Celebrating Excellence: DRÄXLMAIER Group Wins The 15th Annual Enterprise Architecture Award In EMEA

For CIOs and enterprise leaders, the practical signal in this award is not the ranking itself but the operating model behind it. Mature enterprise architecture is increasingly being judged on whether it helps leadership make faster, better decisions about where to invest, what to standardise, and when to accept trade-offs. That shifts EA from a documentation function toward a management discipline that can influence strategy execution.

The governance question is central. When architecture is embedded with senior IT leadership and recognised as an internal role with clear accountability, it becomes easier to connect standards, roadmaps and delivery priorities. The trade-off is that stronger architectural control can slow local autonomy if decision rights are vague. Leaders should ask: where does EA advise, where does it approve, and where does it simply set guardrails?

The talent implication matters just as much as the method. A capable EA function depends on career paths, training, and retention of people who can translate business intent into practical options. That is a workforce issue, not just a technical one. Organisations should test whether architecture skills are being developed for present demand or only for future ambition, and whether architects are measured on influence, adoption and outcomes rather than output volume.

For portfolio and transformation leaders, the next question is evidence. If EA is to justify its place in planning, it must show how it improves prioritisation, reduces avoidable complexity and supports measurable business outcomes. Useful questions include: which decisions were changed by architecture input, which risks were avoided, and which investments were accelerated because the organisation had trusted architectural guidance?

The 2024 Forrester Enterprise Architecture Awards have reached their second stage: EMEA. Just like the Americas award, we have partnered with The Open Group, who have contributed both publicity and judges. I am honored to announce the winner and runners-up from my home region. Once again, the quality of the submissions this year was exceptionally high. We had a total of 11 judges, comprising experts from both Forrester and The Open Group, who assessed the enterprise architecture practices of the participating firms. Each company is unique, and we evaluated their enterprise architecture practices based on how they contribute to realizing the business’s strategy, their compliance with Forrester’s Outcome-Driven Architecture Model, their fundamental layers (foundational priorities), and their architecture capabilities. Our focus was on identifying evidence or facts that demonstrate how effective EA practices contribute to business growth. DRÄXLMAIER Group’s submission truly stood out among the competitors, showcasing the company’s excellence. Founded in 1958, DRÄXLMAIER Group has a rich history of evolving its know-how and expanding its business across Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. In 2014, it was recognized as the fastest-growing company among the top 100 automotive suppliers. DRÄXLMAIER Group’s enterprise architecture practice reflects its core values: leadership, excellence, attitude, drive, empathy, respect, collaboration, and innovation.

Foundational Priorities

The enterprise architecture practice at DRÄXLMAIER Group has undoubtedly acted as an enabler and accelerator for the company’s business goals. Out of the six foundational priorities, the highest scores were achieved in influence, agility, and accountability. This demonstrates that the individuals within the enterprise architecture department possess not only technical competence but also demonstrate essential human values. This is at the heart of making the enterprise architecture discipline successful.

Architecture Capabilities

Within this layer, which includes people, practices, artifacts, and offerings, the people capability obtained an almost perfect score among the judges. DRÄXLMAIER Group has established career paths for each role, identified training gaps, and provided continuous training to ensure the best development for its EA team. It is also worth noting that architects at DRÄXLMAIER Group are internal resources who leverage their know-how. Additionally, the EA team collaborates closely with their senior IT leadership to define future needs and works hand in hand with human resources to establish architecture as an official position within the company.

Runners-Up

Original Postortal/rta/ae/home?lang=en" shape="rect">Roads & Transport Authority in Dubai secures second place, demonstrating a high level of maturity in its enterprise architecture practice. The judges awarded a high score for the collaboration foundational priority, highlighting the value of the EA team’s integration within the company. In terms of architecture capabilities, artifacts received the highest rating, indicating the EA team’s ability to produce tangible and highly valuable material. BNP Paribas Bank Polska takes third place and has also provided evidence of its excellence in EA practice, receiving an almost perfect score in agility. Its enterprise architecture practice emphasizes the importance of time to market as one of its primary goals. I would like to express our gratitude once again to The Open Group for their partnership in publicity and judging. The awards have greatly benefited from their participation, reach, and mindshare since establishing this partnership.

Learn More At Technology & Innovation Summit EMEA

If you’re interested in learning more about DRÄXLMAIER Group’s story, make sure to attend Forrester’s Technology & Innovation Summit EMEA, taking place in London and digitally from October 9–11. We hope to see you there!
Celebrating Excellence: DRÄXLMAIER Group Wins The 15th Annual Enterprise Architecture Award In EMEA

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