‘Always new things to learn and new people to connect with. That’s the angle I really like'

Koen is a natural communicator. And like every good communicator, he is endlessly curious. He has discovered the perfect channel for this talent in Accenture Song’s rapidly growing Service Design practice.

‘I’m curious about a lot of stuff in life, so Accenture is a great match for me. There are always new things to learn, new people to connect with, new technologies to explore, new methodologies to apply. That’s the angle I really like. Not one day is the same, and you carry the valuable skills/ideas/experiences you pick up along the way to your next project adventure.’

"Startup thinking in a global corporation: pretty cool!"

‘Right up until I joined Accenture, I was toying with the idea of working for a startup. Then in my final interview, the Managing Director shared his vision on Accenture Song: an in-company agency specialized in experience design, digital marketing, content management and ecommerce. Startup thinking in a global corporation: pretty cool! He convinced me, and I have never looked back. This vision is fast becoming reality, with Kunstmaan now part of the Accenture Song family and external recognition (n°1 Digital Agency in the 2018 Digimedia Top 100). It’s great to be part of creating something totally new and I enjoy the luxury of shaping the methodologies and tools I work with on a daily basis.’

‘One of the first things I did after joining was to volunteer for the University Action Team at my old university. Next to this, I met my Career Counselor for the first time. This relationship really helps you to grow. It’s a touchpoint for testing whether your ambitions are realizable, feasible and you always have someone to turn to if you have questions. One thing is for sure: you are not put in a box at Accenture. For example, I chose my first assignment, which was a Salesforce project. It taught me what I did not like, but I was happy I had the opportunity to discover this for myself. Being able to give everything a try helps to define what you want to do and where you want to have an impact.’  

"Helping clients to get where they want to be next – or even further"

‘I always saw myself as a generalist. Since discovering Service Design and Design Thinking at Accenture, I’m well on my way to becoming a specialist in the methodologies I use and the services I deliver to our clients. But I like the fact I can apply this skillset to almost any industry because service innovation, digital strategy and good customer & user experience are applicable everywhere. As a Service Designer, I help clients to get where they want to be next – or even further (and find the best route). It starts from the client’s question “How can we become more customer centric?” and goes all the way to the end product. Since customer centricity can mean different things depending on the industry you’re in, the kind of company you want to be, or even on the person you talk to within the same company, we usually start by getting everyone on the same page to realize a common vision.’

‘As a Design Thinking facilitator, I’m not always the one bringing the ideas. I have to be on top of the latest human, economic and tech trends but the art is knowing how to interact with people in the right way to bring out the best ideas in them. Then the magic happens. You can go really wild ideating on possible futures, but a good dose of pragmatism is essential. It’s important to identify what is feasible, realistic and implementable now. However, what we do now can also help a client reach their goal 20 years down the line!’

‘Moving from concept to realization requires working with a wide variety of people, with different skills and perspectives. I collaborate with colleagues from across Accenture, whether it is strategy or technology, who contribute ideas based on their expertise or industry perspective. When it comes to prototyping, the most important people are the end users. This includes heading out onto the street to talk to customers (these insights are GOLD!). Finally, we bring all these ideas together and prioritize them to create actionable MLPs (minimum lovable products), test again with customers, iterate with our client and UX designers and in the end create the final product or solution.’

"From crafting in Vietnam to crafting at Accenture"

‘During my Marketing Master, the opportunity popped up to do a three-month internship in Vietnam. I jumped at it. Together with two fellow students, I helped Saigon River Factory, a company that designs and crafts home furnishings, to launch its ecommerce platform on the Vietnamese market. This included product branding and building an online concept store. Thanks to this new channel, the company’s B2C revenues doubled within one month!’

‘Now I am doing the ‘crafting’ of our new Service Design practice, helping to co-define our vision, project approach and toolkit. Crafting is something Accenture people have in common. Not in the traditional sense of the word, but more in their mindset, both towards our clients and their own careers. Accenture’s flat, open way-of-working and its global, multi-skilled teams that are just one Skype-call away are a big catalyzer in this individual and collective crafting process.’

"Transparent and optimistic, even when things go south"

‘It’s important in any team to connect in a personal way, as well as professionally. I always try to maintain a positive, relaxed, but still high-performance teamwork atmosphere by being myself: transparent and optimistic, even when things go south! Whatever the challenge, I’ll take a leap of faith and try to turn it into a growth opportunity for everyone involved. Maybe this comes from my passion for playing hockey: a team that is – on paper –  stronger than yours can perfectly be beaten with the right strategy, mindset and teamwork. I am a strong advocate of the 1+1 = 3 way of thinking. That said, I literally want to go south one day and travel across South America by motorbike while reading Ernesto Guevara’s Motorcycle Diaries.’

Koen De Wint (1992)

Studied: Master in Business Economics at KU Leuven, Master in Marketing Management at Vlerick Business School
Started working at Accenture: 2015
Relationship status: Soon-to-be-living-together with Naomi
Loves: Celebrating a well-deserved victory in the showers with my hockey team (we have our ways…)
Gets annoyed by: Total ignorance
Favorite food: Seafood by the sea
On my nightstand: A good fiction book
Listens to: Minimal, classical, jazz, indie, folk, metal, rock…
Would like to sit next to in the plane: Elon Musk, and ask him how many more years it will take before I can ditch the plane for the Hyperloop
Life-changing event(s): Three-month internship in Vietnam

The best lesson life has taught me: Dare to put your own perspective into perspective
What I learned last week: Satoshi Nakamoto, credited with creating Bitcoin and blockchain is just a pseudonym used by an unknown individual or group of individuals. His/her/their existence remains a mystery

Most beautiful place on earth: The hidden hippie beach on Mission Beach, Queensland Australia (please keep it a secret).
Hobbies/passions: Hockey, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, learning
What nobody knows about me: I was wearing sweatpants during my final job interview at the Accenture Brussels office
Life motto: It’s better to travel well than to arrive