Meet Wim Bijnens, Senior Manager in Data Management at Accenture Belgium & Luxembourg
‘It’s always interesting to see the differences between companies, but on the other hand, to see that the challenges they face are similar. Data Management is one of them. While Analytics, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence are hot topics in all industries, Data Management is often overlooked in the race to rotate to the new digital world. Before you can start implementing any of these new technologies, your data need to be in good shape and fully aligned across your organization. Only then can data really bring value.’
‘Corporate data should be managed with the same care and attention as people, infrastructure or intellectual property. That’s what we do each day in the Data Management practice: support companies to assign the new role of Chief Data Officer (CDO), to define their data organization and identify the capabilities, resources, processes and tools needed to properly manage their data in the future as a valuable asset. We support our clients each step of the way in making this a success.’
“My role has changed in rhythm with the evolution of data”
‘I moved to Accenture from another world leading company. Toyota was and still is a top performer in the automotive industry and the international aspect of working for a company with its roots in Japan appealed to me.’
‘What Accenture offered was more exposure to multiple types of projects, clients and industries. Accenture is constantly evolving and the focus on innovation and cutting edge technology has become even sharper in recent years.’
‘My role has changed in rhythm with the evolution of data. When I joined in 2007, my focus was on developing portals, websites and the management of unstructured data. Corporate data existed, but it was still limited in type and size.
‘Afterwards I moved to web analytics, capturing customer experience on the website and integrating this with other customer data to generate the 360° view on the customer.’
‘Today, data is at the heart of a revolution that is not only transforming business but also our everyday lives. With the increased focus on data, I’m now involved in all aspects of data management, including data quality, master data management and data governance.’
“I like to see progress, both in my work and in my neighborhood.”
‘What gets me up in the morning is the possibility of helping to drive improvements for a better tomorrow, both at Accenture and in my personal life. I like to see progress and tangible results of what I do.’
‘At work, the daily challenge of finding the best fitting Data Management solutions for a company is what I love the most. Next to my work for clients, I also lead our local Data Management “chapter” in Belgium and Luxembourg. Our core team and experts per industry contribute to the global Data Management community at Accenture, regularly collaborating with colleagues in the US and across Europe. Growing this team and our collective expertise is one of my key objectives.’
‘In my spare time, I like to put my energy into local activities and initiatives. Which is why I am actively engaged in my neighborhood committee where we try to strengthen the local community. We organize social activities, tackle topics of concern to local people, such as traffic problems and make sure everyone knows their neighbors. My Accenture background helps; I’m used to structuring things and people expect me to take a leading role as a result! I also try to actively support my daughter’s school, contributing to school activities or lending a hand with fundraising.’
“As a young father, my weekends are for my family”
‘When my second daughter was born, I took advantage of the flexible working arrangements at Accenture to work 4/5 during five months to take care of the kids. It was a great experience and I see lots of Accenture dads doing the same.’
‘As a young father, my weekends are for my family. During the week, managing two young daughters requires flexibility but I try to drop my eldest daughter at school every day. Accenture respects and supports us as parents and our Inclusion & Diversity Parenthood program organizes some great activities. These include Parental Coaching workshops with an expert who shares real life tips on how to make family life more harmonious as working mums and dads. We can also take First Aid courses focused on children, there are family walks and even a Parenthood Library in the office where colleagues can share and borrow parenting books they find inspiring.’
“In my spare time, I like to experiment with new technologies and electronics”
‘During my engineering studies, I specialized in computer graphics and the subject of my Master thesis was the evaluation of visualization techniques for 3D environments. We developed our own visualization engine based on Quake 3, a first-person shooting game, so in essence, we were playing the game all day. It was great fun and we succeeded! Although this involved lots of complex calculations, what we created was very tangible and could be used. I especially liked that aspect and it probably explains why my biggest passion outside work is electronics. I’m an electronics geek through and through and I like nothing better than to play and experiment with all kinds of new technology, from drones and 3D printers to robots and embedded devices.’
‘I try to put these technologies to good use, such as automating lighting and other functions in my house. Still trying to figure that out… My eldest daughter is also a big fan of technology and we regularly visit Technopolis in Mechelen. I secretly hope both my daughters will get inspired by science and engineering too. But of course, they get to choose!’
Name Wim Bijnens (1978)
Studied: Electronics and Computer Science Engineering
Started working at Accenture: 2007
Relationship status: Married with two daughters
Loves: A nice peaceful walk in the woods
Gets annoyed by: Irresponsible and asocial behavior
Favorite food: Sushi
On my nightstand: My mobile phone
Listens to: Music that best matches my current state of mind
Would like to sit next to in the plane: Thomas Edison to discuss how he achieved all of his inventions
Life-changing event(s): My Erasmus semester in Valencia. It gave me the taste for working in an international environment
The best lesson life has taught me: A lot of problems tend to solve themselvesWhat I learned last week: How to decorate a birthday cake for my one-year-old daughterMost beautiful place on earth: Namibia, we did a tour of the country for our honeymoon
Hobbies/passions: Electronics, whiskey tasting, gardening
What nobody knows about me: I studied Japanese for two years. I hope to pick it up again one day
Life motto: You can do anything if you set your mind to it