Shaping consulting success together with Nathan & Pieter

Fresh out of university with an engineering degree, Nathan was eager to dive into his first job. Why did he choose technology consulting over the academic route or a specialist role? In this blog, he shares what drew him to consulting, why he ultimately decided Addestino was the right place to start his career — and how the support and mentorship of experienced consultant Pieter made all the difference in his journey.

The exact sciences run in the family for Nathan, and he’s always combined his interest in engineering with a passion for sustainability. “During my studies, I volunteered at a not-for-profit in the renewables sector, and I always enjoyed participating in engineering competitions,” he says. “Many of my fellow students had an entrepreneurial mindset, so it was great to work on tangible projects together. Mechanical engineering is a broad field of study that sets students up for different careers. I specialised in control engineering and automation and wrote my master’s thesis on a topic in artificial intelligence. Ultimately, I decided against a PhD, as I wanted to explore as many different sectors as possible. I was also looking to explore new places and connect with people from different backgrounds.”

It was the variety of industries that motivated Nathan to consider a consulting career. “When Stephani from the Addestino team reached out to me, my interest was piqued. I liked the way of working and Addestino’s approach to assignments and work philosophy, and I quickly noticed that everyone there was highly capable and had a lot to bring to the table.”

Nathan’s initial worries about needing to choose a consulting specialty were also quickly disproved. “I wanted to become a broad, all-round consultant, working in new industries and picking up lessons from different types of projects. The dual-track career path was exactly what I’d been looking for.” Nathan didn’t hesitate for long and started working at Addestino a few months after graduating.

“The first consulting assignment for every new joiner tends to be very hands-on,” Nathan explains. “On my very first day, I was already parsing data to create a client presentation. This pushes new hires to quickly learn the ropes.”

Over the past few months, Nathan has been working with senior consultant Pieter on a project for a Belgian telecommunications provider. “From a learning perspective, this is probably my most comprehensive project so far,” Nathan says. “We’re supporting the end client with the outsourcing of its IT development and operations processes to an international service provider. This has an impact on over a thousand employees and over 400 applications. Our three-person team is assisting in this process.”

“There’s a lot to do in a short time,” project lead Pieter – who oversees the overall budget, timeline and reporting – chips in. “We’re each working on different domains, and a lot of alignment is needed between different teams. Addestino acts as a neutral third party to provide an objective approach and to map out and document existing processes, making the transition and handover to more process-driven working methods easier.”

A large project like this one might seem daunting at first glance, but Pieter explains that there is a carefully crafted method to the apparent chaos.

“New hires always start out with more limited responsibilities and a narrower, task-based scope,” he says. “Over time, they shift into a more goal-orientated role, with more active contributions and insight-driven work. This change typically takes a few weeks or months, depending on the type of project and the consultant in question, and we highly support everyone at Addestino during their transition.”

“The structured training also helps tremendously,” Nathan adds. “Our more experienced colleagues teach us to assess client needs and people’s personalities, how to run workshops and conduct interviews. They cover all the little things that make a client case successful.”

“This approach only works because everyone here shares a similar mindset,” Pieter continues. “Our hiring process is focused on finding ambitious people who are eager to get up to speed quickly and take on increasing responsibilities, while staying true to their personality and drawing on their expertise and personal interests.”

Pieter views his role as project lead a balancing act. “I must always keep our ideal outcome in mind, but at the same time, I have to remain open to ideas and feedback from the team and provide guidance to our junior consultants. This requires me to act as a blend of project manager, mentor and coach. It’s taught me some valuable lessons as well: delegating tasks and letting others take ownership is easier said than done,” he smiles. “Watching people grow under your wing and take more initiative is incredibly rewarding. The investment you make in your consultants truly pays off. From a coaching perspective, it’s fulfilling to see people grow as they take up more responsibility and gain more sector or technology knowledge. The moment new people step up and start bringing new insights during our regular review sessions is when I typically start increasing their responsibilities. That’s when you realise your coaching work has paid off.”

Nathan continues: “The more I learn, the more I’m enjoying my work. The steep learning curve and broad experience are exactly what I’d been hoping for. In my experience, many engineering graduates are undecided about what to specialise in after they graduate. Addestino gives you the chance to explore and discover what suits you best. There’s a fast track to both consulting leadership and technical expert roles. For me, Addestino has been the perfect fit.”