Dstny gives up: end of stormy collaboration with Lotto-Dstny
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29 Jul 2024 •
Reading time: 2 minutes Dstny, one of the main sponsors of the Belgian cycling team Lotto-Dstny, has decided to end its collaboration, marking the end of a tumultuous partnership. The reasons for this breakup are multiple and shed light on the tensions that reigned within the team.
Complicated relations from the start
Dstny CEO Daan De Wever did not mince words when explaining the reasons for this divorce. According to him, relations with the National Lottery, owner of the team, deteriorated from the beginning of the collaboration.
“We quickly realized that we were in a structure where the Lottery did not want to share power,” he told De Tijd. “For every decision, they wanted to have the last word.”
Daan de Wever, CEO of Dstny
This desire for control on the part of the Lottery is said to have created a climate of tension and a corporate culture that did not match Dstny’s values.
“Culture, style and collaboration were not what we had in mind.”
Daan de Wever, CEO of Dstny
The shadow of Jannie Haek
The name of Jannie Haek, CEO of the National Lottery, regularly comes up in discussions around this breakup. De Wever mentioned Haek’s “style and personality” as one of the factors that contributed to the deterioration of relations. Haek is indeed a controversial figure within the Lottery, regularly criticized for his behavior and management style.
Although the National Lottery assured that Haek had not been involved in the management of the cycling team since 2022, his influence seems to have weighed on relations with Dstny.
Different ambitions
Beyond personal tensions, the two partners also had different strategic visions. Dstny, a growing company, wanted increased international visibility, while the National Lottery, a Belgian institution, favours local roots. This difference in ambition has undoubtedly contributed to widening the gap between the two parties.
What does the future hold?
Dstny’s departure is a major blow for the cycling team, which will have to find new sponsors to compensate for the financial loss. The team’s reputation could also suffer, as internal tensions are now known to the general public.
The future of Lotto-Dstny looks uncertain. The team will have to successfully restructure and find a new economic model to survive.