Ken

What brought you to Capgemini?

I would say I had an indirect journey to Capgemini. I joined a large chemical and oil company right out of college as an accountant, moved to a plastics manufacturer as a plant controller, and then started doing SAP work while I was there. And that was how I got into consulting. I knew of some VPs that had joined Capgemini years ago and I stayed in contact with them and there was an opportunity back in 2009 to join. Now my current role is as an industry Delivery Executive with a portfolio of accounts from the Consumer Products and Retail sector.

How was Capgemini supported your professional growth?

Capgemini has been a great supporter for my growth over the years, simply by a variety of roles, if nothing else: being able to lead our SAP finance practice in the US, being able to lead our SAP engagement managers, I was able to lead our center of excellence most recently, and leading our solutions design center in Houston that does development for all of our SAP programs in North America. And then recently moving to the new role as an industry delivery exec for CPRS.

What advice would you give someone joining Capgemini?

Be ready for a variety of challenges. We always have an idea of what we think we’re going to do when we land, and often times that is the case. But as we progress through our careers, we have an opportunity to do a lot of different types of things. And some things could be new technologies that come, it could be new groups that you’re a part of. It could be new project roles that you get to have, but the main thing is to be ready to have a flexible variety of opportunities over the years.

How has Capgemini helped you get the future you want?

One thing I do appreciate about Capgemini is being able to have a say in the future that I want. So I’m working with people managers over the years about the types of assignments [I’d] like to do, looking four or five years out for growth for where I want to be over time. If you look at where we want to progress with promotions or opportunities or those types of things, I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to have a say in deciding what those roles are so that we’re not just being placed in places, we’re actually being able to choose things that help us grow in the areas that we want to grow in.