 2023. Given that global tensions have worsened over the last 12 months, with conflict in the Middle East, disruptions to Red Sea supply chains, and the continuing war in Ukraine, this optimism is dramatic and heartening.
Positive in an uncertain world: Confident CEOs reskill companies for AI-driven growth
Embracing uncertainty, driving growth
A crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind, according to a Chinese proverb – and the world is currently beset with crises. The global pandemic, climate change, and unprecedented geopolitical volatility have provided a wake-up call to all organizations, bringing a long-lasting era of worldwide economic growth to a close.
Turning Turmoil to Advantage: How CEOs Are Navigating Change to Drive Growth
Aviation year zero – New non-aero revenues
Retail shops, food & beverage outlets and car parks are perceived as integral parts of an airport. These so-called “non-aero revenues” have long been a reliable and profitable source of income for airports. However, in recent years, airports’ vital income source has been under attack. Now, due to the COVID-19 crisis, airport terminals around the world are deserted. Is COVID-19 the last bullet that will break airports’ fortress?
The Company of Tomorrow
The COVID-19 crisis hit the world as this edition of Prism was in preparation. Needless to say, the outlook for business, at least in the short term, has changed radically in just a few weeks. Nevertheless, it’s becoming increasingly clear that one effect of the crisis has been acceleration of trends that were already there, such as virtualization of the workplace, further penetration of digital technologies (for example, AI and the IoT), and “asset-light” business models that make businesses more responsive and resilient to rapid shocks.
Lost in transformation
Transformation has arrived in the transportation & logistics industry. However, we have only just witnessed the start of an extensive change process that will shake up the balance of power. Players unable to adapt to the new reality will face immense pressure, as entire business models are at stake.
Converging on the Future
Convergence seems to be everywhere in the business world these days. It covers a wide range of factors which can come together to change the status quo in an industry or value chain. Think of food and healthcare in functional foods, or telecoms and energy in smart grids. Digital technology has been a huge enabler of convergence.
Sense of Purpose
From time to time concepts that, at first sight, seem quite old fashioned suddenly get a new lease of life. For example, open innovation has been around for decades, but it’s come to the fore again in recent years in the context of converging industries, start-up collaborations and the rise of the innovation ecosystem.
The low-cost puzzle for long-haul trains
Long-haul (high-speed) rail has been gaining popularity globally in recent years – especially in Western Europe and East Asia. Due to the growing popularity among travelers and branching out of incumbent operators, it is likely that we will see diversification of business models in the near future. The airline industry saw such diversification in the late 1990s. Here, low-cost-carrier models have been particularly successful. Recently, the low-cost movement has also started to transform the coach industry. Could rail be next?
Integrated Mobility Platforms
Global trends towards urbanization are confronting cities and governments with new sets of challenges related to public safety and security, the supply and consumption of energy, waste treatment, and traffic management. In 2013 alone, the cost of congestion in the US – defined as fuel plus opportunity costs (time) – totaled 124bn USD. In metropolitan areas, smart mobility turns out to be one of the most difficult topics and, at the same time, one with the most impactful prospects to face.
Digital platforms in freight transportation
The wind of change is blowing strongly in transportation & logistics. Digitization is in full swing: it is opening a whole portfolio of new opportunities to reduce costs, differentiate product offerings and redefine business models. Digital freight platforms are driving the transformation. The narrow focus on clearly delineated market segments currently restricts their disruption potential. However, the longterm effect on the industry can be immense, as other sectors have shown.
Urban mobility – Learnings from the Middle East
The Middle East may have been late to urbanization, but this has provided a unique opportunity to shape its urban-mobility strategies. Rather than adopting a piecemeal approach, leaders such as Dubai are following an ecosystem model that addresses mobility holistically. In this article, the authors explain this new model and the lessons it provides for other cities across the world as they struggle to meet their own urban-mobility challenges.
Smart Cities – Turning challenge into opportunity
The 100 largest cities in the world produce 25% of the planet’s wealth. To succeed more and more cities are going “Smart” in order to meet their biggest challenges and enrich the quality of their citizens’ lives. This unstoppable trend is driving double-digit growth in a trillion-dollar global market. What are the opportunities for telecom companies, utilities, financial institutions, transportation companies, software developers, equipment manufacturers and others in this market?
The Change Side of Transformation - A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
In the new era of "Hypercompetition", companies increasingly need to be agile enough to reinvent and transform themselves. In this article the authors take a closer look at transformation, focusing on the human or change management aspects which are widely recognized as the key obstacles to success.
Integrierte Logistikdienstleister unter Druck
Wie lange dauert es, bis Managemententscheidungen an der Basis Ihres Unternehmens angekommen sind? Wir meinen hier nicht die einmalige „Chefentscheidung“ – denn die funktioniert meistens. Oftmals entfalten Maßnahmen zur nachhaltigen Steigerung der Profitabilität nicht die gewünschte Wirkung oder Projekte zum Customer Relationship Management kommen nicht an der Kundenschnittstelle an; die Lenkungsimpulse verfehlen ihr Ziel. Verkürzt kann man hier über eine „Governance Schwäche“ reden.
The Headquarters Redesign
For a long time, steering a corporation from its head offices was like a long-distance drive on a straight and broad highway: a smooth and comfortable ride – no sharp turns, constant speed and high reliability. For most corporations, the global economic crisis in 2009 changed this driving mode to “off-road”. Today we frequently need radical turns to steer the corporation in the right direction. The role and effectiveness of a corporate headquarters become more important to mastering megatrends as well as industry specific changes. This development affects whole industries.
More About Ralf
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenM.A. Political Science
- United Nations, Centre for Science and Technology for Development (New York)Scientific Officer
- Institut für Organisationsforschung und Technologieanwendung (IOT)Researcher and Management Consultant