In this Q&A session, we talk to Consultant Recley Mazaza and Senior Consultant Jan Rutten from the Capco Belgium Digital Team about what brought them to Capco and their journey so far.
Q: What attracted you to a career in consulting?
Jan: Neither of us comes from a traditional consulting or financial background. We’re both ‘citizens of the world’, which has shaped our perspectives and no-nonsense attitude to many things.
What brought me, personally, to consulting is a strong connection with people. I genuinely enjoy working with people, particularly facilitating groups, for example training, workshops or anything to do with activating people’s urge to grow. Creating an environment where we can learn and grow together is what drives me.
Recley: I believe that the best – and the only – way to get better in life relies on investing in yourself and putting in the work. I like taking courses that challenge me. It is also important to believe in yourself. A prime example comes from my golf ‘career’. I started playing golf just over two years ago and never in a million years I’d have thought that I could win a tournament. Last year I won the qualifying round by Delen Private Bank, which shows that with self-belief and hard work, anything is possible.
Q: What drew you to Capco?
Jan: My hunger for financial knowledge had led me to the sector. Starting in IT, I built a background in sales over several years, from technical training to commercial roles. But I was drawn to numbers and graphs. Today, Agile frameworks and financial markets are my main passions in the business market.
What drew me to Capco, was the vast shared knowledge in finance and the opportunity to surround myself with smart and knowledgeable people, as I needed a more challenging environment. It also came with efficient onboarding, very friendly people, room for independent work and freedom to express and pursue own ideas.
Recley: My hunger to reinvent myself prompted me to look for new opportunities after 12 years in the insurance business. As an insurance expert, I started on various insurance projects which only made me hungrier. When a friend of mine contacted me about the possibility of joining Capco, I was flattered by this suggestion, knowing how smart and competent he is. I also knew two other people who worked at Capco at the time, both had only positive things to say about the firm and told me that I would be a perfect match. They were right! Importantly, during the recruitment process everyone I met had the same story tell, which meant it was the real story. That and the Be Yourself At Work environment made me want to join Capco even more.
Q: What is the strongest memory of your Capco journey so far?
Recley: A lot of companies say that they are diverse and everyone is treated the same, but I as someone who comes from a ‘minority’, I beg to differ. However, I know many people from minority backgrounds at Capco and they all agree that Capco ‘walks the walk’. During my first meeting with the whole Digital Practice at a Capco event, a person of colour received a promotion to a principal position. That made me feel very welcome, as it was a first for me.
Q: What is your proudest moment at Capco?
Jan: I am actually most proud of a side gig I took up at a client that has a strong innovation culture and wished to expand it to include all employees. I took on the role of Innovation Facilitator for the credits department. As part of a team of likeminded people, my aim is to convey the importance of innovation in the professional world today, by raising awareness, organizing exciting workshops, visits by external experts, etc. We are now in our second year, having successfully achieved our first year objectives with full support of the client’s executive board. I can proudly say that we’ve built a proper foundation to grow this concept and encourage other colleagues to join the endeavor.
Q: What do you enjoy outside of work?
Jan: I’m a down-to-earth guy who likes being around people and exploring different cultures. I’m also a ‘cabin in the woods’ kind of person who wants to stay true to his closest friends and raise a big family in the future.
I find peace in living a healthy lifestyle. I love cooking, have trained in Thai boxing since my teens and am an avid snowboarder. I also like more chilled activities such as woodworking and playing chess. I think chess is an essential game for consultants - it broadens the mind, helps make sense in abstract scenarios, and can give you an advantage in tactical situations.
Recley: I’m a passionate golfer and I also found that the golf course is a great place to network. I just need to be careful about where I leave my scorecard (one time, Head of Capco Belgium, who is also a keen golfer, found the scorecard I lost on a course). I’m also very lucky to have a beautiful wife who supports me through thick and thin and, with our two daughters, we like to explore the world and other cultures.