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Interview with Taavi Einaste, Partner and CEO, Nortal GmbH

Copyright: NRW.INVEST GmbH

Copyright: NRW.INVEST GmbH

Nortal is one of Estonia's largest software developers worldwide and a major European player in eGovernment design. The company designs and implements digital technologies to optimize processes for governments, businesses and healthcare. Nortal is also involved in digital transformation in Estonia and has implemented a large part of the government's e-services. At the end of 2018, Nortal opened its first branch in Germany in Düsseldorf.

Taavi Einaste explains in an interview how this decision came about and what the company's plans are for the future:

  • Why have you decided to base your first German office in NRW and the state capital Düsseldorf? 

Basically, the decision to open our office in Düsseldorf was based on three aspects: the high density of business activities in the region, the interest in new innovations from the public sector as well as the fact that the Düsseldorf region offers an outstanding pool of professionally skilled workers.

  • How did NRW.INVEST support you in the decision-making process?

Right from the beginning, NRW.INVEST has accompanied us on our journey to Germany. In fact, we first made contact as part of a delegation of the Economics Minister to Estonia. Then, they highly recommended us to come to NRW. Afterwards, NRW.INVEST significantly supported us the establish contacts in the region and to make business rolling in Germany.

  • The company is largely involved in digital transformation in Estonia. How can NRW benefit from your experience and what concrete support can you offer?

As an architect that has been significantly involved in creating today’s most digital society in the world, we are pleased to bring our unique experiences to NRW. We will support companies, government agencies and health care providers to master the challenges of digital transformation today and in the future.

Over the last few years, we have successfully completed projects around the world that have allowed us to apply our experience to local issues. I believe that the key to our success is the regional presence as well as our awareness of the differences between the German and Estonian conditions.

  • The successful implementation of digitization requires people with passion and know-how. How is the search for qualified employees in Düsseldorf going?

The continued increase in demand for IT specialists makes it difficult to find qualified employees in all our home markets, from the US to Europe. Nevertheless, the density of IT expertise in Düsseldorf is very high, which enables us to constantly expand our office and to continue looking for new experts. Of course, we also rely on experts from other countries and involve employees from Scandinavia and Estonia in our German projects.

  • What do you wish for the future of Nortal? What are your next plans?

The NRW.INVEST AWARD 2019 was a huge honor for us and appreciated our commitment in Germany. However, I am sure that this is only the beginning of Nortal’s story in Germany. Last year, we have grown by over 35 % in sales and in the number of employees worldwide. We managed to achieve great results in all home markets, from the US and Europe to the Gulf region. For this year, we are expecting a growth rate similarly strong. Furthermore, we last year we made substantial investments in NRW, Germany and the US to expand our business. We want to continue this path by growing organically and by looking for options for possible acquisitions of German companies. Within the next two to three years, our goal is to further expand our business activities in Germany so that they ultimately rank among Nortal's biggest activities worldwide.