"I imagined myself as a daring explorer, uncovering ancient treasures"

Of Tunisian origins, born and raised in Ghent, Ikram joined Accenture in 2015 where she is a Consultant working on Change Management with organizations across all industries

I can’t live without the sun – I’m a summer baby and I would love to live in a place where palm trees grow, so anywhere with palm trees makes me happy (Tunisia, Kuala Lumpur, Spain, Italy, Singapore...). But what’s truly essential for my wellbeing is having my loved ones around me.

Growing up, I wanted to be an archaeologist. I imagined myself as a daring explorer, uncovering ancient treasures. I love anything to do with history, also listening to, reading and telling stories. I ended up studying Commercial Sciences with a specialization in Strategic Management because I wasn’t sure which direction my career would take. This gave me plenty of flexibility to explore different options after graduating!

Accenture appealed to me because it offered an international environment, continuous learning, career development, and many internal opportunities. I spent the first two years as a recruiter, covering the A to Z of finding, hiring and welcoming new colleagues. I could bring all of this experience to my next role within Talent & Organization (T&O), which focuses on Change Management and HR Transformation.

"Change represents excitement for me"

Every change brings a new challenge, a new learning opportunity and every change has a positive side. Helping people and organizations to change gives me real pleasure. This ranges from changing behaviors and mindsets to finding new ways of working. My role is to understand their current situation and expectations, then facilitate a customized change journey for them to a better and future-proof situation. When you start a change journey, people need to be aware that change is coming, they need perspective. Communication is key. If they are not aware, they will not be able to understand what the change is.

I love connecting with people, exploring their personalities and understanding how they tick. That’s how I make a difference in my job. My dream dinner party would be sharing a plate of frutti di mare spaghetti and garlic bread with JK Rowling, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey and Ruth Bader Ginsberg because they are all strong female role models. But Mohammed Ali could also join our table!

I’m naturally positive and very adaptable. The match is right with Accenture. I’ve worked on so many completely different projects and each time I’ve been able to find a new way of working that fits my expectations and those of the client and colleagues around me. Maybe that’s why my preferred spirit animal is a chameleon?

Inclusion & Diversity is part of Accenture’s vision and mission. It’s important for me to work for a company that walks the talk in this respect. I’m closely involved in this topic within Accenture and I’m also lucky to have the opportunity to help our clients develop their own Inclusion & Diversity strategies, roadmaps and KPIs. Part of being inclusive is listening more to each other. If you truly listen, you understand and value different perspectives. This is essential to innovate and come up with new ideas.

"Continuous self-reflection is also key"

I try to discover what my own limiting beliefs, then overcome them by challenging myself. It’s a life journey but it makes me stronger and open to change. As Steve Jobs once said: “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.”

Each of us should feel a sense of responsibility for the consequences of our actions. We all have the ability to make a difference. The efforts we make as individuals and societies can make the world a better place, for nature and people.   

I’m optimistic about the future because I work with people I genuinely like. I’m in a good place in my personal and professional life and it can only improve (through continuous self-reflection). And at the time of writing, summer is on its way!

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