Meet Robert Ondrus, Sport Group Holding’s Director of IT Global
From Asterix to American food, a love of gym classes and not wearing a tie, meet the man leading all things IT at Sport Group.
Robert Ondrus, a German-born and based IT expert, combines decades of experience with a passion for sport. With a background in computer science and economics, he’s built an impressive career, working at Egmont Ehapa and OSI International Holding for 20 years before joining Sport Group Holding. Today, as the Director of IT Global, Robert leads the company’s technology strategy, infusing his enthusiasm for teamwork, positivity and fitness into building the systems that make business run smoother.
Tell us a bit about where you’re from
I was born in 1968 in Ulm, a city in the south of Germany, between Stuttgart and Münich, and I’ve lived there most of my life. I studied computer science and economics at my local university, although my first job wasn’t directly in IT. During my studies I worked for the Vater- und Sohn Eiselen Foundation (a non-profit dedicated to world nutrition, food security and overcoming poverty). The chairman, who was nearing retirement, asked me to step in as his executive assistant to the board for one year, supporting him in his daily business and also taking care of IT in the foundation. It wasn’t what I’d originally planned, but it gave me great business experience.
And when did you get fully involved in IT?
After that year, I moved into IT, joining Egmont Ehapa, a publishing company in Stuttgart. They’re famous for comics like Mickey Mouse and Asterix. I was the technical coordinator for their IT projects, which was exciting, but after two years, I wanted more. I joined OSI International Holding, an American food company, where I ended up managing IT for their European companies for over 20 years.
What brought you to Sport Group after a career in publishing and food production?
When I turned 50, I started thinking about the future. My wife actually saw the Sport Group job ad, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for something new. I met the CFO and COO, and we immediately hit it off. After the interview, the CFO and I shook hands on the spot. It was a new role—the Director of IT Global—and I started in October 2019.
“It’s a unique company… we live sport, not just in business but also as a team.”
What was your first challenge at Sport Group?
When I joined, the IT systems were all over the place. Each country—whether it was the U.S., Australia, or Germany—was doing its own thing. My first task was to unify everything under one strategy. We built that strategy around three pillars: standardization, digitalization, and compliance.
For example, when I started, we still used paper forms for holiday requests in Burgheim, so we digitized that process to make it faster and more transparent. Then we harmonized the MS Office installations worldwide, so it’s now possible to find all colleagues in one global address book and we implemented MS Teams globally for better collaboration. Security became a priority too. We wanted to ensure compliance with data protection laws and protect against cyberattacks. We’ve achieved a lot in five years, bringing our global teams closer together and streamlining operations.
What do you enjoy most about working at Sport Group?
Polytan’s purpose is “We make sport”, and this speaks to me on a personal level. I’ve always loved sports. When I was a kid, I played football on artificial turf, and that connection has stayed with me. These days, I’m more into group fitness like Pilates and spinning. One day at my gym, the trainer couldn’t make it, so the owner asked me to fill in, and now I’m certified in several fitness disciplines.
I even lead fitness classes here at Sport Group once a month. It’s a unique company in that sense—we live sport, not just in business but also as a team. And I don’t have to wear a tie, which is a nice thing in Germany!
What’s your leadership philosophy?
I think sport has a lot to teach us about leadership. When you’re on a team, the key to success is a positive mindset. It’s the same in business. I always tell my team that with the right attitude, we can overcome any challenge. We don’t point fingers; we find solutions together. Everyone has different strengths, but when we come together as a team, we can accomplish great things.
What has been your most challenging project at Sport Group?
Without a doubt, it’s been the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) projects. ERP systems touch every part of the business—accounting, sales, purchasing—so replacing an old system is incredibly complex. We’ve already done projects in the U.S., France or China to harmonize our ERP landscape and we’re still on this journey to reach our final target: one group, one ERP.
These projects are a huge challenge because they impact so many areas, but they’re also some of the most rewarding. When everything works as it should, it makes the business run more smoothly and efficiently.
How do you see your role within Sport Group evolving?
More and more, IT is driving business processes. When I first joined, we didn’t have systems for things like whistleblowing, project management, or ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). Now, IT underpins these processes, making them more efficient and transparent.
We’re also developing a central data warehouse to improve Business Intelligence (BI). With current and adequately processed data, we can make faster, smarter decisions, which is crucial for staying competitive. IT won’t lay artificial turf, but it will make our business run smoother and give us an edge over less digitalized competitors.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m a huge sports fan. I have season tickets for football, basketball, and ice hockey at my local clubs. That’s my passive sport, but group fitness is my active hobby. I love being part of the energy of a class.
Material things don’t matter much to me. What stays with you are the memories—whether it’s a trip to the mountains with the people you love or something simple like laughing together. That’s what I value the most.