Joost, Philippe and Gert left Expertum seeking new opportunities, only to realize that Expertum’s unique company culture and values were irreplaceable. Gert appreciates Expertum’s flexibility, Joost missed the family atmosphere, and Philippe found his true value back at Expertum. Their stories are living proof that sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side.
In 2014, I decided to leave Expertum. The plan was to start my own business together with a few other adventurers. Unfortunately, this idea was abandoned at the last minute and I took up work for another consultancy firm for seven years. But there, I missed the family atmosphere that had always set Expertum apart.
That is why about four years ago I decided to return to Expertum. I don't regret the decision I made before, but I am very happy to be back here and to enjoy that feeling of familiarity again. The unique atmosphere and extracurricular events ensure that there is and remains a strong bond between all colleagues here. So even if some things have – structurally - changed here and there, it was never at the expense of Expertum’s existing values and standards.
Joost Van de Vondel - Community lead Big Data & Business Intelligence
As a consultant, you work for and with clients. In 2021, a customer - for whom I was working as an Expertum consultant – proposed to join them full-time to optimise their ERP system. I initially held off a bit, as it was an assignment I could perfectly do as an employee of Expertum and I had been working for Expertum for 11 years. But on the other hand, the move would allow me to move back to the coastal region, where the roots of my wife and I lie. So I took the plunge and left Expertum to work as an ERP and later IT director. However, less than a year later, a number of my assigned projects were discontinued and I no longer felt like I had any added value.
So here I am again! I returned to the Expertum fold in March 2024 and it was lovely to see that everyone seemed happy about my return. Everything felt very familiar though I also noticed that Expertum had taken and still wants to take steps forward. A breath of fresh air is blowing, which was another good reason to join and move ahead full steam with the entire team. In hindsight, it was good to leave for a while: I have learned a lot from seeing things from the other side and it enriched my role as a consultant. I can now empathise with our end clients even better than before!
Philippe Despierre - Principal Finance Consultant
I started at Expertum in 2012 and I really liked working here. But by the time I turned 50, I was contemplating a number of things. On the one hand, I disliked the amount of time I had to spend in the car on my way to customers and I realized during the COVID-19 period that working from home had many advantages. On the other hand, I reflected about the consultancy part of my job in itself. I felt that if I wanted to change things around, then was the time. That is why I decided to start working as an internal employee in a BI team elsewhere two years ago.
However, quite soon this turned out to not be what I expected and as I had left Expertum amicably, their door was still open. After several conversations, it felt right for both parties to pick up where we had left off. Thanks to the COVID-19 period, many customers no longer require that I work with them on site every single day, so the commuting distance issue is resolved and I can work from home more often. So since 1.5 years now, I am definitely very happy working for Expertum again!
Gert Elsen - Senior Consultant Big Data & Business Intelligence
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Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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