Emiel’s path to Lead Consultant

In this blog, we follow Emiel’s journey from joining Addestino as a graduate to becoming a Lead Consultant – even stepping in as interim COO for an IT integrator. Personal and professional growth doesn’t just happen; it requires the right mix of consulting assignments, training and dedication. Emiel explains how he has made it work.

Personal growth is, by definition, highly individual. For Emiel, that growth happened gradually through experience. “Initially, I worked on a wide range of assignments, from strategic projects with our partners to technical implementation tracks with multiple colleagues,” he explains. “The more time I spent exposed to different clients and sectors, the more I understood their internal operations and the broader industry context. This gave me a solid foundation to draw on later, in new assignments, when guiding colleagues and advising our clients. Over time, I naturally shifted from hands-on analysis to greater coordination responsibilities and team oversight.”

But growth doesn’t stop at gaining organic experience. There’s a structured path through the senior coaching track. “This internal program helped me shift from managing just my own workload to being responsible for guiding others, providing me with levers to deliver as a team while maintaining my standard of quality,” Emiel explains. “The sessions with our senior leadership at Addestino prove an open space to formalise these leadership skills and offer room for collaborative reflection. Rather than focusing on theory, they use real-life cases to bring problems to life. We share use cases and experiences from previous projects, which makes the training extremely practical. Whether it’s a small failure or a big win, every project becomes a learning opportunity.”

As Emiel’s relationship with a key client deepened, he took on a program management role, leading a team of four Addestino consultants and numerous in-house employees on a major data center divestment project. As this project progressed, he also took a solutions lead position on a new strategic sales assignment. “We developed a strategy for the transformation of our client’s security portfolio and a go-to-market plan,” he explains. “These assignments put me in direct conversation with their senior management and really pushed me to operate at a more strategic level.”

Working across sectors and projects sharpened Emiel’s ability to listen, delegate and make decisive contributions – skills that need to be second nature in order to grow into a lead role. “You obviously grow by doing the work,” Emiel points out, “but the training helps you take a step back and structure that learning. By the time you’re a Lead Consultant, your role is as much about advising clients on broader business challenges as it is about solving individual problems. That requires more than industry expertise. It takes a real understanding of the client’s context and goals, which is something only experience can give you.”

Personal growth also means being ready to seize new opportunities. Last year, Emiel stepped into a four-month interim COO role at a Dutch IT integrator. “This has been the biggest opportunity of my career so far, taking over responsibility for an operational department with more than 140 people” he reflects. “That kind of leap shows how quickly you can grow into a leadership position at Addestino if you’re willing to take ownership.”

This also challenges the classic view of consultants offering disconnected advice without taking operational ownership. “In this role, I was embedded in the client’s day-to-day operations, managing teams and solving acute problems.” Emiel says. “I wasn’t merely advising the management team, but actively making decisions that directly impacted the business. Financial planning, service improvements tracks, operational transformation and P&L responsibility; it was all part of the deal. It’s incredibly rewarding, even more so when the stakes are high.”

Addestino’s flexible model for personal growth that combines training and personal guidance from senior partners and principals is incredibly powerful. “Our growth tracks are tailored, but seniority isn’t tied to tenure,” Emiel emphasises. “It’s earned through tangible and consistent results. This opens doors for experienced hires to fast-track their development. Our management team actively looks for potential and invests heavily in accelerating it. Whether you want to become a technical expert or an all-round business consultant, you’ll have the tools and support to get there. If you’re ready to shape your own future, Addestino is the place to do it.”