The best solutions are created together

Meet Christian.

Tech inspirer, explorer and solver at PwC Netherlands.

‘Doing deep research into planet formation for many years made me comfortable with computation, mathematics and hot tech topics. It also taught me a lot about navigating unknown territory. All of that is relevant to my current job as AI Inspiration- & Change-Driver at PwC.

I enjoy dilemmas and paradoxes; they’re part of my daily work. We want to adopt AI, but in doing so we face obstacles and unknowns: what do we do? To me, it starts with acknowledging the challenges, listening carefully to other voices. Wandering off outside our comfort zone – which is uncomfortable – toward problems for which we have no immediate solutions. It calls for a leadership style that raises questions and opens discussions in different directions, rather than wanting to get everyone on one trajectory.

After many years in academia, I joined PwC Nederland in 2022 to experience a new environment. Some differences are that my current work involves more people, a higher pace, more change, more structured team work, and questions related directly to the here and now. The main similarities are that in both environments I worked with very helpful people – and that both are a lot of fun.

I do a lot of sports in my free time. It brings me peace to get my heart rate up and to work up a serious sweat, running or working out. Coffee is another favourite reset method of mine. When I get coffee, the process is one hundred percent analogue: I grind my own beans and brew the drink without a screen in sight. I read a lot too, mostly non-fiction titles on business and AI, but on other themes too, often gaining new insights from fields far beyond the scope of my work, like biology. I’ve lived in the Netherlands for 10 years; my wife is Dutch, I’m Danish. We both enjoy spending time with friends. I love listening to their stories, and asking lots of why and what-if questions. I guess that’s where my professional and personal lives cross.’

Meet Guru.

Catalyst, family man, consultant and solver at PwC Netherlands.

‘I started out as a consultant in India, where I was born and raised. My first client was a leading international bank. I knew nothing about this sector; I could never have imagined ending up in banking. My job was to transform their payments engine, which processed hundreds million pounds worth of transactions daily. It was like performing open heart surgery on a bank, and it instantly captured my attention. I’ve loved the financial sector ever since, because of its complexity, high stakes, impact on the community, variety, and pace of change.

I get to work with many different people: financial specialists, regulators, customers, AI and data scientists, strategists. Innovation and change are constant and I thrive in that setting. We work with banks and fintechs in the Netherlands and across Europe – from helping build a greenfield digital bank from scratch to transforming business models and driving partnerships and alliances. There are many aspects to the projects we carry out; my focus is on making sure the customer’s core business comes out stronger and more future-proof than it was before. 

I don’t like standing still. Diving into new things energizes me at work as well as in my personal life. My wife and I have a 14-month-old daughter. Speaking of change! There’s less time for things we used to enjoy, like travelling and going on long hikes, or spending time with people. My priorities now are getting enough sleep, staying fit and spending quality time as a family, if possible outdoors. A lot has changed, and it’s exciting to be in the middle of it – most of all to see our daughter growing up, and to reflect on how I can impact her life for the better. At the end of the day, that’s my greatest hope: to feel I’ve made an impact, both as a person and as a professional.’

Meet Mimoent.

Driven leader, volunteer, cyber security expert and solver at PwC Netherlands.

‘For many of our clients, cyber security and privacy are urgent topics, partly because the landscape is constantly changing. Society is rapidly digitalising, were seeing a rapid succession of new technological possibilities and opportunities, and the threats to our security are becoming more complex. In this environment, I see myself as a driven and engaged leader in IT and cyber, always pushing for the best results for the client.

One of my mottos is: always keep learning. Keep expanding and refining your frame of reference. Step into an environment that is not your own, for example. Move beyond your comfort zone regularly. Personally, I consider having a tummy ache now and then as a good sign – it tells me I’m in my growth zone. Keep develop your adaptability. But stay close to yourself, too: at the end of the day, when I face the mirror and look myself in the eye, I want to be able to say, 'You weren’t a copycat, you followed your own path.'

For me, family and community are important. Giving back. Through various projects, we help target groups that are sometimes forgotten. From cooking to providing food packages, for young and old, regardless of background. Giving others a sense of belonging and showing them that they matter is incredibly rewarding. I learn a lot from these experiences, too; it keeps me sharp as to what truly matters in life.’

Meet Merel.

Techie, people person, outdoor enthusiast, and solver at PwC Netherlands.

‘When I was applying for jobs, I was looking for a role that combines fun, nerdy tasks with working with people. My role on PwC Assurance’s Data & Artificial Intelligence Team does exactly that.

Part of my work is to develop AI-driven tools for our own organization, the other part centres on Responsible AI. Totally 'human-led, tech-powered'! 

An example on the technical side is a tool we built for our accountants. It allows them to compare the 1,200 CSRD reporting requirements with our clients' annual reports for a gap analysis. Previously, it would take a colleague weeks to identify all the gaps; with our AI tool, it only takes a few hours. It’s a great example of using technology to take care of tedious, repetitive tasks.

I don’t use screens much in my free time; I prefer to spend time with family and friends or to be active outdoors—walking, running, or hiking from cabin to cabin. I try to get in my 10,000 steps a day, and I bike to work, 10 kilometres each way. But like many people my age, I’m often engaging with technology and data without realizing it—the step counter, the sports app, the supermarket recipe app. In that sense, AI is far more interwoven with our daily lives than we’re often aware – and it’s only going to increase. Our challenge is to ensure that this development is 'human-led.' 

One thing that really appeals to me about our 'community of solvers' is the team spirit. We often have discussions about the latest news on AI and what it might mean for our work. We all share the same goal here: to ensure that AI is implemented responsibly in society. That sense of having a shared mission feels great.’