“Consulting is a people business, and requires high level of empathy, perseverance, and emotional intelligence.”

Joined Capco: 2017
Role: Senior Consultant
Primary skills: Project Management, Business Analysis, Change Management
Interests: Diving, photography, Bikram yoga, meditation, running

I grew up in a small village in Germany, by the borders with Luxembourg, Belgium and France. That early exposure to diverse languages and cultures has had a lasting impact on my mindset and proved great for the consulting world. I am fortunate to have been deeply exposed to several countries – studied in Maastricht (Netherlands), Lisbon (Portugal), Hong Kong and Singapore and volunteered in Uganda, Japan, and Indonesia. I’ve spent most of my life after high school abroad, for educational or professional reasons. It’s not always easy, but I believe travelling and exposure to other cultures provides intense learning – not just within business but also life lessons. My parents have always encouraged my desire to explore the world. As the saying goes, they gave me wings, but also taught me the importance of staying close to my roots. I truly enjoy the travel opportunities through Capco, which also greatly benefit my learning and work. 

I joined Capco as an Associate Consultant and was thrown into the deep end as a Business Analyst on a data governance project (BCBS 239 adoption) for a large Swiss universal bank. Looking back, this was the best foundation for my financial services consulting career, as the importance of data keeps rising and safeguarding its quality is the baseline for digital transformation, impact investing, business resilience, climate risk, cryptocurrencies, cost reduction, to name a few trends. 

My second project brought me to Bangkok, Thailand, where after two years I became a Senior Consultant in the Finance, Risk and Compliance practice. We are currently supporting our client in setting up a fraud risk management unit from scratch, alongside the implementation of a real-time fraud detection system. Apart from developing profound payment fraud expertise, this project fostered my intercultural communication skills, resilience and flexibility in more ways than I could have hoped for. I was lucky enough to have a project manager who empowered me so that I transitioned seamlessly from PMO to Testing/Defect Manager to finally a Business Analyst who presents frequently to the president of one of the largest Thai banks – a milestone which I appreciate a lot.  

Throughout my four-year journey at Capco, I was offered opportunities from our leadership, provided with guidance and encouragement from various official and unofficial coaches and mentors and last but not least received incredible support from inspiring colleagues of whom many have become friends.

At Capco, we enjoy a lot of freedom in choosing our topics and activities. Within the boundaries of the firm’s strategy, the leadership has always been very supportive of that. Every client is different, and no project is the same. Working abroad, in front of a client to achieve challenging goals pushes you out of your comfort zone and lets you discover more about your inner strengths. We also have access to a wealth of knowledge – businesses, functions, clients, and importantly, people, which are all essential for personal growth. Consulting is a people business, and requires high level of empathy, perseverance, and emotional intelligence. I like that I can apply my natural strengths, and further strengthen my soft skills every day. In addition, on any given day, I work with people from 5-10 nationalities. The exposure to diverse backgrounds and ways of thinking as well as insights into other cultures is absolutely fascinating. 

At Capco, we are passionate about what we do. We commit to our clients and we give our hearts to our engagements. A client once referred to our work as “the quality of a Swiss watch and a Capco heart” – I can truly relate to that. Capco is a place where you can really be yourself – a highly inclusive work environment with a tangible entrepreneurial spirit. We have an extremely diverse and performance-oriented culture. Capco operates in all major global financial centers, and I particularly appreciate the collaboration with colleagues around the world and the ‘open-door’ policy with the senior leadership. 

Outside work, I have volunteered in many social responsibility initiatives. I contributed alongside Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel in a youth integration summit, participated in school stays in Uganda, ran a half-marathon in Cambodia to raise funds for healthcare in Africa, volunteered in other inspiring initiatives like tech summits in Japan, Hong Kong and Portugal, and also took part in environmental protection initiatives in Indonesia. I co-founded a consulting club at university, which is still thriving and belongs to the network of the world’s largest university-based consultancies for non-profits and social enterprises. Besides that, I have a passion for diving, photography, Bikram yoga, meditation, and write a running blog.

I actively volunteer in Diversity & Inclusion events, especially the Women@Capco initiatives at Capco. I firmly believe in equal opportunity for everyone and think that we all deserve the support to reach our full potential. I also take part in various CSR activities and am the CSR lead at Capco Zurich. We have recently delivered a pro-bono consulting project to Room To Read, which is a nonprofit organization focusing on improving education for girls. This cause, in my opinion, contributes more to gender equality than quota-based equality in our working lives.