At Projective Group, we know that our greatest asset is the highly skilled and spirited people that make the company what it is today. We are thrilled to announce that three of these people have recently achieved the exceptional milestone of becoming partners, so we want to share an insight into each of their journeys so far. This is also an important milestone for Projective Group as a whole, as we are very pleased to welcome our first female partner. Find out more about Gary Paul, Robert-Jan Wekking and Charlotte Evripides below.
Charlotte: My journey with Projective Group began in 2016 when I started working for Projective, which at the time was a boutique consultancy with about 15 people in London. I had come from a banking background, so this was my first step into the world of consulting and I guess you could say I’ve never looked back! My first assignment was a CSRD transformation initiative for one of our key clients based in Sweden, and I have since led a variety of projects across different accounts. In addition to client work, being involved in the ‘internal’ side of the business has always been important to me. I started out organising events, then moved into operations, and as the company grew my role evolved in parallel. As we started acquiring new companies, welcoming new colleagues, and hence becoming Projective Group, I quickly realised that we needed a more formal framework to support our employee experience and maintain our company culture. As a result, I set up our Culture & Community Pillars (C&CP) back in 2022 to help make our workplace the best it can be. Covering areas including DEI, CSR, and Wellbeing, they are now an integral part of my role and the business as a whole.
In addition to client work, being involved in the ‘internal’ side of the business has always been important to me.
Robert-Jan: My story with Projective Group started two years ago, when our Dutch boutique payments consultancy Enigma was acquired. At that time, I had been a payments consultant for 15 years, supporting mainly Dutch corporates and financial institutions. During my work, I ran many interesting programmes including the introduction of Instant Payments in the Netherlands and building a digital bank. Being a consultant was already an ambition during my studies, as I liked to work in complex environments with diversity of assignments and clients. Hence, my first role was a consultant in the oil industry in London. Working for ABN AMRO Bank, at the time one of the largest international payments banks in the world, was also critical and highly motivating. In all these roles, I had the opportunity to work with very talented people, international teams, and different cultures. At Projective Group, I can leverage my previous experience in my current role as Group Payments Practice Lead.
Gary: I joined DTSQUARED from UBS after I had hired them for their expertise in data tooling. Prior to that, I had worked both in consulting and industry in a variety of senior roles and I was looking for a new challenge with a company who could move at speed, lacked bureaucracy, and provided me with opportunities to get involved with the things I am passionate about. I was not disappointed! When we were acquired by Projective Group in August 2021, I was thrilled to learn they had exactly same ethos and I can genuinely say that I have never been happier to be part of such a great company and work with such wonderful people. I am currently an Account Director which gives me the hands-on delivery exposure I thrive on and I am also the UK Data Practice lead, where I work with some of the smartest data people in the industry to create our propositions and support our sales our marketing efforts.
I can genuinely say that I have never been happier to be part of such a great company and work with such wonderful people.
Charlotte: Since setting up our C&CP, we now have over 100 employees (and counting!) from across the company who are involved. Thanks to them, we have been able to deliver some amazing initiatives that have inspired and connected us more than ever. That being said, I feel that this is only the beginning and I am excited to see what more we can achieve. I want to continue listening to our people and giving them the mandate to define what is important. And whilst plans and priorities may differ across regions, I am committed to making sure that each pillar is having real impact in every country, as their benefits will be even more powerful when combined. Plus, an important ambition for me personally is advancing gender equality across the organisation; I want to support our outstanding female talent and see more of them in leadership roles. As we continue to grow, I am very aware that we need more diversity at all levels to improve decision-making, boost employee satisfaction, and remain relevant in the marketplace, and I am determined to make it happen.
I want to continue listening to our people and giving them the mandate to define what is important.
Robert-Jan: My main ambition is to get Projective Group recognised as one of the best payments consulting houses in Europe. I strongly believe that we are able to support our clients even better by not only having payments expertise in-house, but also risk and compliance, data, talent development and project management. This enables us to provide our clients with the full range of expertise needed to run complex payments programs like the replacement of the core banking infrastructure or implementation of a new card scheme. We can only do this by having great people. As we do have many talented people in our group, I am excited to work with them during our assignments. I really like to share my knowledge and experience and support them with their career growth.
Gary: Being involved in Data, I am really looking forward to helping showcase and promote our amazing AI skills and expertise. I genuinely believe it is going to create exciting opportunities for our staff as well as our clients to overcome many of the challenges that cause everyone difficulty. Having your own “personal assistant” at your fingertips who can help you code, research or create content, or even do work for you, creates invaluable time for everyone to thrive. Plus, as a wellbeing advocate, I know that all companies including ours has no greater asset than its people, so I want help improve our wellbeing agenda further, creating the most supportive and welcoming environment in consulting.
Projective Group has no greater asset than its people, so I want help improve our wellbeing agenda further, creating the most supportive and welcoming environment in consulting.
Charlotte: Driven, Caring, Resilient
Robert-Jan: Servant-leader, client-focused, authentic
Gary: Human, Caring, Pragmatic
Established in 2006, Projective Group is a leading Financial Services change specialist.
We are recognised within the industry as a complete solutions provider, partnering with clients in Financial Services to provide resolutions that are both holistic and pragmatic. We have evolved to become a trusted partner for companies that want to thrive and prosper in an ever-changing Financial Services landscape.
