‘The fact that every culture is different makes it super interesting’

‘It’s a complex and challenging field to work in. There are so many different functions you have to deal with when improving a product category. The packaging design, the scent and color, but also where you get the raw materials and how you transport them. It’s fascinating to see how all those pieces of the puzzle fit together. It might seem like a well-oiled machine at first, but if you look long enough and dig deep enough there’s always room for improvement.’

‘Every project takes around eight to ten weeks. That fast tempo suits me well, because I need pressure to perform at my best. I also learn a lot from this work. Not just how to work as efficiently and effectively as possible, but also how I can make recommendations to even experienced experts. Those people have been doing the work for years, and have done all sorts of things to improve the project. But I don’t let them distract me anymore. That’s a very valuable skill.’

‘Every culture is different, which makes it super interesting. The project that I did for India is the complete cultural opposite from the one I’m doing now in Brazil. In India, most of the people I worked with were much more formal and hierarchical than I’d been used to. In Brazil, on the other hand, they’re more informal and warm-hearted. They conclude e-mails with ‘kisses’ and ‘hugs’, and they call each other by their nicknames. But I noticed that there’s a common denominator among everyone who works for this company, no matter where they are in the world. They all strive for constant improvement, and they’re ambitious about that.’

‘As a consultant, you’re always dependent on the input you get from the stakeholders, like the factory boss or the marketing team. The added value our project team offers is that we tie all that information together to look for general improvement for the company as a whole. It’s important for us to involve the local team in that as much as possible. Why? Because that increases the likelihood of the ideas actually getting implemented. And that’s what it’s all about.’

‘At the start of a project, there’s always a huge pile of input you have to read through. That can feel like drowning in information sometimes. But when I come up for air and turn it into a good product, then it gives me a lot of energy. I’d like to keep challenging myself in my work over the next few years. And I’ll definitely manage to do that here at Capgemini, because there are so many opportunities. If you have an idea or see an opportunity, people say: that’s interesting, why don’t you try it out? And I can’t think of a better motivation.’