How the Otto Group is making its enterprise risk management simpler, more efficient, and more future-proof with Schleupen GRC
The Otto Group is one of Europe’s largest e-commerce and retail groups. According to its 2025/26 annual report, the globally active retail and services group, headquartered in Hamburg, employs approximately 34,800 people and generated revenue of about 13.8 billion euros. Its business segments include, among others, online retail, logistics, financial services, and digital platforms.
The Otto Group chose Schleupen GRC for modern, simple, and cost-effective enterprise risk management. The solution was designed to reliably meet regulatory requirements, create group-wide transparency, and be easy to use in day-to-day operations.
The Challenge: too complex for day-to-day use
Over the years, the previous platform had become increasingly complex, and operating and administering it in day-to-day work required a comparatively high level of effort. It was therefore crucial for the Otto Group to replace the legacy platform with an intuitive solution that could be implemented and trained on with manageable effort and would be quickly adopted by users.
In addition to scalability, multi-tenancy, and flexible configurability, the focus was on clear role and authorization concepts, efficient reporting processes, and an easily manageable system architecture. The new solution was intended to simplify existing ERM processes rather than create additional complexity.
The decision for greater simplicity
With Schleupen GRC, the Otto Group has opted for a modular platform for Governance, Risk & Compliance in Enterprise Risk Management. The system’s ease of use, flexible customization options for administrators, and scalable mapping of users, roles, and risks were particularly compelling factors.
Decentralized risk managers were involved in testing from an early stage. Their feedback on navigation and reporting capabilities was immediately incorporated into the configuration. This made it possible to verify whether the platform could practically meet the requirements of various Group companies.
“We wanted a modern ERM solution that is powerful without creating unnecessary complexity in day-to-day work. With Schleupen GRC, we’ve found a platform that’s easy to use, can be flexibly adapted to our requirements, and provides tangible support for our risk processes.”
Direct communication and close collaboration
In addition to the software, the Otto Group was also impressed by the collaboration with the Schleupen GRC team. They particularly appreciated the high level of commitment, the pragmatic approach to solutions, and the collaborative exchange as equals.
Through regular coordination meetings, requirements were prioritized, open issues were clarified, and solutions were tested collaboratively. Short lines of communication between the project team, consulting, sales, and support made it possible to quickly translate feedback into practical adjustments.
Higher user adoption of Risk Management processes
With Schleupen GRC, the Otto Group was able to increase user acceptance of enterprise risk management. The intuitive navigation and clear process guidance reduce the need for training. At the same time, it is easier to generate analyses, provide reporting information more quickly, and implement administrative adjustments more flexibly.
This reduces manual effort and creates a more consistent data foundation for group-wide risk management.
Evolving together
The Otto Group and the Schleupen GRC team are continuing to develop the platform through ongoing collaboration. Feedback from the decentralized implementation is aggregated, prioritized, and incorporated into the further development of navigation, reporting, and administration. This allows the ERM to be gradually adapted to new business and regulatory requirements.
