After she graduated in Supply Chain Management at Erasmus University, Renate (24) was looking to hold a strategic position at an impactful company. ‘I wanted to work on more of a strategic level than an operational one. During my interviews, Deloitte helped me figure out what team would be the right fit for me and we talked about what my ambitions are and how I could achieve them. The conversation made me feel like I can be myself at Deloitte, and get support to find out what I would like to do, before gaining relevant experience for specialisation. That was the key to me. It has now been a year and I have to say: the hunch that I got during my interviews was right’, Renate says excitedly. ‘Moreover, as a young professional, you get to work on a strategic level from the start, developing close relationships with key clients. That is a very valuable experience.’

Working for a common goal Geert (57) joined Deloitte two years ago with extensive industry experience. ‘I have worked at various large consulting firms for decades, and then managed my own business. Entrepreneurship hugely appeals to me. At Deloitte I got the opportunity to work at a large consulting firm and be an entrepreneur at the same time. I founded the new advisory group ‘Product Strategy & Lifecycle Management’, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at a number one firm’, he says. ‘A firm with not only the best clients in the world, but also with a warm and open culture. Everyone is so approachable and we work for a common goal: making an impact for our clients.’

Sustainability throughout the entire end-to-end supply chain So what kind of impact does this new advisory group make for their clients? ‘Our team helps businesses to market their new products faster. But we can also support product management during its lifecycle. In other words, we help our clients deliver value in the most sustainable way’, Geert explains. Renate adds: ‘In fact, we support the entire end-to-end supply chain, from product launch to the end of the product cycle.’ ‘Or even one step further – the end of its lifecycle’, Geert continues, who is also Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Consulting Sustainability Lead. ‘During product development, 80 per cent of the sustainability of a product is being determined. So if you want to make an impact, you focus on the start of the life cycle! We can also help our clients with that. Clients recognize the need to leverage digital technology to innovate, collaborate, and launch new products, where at the same time being sustainable. You see that sustainability really is a hot topic – both at Deloitte and at our large clients.’

Looking behind the scenes Currently, Geert and Renate are both working on a Product Lifecycle Management project for a large Dutch high tech company. ‘This client is undergoing a large transformation programme in order to optimise its end-to-end configuration management – or machine maintenance, Renate says. ‘It’s my job to determine the direction, together with the client, to build the architecture, and to make sure we keep on track. We get to work with highly intelligent people who appreciate our expertise. The client is a complex and interesting organisation, and we can really add value. We help the company to work more efficiently, so they can eventually manufacture more machines in the same time span and in a more sustainable way.’

Digital twin ‘In order to help our clients in their journey, we often adopt innovative technologies’, Geert says. ‘Digital technologies offer huge opportunities. If you want to make digital copies of products, for instance to predict their sustainability, the opportunities are endless.’ Renate agrees: ‘You can build a digital twin of a product in order to optimise its performance through the entire chain. Naturally, marketing a new product involves a number of risks. A simulation makes the process much more transparent, which is a huge advantage.’ ‘For instance, we ran a digital test of a prototype for a manufacturer of car tyre wires’, Geert says. ‘Usually, we would have to shut down the entire site in order to test a new product. This new solution saves our clients a large amount of money and materials. It energises me to achieve outstanding results for our clients, together with our motivated colleagues.

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