“I wanted to be a wizard”

A native of the countryside around Ghent, Lorenzo joined Accenture in 2017 where he is a Consultant working for the financial services industry

Having an impact is important for me. I joined Accenture for this reason. I saw it as a place where I could fully use my skills, learn new skills and do this in an environment that continuously challenges me. My teammates would probably describe me as a patient all-rounder, but direct communicator. I never imagined that because of this I would develop a talent for (and feel very comfortable) leading meetings with senior company executives.

"Harry Potter was trending when I was growing up"

I read all the books several times and it usually only took me one day to finish each book. Hogwarts rocks! So naturally I wanted to be a wizard when I grew up. I ended up studying Business Engineering, specializing in finance. There was a financial crisis going on at the time I had to choose my study direction, so I just had to pick finance!

I enjoy solving complex problems. When people reach out to me, for example, with their portfolio management issues, I know I can make a difference by looking for solutions while simultaneously being open to learning new things. I have an autodidactic mindset and I’m a firm believer it takes you anywhere you want to go.

Cycling and gaming are two of my passions outside work but spending time with my son tops the list. I’m looking forward to being able to enjoy a family holiday again, preferably abroad and next to a pool sipping a gin & tonic.

I learned a lot about myself at the age of 18 during an intense physical and mental challenge at the scouts involving very little food and water. It taught me that human beings can handle much more than they think themselves capable of.

"You need to dare to jump to change"

Change is usually accompanied by a feeling of discomfort. It can be frightening but there is also a great feeling of satisfaction when you’ve gone through the change, a sense of having grown as a person.

The one thing that makes me optimistic about the future is the unending creativity and problem-solving capabilities of humankind to solve some of the biggest issues we currently have on this planet. I’d love to hear what kind of ideas visionary inventors like Elon Musk, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla would come up with to face these challenges.

Don’t take life too seriously. Or rather we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. If we could live in more harmony – with nature and with each other – that would already make a huge difference.