Meet Daan Gheysens, Data Scientist at Accenture Belgium & Luxembourg

‘I’m lucky to be involved in building a new team, in a new industry. When I joined Accenture in 2014, Data Science was still very niche; now we are really taking off. Today our team is working in the cutting-edge field of Artificial Intelligence, which is evolving at breakneck speed thanks to recent scientific evolutions and the huge number of startups working in the field.’

‘These are exciting times because we have to constantly keep up with the latest developments, spend time on continuous learning, plus build a business, new best practices and grow. There are infinite challenges ahead of us. Luckily, that’s exactly what I need; if I’m not being challenged, I lose interest and faze out!’

“Sometimes it’s like riding in the dark, but it’s exciting”

‘I sort of knew which direction I wanted to head in when I applied to Accenture. Back in my third year at university, I went to a presentation by Accenture. I was impressed by what I heard. During the next two years, I went to plenty of presentations by other companies, but none of them matched what I was looking for: the possibility to work in a technology field but in an international business environment. Accenture ticks all the boxes. I love the breadth of it all. We do everything, from strategy to execution.’

‘After joining it was a matter of discovering what I was good and not good at, and finding the right balance between what was expected of me and what I wanted to do. Having the freedom to do this is great, especially as a graduate taking your first steps in the world of work. Sometimes it’s like riding in the dark, but it’s exciting. You get to surprise yourself and to know yourself better and better.’

“I’m evolving towards a go-between role”

‘As Data Scientists, we help large companies with lots of structured and unstructured datasets to merge all these datasets into one, comprehensible table. We then use algorithms to derive knowledge and insights from these datasets about a specific domain or business question. These insights can then be used, for example, to personalize marketing so that customers are not bombarded with offers that are irrelevant to them. But it’s not limited to that. At present, I’m helping a Telco to mine their datasets and discover which customers have a bad Internet connection so that it can be fixed’.

‘Initially, I was more involved in coding and merging data, but now I’m evolving towards a go-between role, connecting people in a company who don’t necessarily speak the same language, those concerned with the outcome (e.g. a company’s marketing department) and those who focused on making new technology happen (in-house programmers and developers). I speak both languages and making sure all these people are aligned is key to the success of any assignment.’

“I’m now in my Italian cuisine period”

‘My parents encouraged (and trusted) us to participate in the household from an early age. My mother is a nurse so she often works weekends. My father did most of the cooking and we always had to help. I started out doing the boring (but necessary) chores like chopping vegetables. Along with my cooking skills, my appreciation of having freshly cooked food also grew. That’s why I continue to cook every day. I find it incredibly enjoyable and relaxing to spend 30-45 minutes after work creating a good meal from scratch. On a recent holiday in Rome, I discovered there really is a difference between fresh and dried pasta. So I’m in my Italian cuisine period, experimenting with pasta sauces and thinking about making pasta myself.’

‘I’ve experienced the same level of trust at Accenture. Even though I’m still quite junior, I recently had the opportunity to play a big role in the sale of a project. It started out quite simply: I met a colleague by coincidence, we got talking, he needed the skills that we have in our team, we got along very well and worked together on the opportunity from idea to sale. It was great to have the freedom to participate and be trusted. In the end, close collaboration with your colleagues always has the most impact.’

“Watching movies in the cinema is fantastic: there are no distractions”

‘Another big passion of mine is cinema. One of my favorite directors is Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Youth…) but the last movie that really blew me away was Manchester By The Sea. When I was in London working on a project, by coincidence a flat mate of mine in Brussels was also there, working at the same client. We are both movie fans so we regularly went to the Electric Cinema. It’s a beautiful place to enjoy a good movie, right down to the comfortable armchairs, each with a small lamp and table where you can put a drink. Watching movies in the cinema is fantastic: there are no distractions. Your phone is switched off and your entire focus is on one thing only: the movie.’

Daan Gheysens (1991)

Studied: Business Engineering in Information Management at KU Leuven
Started working at Accenture: 2014
Relationship status: Happily living with Alice
Loves: Any challenge
Gets annoyed by: Inertia and bragging
Favorite food: Bouillabaisse
On my nightstand: Nothing
Listens to: Everything
Last purchase: IKEA furniture
Would like to sit next to in the plane: Andrew Ng, Artificial Intelligence pioneer
Life-changing event(s): Living with Alice
The best lesson life has taught me: Change is up to you
What I learned last week: A one-hour train ride home is the best way to clear your head at the end of the day
Most beautiful place on earth: National Parks in South West USA
Hobbies/passions: Cooking
What nobody knows about me: Let’s keep it that way!
Life motto: Good stuff takes time and effort

Author : Liz Morrison