March 5th 2020
Having been a consultant at STRADA Conseil for 3, Maxime offers us an overview of his experience with us. We will go back together to the origin of his relationship with STRADA Conseil, his definition of the job, and his appreciation of the years spent with us, and on top of how he sees the future with us. Here are a few questions we asked him on the subject :
What motivated your decision to join STRADA Conseil ?
The recruitment process was quite fast. I met the partners of STRADA Conseil, who took the time to introduce me to the firm, its values, its missions with reinsurers, its growth ambitions and of course what could be my role.
I immediately felt the trust that the company placed in its consultants. I also saw that I would be able to get the opportunity both to do my job as a consultant, but also to develop commercial and managerial skills and thus participate directly in the growth of the company.
My lack of knowledge in reinsurance was not an obstacle to joining STRADA. I was very keen to discover something new, banking and insurance. What’s more, I was given an internal training course on reinsurance when I joined STRADA.
The remuneration package I was offered was very satisfactory. This is obviously a good thing and it motivates you to be up to the job!
For these reasons, my choice to join STRADA was a natural one. And I don't regret it!
What can you tell us about your 3 last years at STRADA Conseil ?
These 3 years went by very quickly! More seriously, STRADA has met my initial expectations. It helped me to quickly find an assignment at a large reinsurer’s. And when I look around me, I realise that , I see that I am not the only one with an interesting assignment.
I have also had the opportunity to grow within the firm and this year, I have taken on the role of account manager in addition to that of senior consultant.
How would you describe your job ?
The job of a project management consultant is quite complex and not easy to explain in a few words. I often use the image of a sports coach who is given an objective and a team to achieve it. They are the ones who will pass on the common objective, motivate their team, ensure that the work progresses within the deadlines, help when necessary (and possible!) and report positive and negative points to their superiors. They must also be able to stand back from the result obtained :
Either it is a victory and must be shared with everyone,
Or it is a failure and you need to analyse what happened in order to try to understand what went wrong and help your hierarchy to take the right decisions and do better the next time.
What qualities do you think a consultant needs ?
In my opinion, the main qualities of a consultant are :
Proactivity : once you have a clear understanding of what you are there for, you need to be active and take a step back to explain the client how you will go about achieving their objectives. It is imperative to prove them that they have made the right choice by choosing you and that they can rely on you today and tomorrow.
Proactivity: once you have a clear understanding of what you are there for, you need to be active and take a step back to explain the client how you will go about achieving their objectives. It is imperative to prove them that they have made the right choice by choosing you and that they can rely on you today and tomorrow.
Adaptability : You have to be able to adapt very quickly to your new assignment, your new work context, your new management and your new tasks.
To be a STRADA consultant, I would add that it is important to stick to the values of the firm such as consideration and team spirit.
What do you think makes STRADA Conseil different from other companies you have worked for ?
I find that Strada really listens to its consultants and their career plans. Having worked for firms of different sizes, I find this commitment rare and valuable. STRADA is still a reasonably sized firm and the career opportunities are real.
Thanks to Maxime for his answers.
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