‘As a global firm, we see a number of societal challenges that no business or government can solve on its own. It takes a group – or actually, an ecosystem. Deloitte is a vast organisation, with all kinds of expertise and a large network. That’s why we have initiated six key themes: Future of Food, Future of Energy, Future of Work, Future of Health, Future of Security and Future of Mobility’, Bob (28) explains. ‘The future of mobility is all about how we are going to move people and goods from one place to another in the future. This involves various challenges, such as changing consumer expectations and travel behaviour, even more crowded cities, and an increasing demand for more sustainable mobility. But it also includes the incessant ordering and returning of packages. There are so many vans in our streets and so many vessels and airplanes moving around the world. We need a smart and sustainable approach to address these issues.’

Shared scooters and a public transport chipcard Of course, innovative solutions keep popping up. ‘We are already familiar with products and services like the 9292 app, Uber, shared scooters, and the OV-chipkaart (public transport chipcard) for any kind of public transport’, Bob says. ‘But the developments continue, and Deloitte is very much involved in co-developing new solutions. What will the OV-chipkaart of the future be like? What does it take to connect future modes of transport? If you leave your home, what do you come across during your journey? These are fascinating issues that I really wanted to know more about. That’s why I joined Deloitte’s Future of Mobility theme two years ago. I coach and support innovative student teams from TU Eindhoven, Universiteit Twente, and TU Delft. It’s very inspiring, as these teams develop hugely innovative technological solutions that large companies cannot or dare not develop.’

Flying on hydrogen For instance, AeroDelft (the TU Delft student team) is developing the very first staffed airplane in the world that flies on fluid hydrogen. ‘Obviously, that’s amazing’, Bob says excitedly. ‘Student teams are being enabled to invent something without the interfering opinions of shareholders, managers, or clients. That way, they are able to develop the innovations that the industry needs to move forward, without any inhibitions. That is something that Deloitte, as a partner, loves to contribute to. With our expertise we support the teams to realise their ambitions. Whoever has driven an electric car knows how long it takes to charge, and what that means for your travelling scheme. But what if we could speed up the charging – so it might only take six minutes? Student team InMotion is working hard on this issue. It would make a world of difference, just like airplanes flying on hydrogen. It will mean a huge shift for the entire industry, which is great to watch from up close and to be part of.’

Follow your own path Bob does not have a technological background himself. But the projects that he is involved in, next to his regular work, have added to his expertise. ‘I studied Finance & Investments at Erasmus University Rotterdam’, he smiles. ‘But during my first job interviews at Deloitte it became clear to me that I could go any way I wanted within the firm. You get plenty of opportunity to follow your own path and do exactly what you like. Deloitte may once have started as a financial services provider, but nowadays, services stretch from strategy to designing and implementing new solutions. We are an innovative firm and we are involved in many revolutionary projects, with state of the art technologies. For instance, there’s an AI team, a Cloud Engineering team, an Applied Design team, and so on. As a Consultant, my job is to help large companies realise their ambitions and strategies. But in order to do that, I work with engineers and developers, which helps me to understand these technologies. I’m the link between technology and business, so I need to be able to understand both sides. We join forces – and that is exactly what the Future of Mobility ecosystem is all about. Collaboration helps us further along the road than trying to do everything ourselves.’

CHOOSE YOUR IMPACT You share your expertise with the 1500 colleagues of Deloitte The Netherlands Technology & Transformation department. In this department, innovation and personal development are very important. View all Technology & Transformation vacancies [https://careersatdeloitte.com/vacancies/technology-transformation] and connect your future to Deloitte. View all Technology & Transformation vacancies [/vacancies/consulting]