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Pauwels Consulting honored as Trends Gazelle 2018

27 Feb 2018
Each year, the financial-economic weekly Trends nominates the 200 fastest-growing and financially sound companies in each Belgian province based on their turnover, workforce and cash flow over the past five years. For the eighth consecutive year, Pauwels Consulting was honored as a Trends Gazelle for the province of Flemish Brabant. We had a brief conversation with Bert Pauwels, founder and Managing Director of Pauwels Consulting.

Bert, congratulations on this Trends Gazelle Award. The eighth in a row. How did you celebrate this award?

Bert: : Thank you for the congratulations. We have celebrated the award in silence (laughs). Of course, we already shared the news with our colleagues during our annual New Year’s Eve party and thanked them many times for their share in obtaining this award and all previous Trends Gazelle awards. After all, they all deserve and receive this award. Furthermore, I myself also silently enjoyed the fantastic result that we all have achieved.

What’s so great about the Trends Gazelle Awards is the fact that they are based on objective figures over a longer period. At the end of 2012, Pauwels Consulting had 187 employees and we achieved an annual turnover of just under 14 million euros. At the end of 2017, our group had 520 employees and we achieved a turnover of 52.2 million euros. A wonderful growth achieved with and by a great team. I am very proud of the team and very grateful for this result.

What would be the biggest mistake you could make at this point, Bert?

Bert: To lean back and assume that we will remain successful no matter what. That is nonsense and the biggest pitfall of any successful organization.

At Pauwels Consulting, we continually strive to earn the business of our customers, time and again. We manage to do this by keeping our feet on the ground and by finding the right people for the right projects.

While doing this, we are not only focusing on the near future, but we are also keeping in mind the ambitions our customers and consultants want to achieve in the long run. Furthermore, we continue to invest in new services and markets.

How do Pauwels’ recent acquisitions fit into this vision?

Bert: At the end of 2016, we acquired PIT-Advisor, an IT project sourcing company from Antwerp. That acquisition brought us new customers and new business: PIT-Advisor has traditionally also been a supplier of Power-i software, for example. Previously, we did not have any experience with Power-i. Now, we do.

The acquisition of Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult provided a boost in 2 areas. Thanks to the acquisition of Vandycke & Partners, an established name in the field of executive search & selection, we are now also able to provide our clients with difficult top profiles for permanent positions within life sciences.

Through the acquisition of Mediconsult, a top name in the field of project sourcing within the life sciences industry, we have gained a fantastic team of recruiters and consultants. The integration of Mediconsult and Pauwels Consulting has now been completed, by the way. This means that our recruitment teams now cooperate integrally. This offers fresh perspectives and a lot of energy on the work floor and allows for an even faster service for our customers.

To conclude, the acquisition of Akros Solutions strengthened our position as IT project sourcing party in Brussels. The team at Akros Solutions is doing a really fantastic job. Our close cooperation truly provides added value for our services in Brussels.

If I am not mistaken, Pauwels Consulting is actively and explicitly looking beyond Belgium as well?

Bert: Absolutely! We have been active in Switzerland and France for years. In the past few months, we’ve followed up on our international ambitions with a new dedicated website for the French market and a dedicated French team to strengthen our position on the French market.

Furthermore, we have also attracted a business manager for Switzerland. In 2018 and in the following years, we will fully focus on the continued internationalization of our services.

Finally, Bert, can we expect new acquisitions in 2018?

Bert: Since our collaboration with 3D-Investments in January 2016, we have focused on organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions. We will continue to do so in 2018, both in Belgium and abroad!

If we see interesting organizations with the potential to strengthen our position during our search, we will certainly spark up a conversation about a possible acquisition. It is not a ‘must’, but we do keep our ears and eyes open (laughs).

Thank you for this conversation, Bert. Again, congratulations on this Trends Gazelle award and the results achieved by your team. Good luck with the further development of Pauwels Consulting.

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Pauwels Consulting Ghent Marathon 2017

30 Oct 2017
On Oct 28, 2017, 7000 sports enthusiasts conquered various distances at the new Pauwels Consulting Ghent Marathon. Click to see the aftermovie.

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Pauwels Consulting acquires Akros Solutions

10 Oct 2017
Ghent, 10 October 2017. Pauwels Consulting, the Belgian engineering, life sciences and IT consultancy company, is proud to announce the acquisition of Akros Solutions, the Belgian IT recruitment and consultancy firm with offices in Brussels.

Akros Solutions was founded in 2009 by Sebastian Jacquin and Amélie Alleman. In the past 8 years, Akros Solutions has established itself as one of the leaders in the Brussels IT recruitment and consultancy market.

This acquisition will help us strengthen our position in Brussels and Wallonia and create new opportunities for our consultants and freelancers. We had a short interview with Bert Pauwels, Sebastian Jacquin and Amélie Alleman.

Bert, Sebastian and Amélie, congratulations on this new partnership! Could you please introduce yourself?

Amélie: Sure. My name is Amélie. After college, I started working at an American staffing company as a junior recruiter. I liked my job, but after a while, I wanted to go one step further.

In 2008, I started thinking about starting my own firm. I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to bring more added value and personality to the game. As a result, in 2009, Sebastian and I quit our jobs and we started Akros Solutions.

Sebastian: My name is Sebastian. I was born in England. I have done many different jobs in my life. I have had my own small restaurant, I have worked in sales and at a certain moment I ended up at the same staffing firm as Amélie.

Gradually, I moved up the corporate ladder to office manager, European team leader and European director. I  managed our offices in Brussels, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Germany and very briefly in Paris. I had a great time but in 2009 it was time for a change. I wanted to start a business of my own again.

Bert: My name is Bert. I have been in the game since 1999, when I started Pauwels Consulting as an IT recruitment and consultancy company. In 2004 and 2005, we expanded our focus to engineering and life sciences recruitment and consulting respectively.

Apart from work, I like sports, spending time with my family, and a combination of both. I am an avid runner and I try to motivate as many people as possible to live a healthy and sporty life, a.o. by sponsoring events such as the Pauwels Consulting Ghent Marathon on October 28th.

Could you please explain the activities of your companies?

Amélie: Akros Solutions is an IT recruitment and consultancy firm. It is our job to find the right people and the best staffing solutions for our clients in various industries. It has always been our mission to become the leading firm in the Brussels IT consultancy and recruitment market.

Sebastian: We have always offered permanent recruitment and contract recruitment services. Nowadays, staffing companies often focus on one form of recruitment or technology. We deliberately chose to deliver both types of staffing solutions and to focus on good relationships with our clients instead. We take our time to truly understand our clients’ needs and demands, and to advise our clients regardless of the return for us.

akros acquisition by pauwels consulting
Why this approach?

Sebastian: When we started, we were too small to throw around resumes in the market. Obviously, we didn’t want to do this either. We wanted to add a genuine personal touch to our business instead.

There is a human being with wishes and ambitions behind every cv. It is not just our job to find IT consultants for our clients’ projects… it is our job to make sure that our candidates and clients get along and that they both feel and stay happy at work.

What about Pauwels Consulting, Bert?

Bert: We have the same focus and values at Pauwels Consulting. We want to be more than just a staffing agency; we want to deliver honest advice and great service to both our clients and our consultants. We always focus on long-term relationships. It is the best policy for healthy growth.

Amélie, when and why did you decide to start looking for a partner?

Amélie: This idea first popped up in January 2016. Sebastian and I have always loved our work at Akros Solutions, but we felt that it was time for the next step. Hence our decision to look for an experienced company with ambitious management that can help Akros Solutions get to the next level.

We had our first meeting with Pauwels Consulting in March or April that year, et voilà, here we are. This merger will help us take the next step in our growth and it will help us serve our clients in more areas than before.

This brings me to my next question: why did you choose for Pauwels Consulting?

Sebastian: Because we like Bert (laughs). No, all jokes aside, Amélie and I felt an instant connection with Bert and his team. We still have big dreams and ambitions for Akros Solutions, so we were looking for an experienced and ambitious partner with a healthy firm and a clear vision. We look forward to continuing our growth with the help of Bert and the Pauwels Consulting group.

pauwels consulting acquires akros solutions

Bert, why did you choose to enter this partnership?

Bert: Since our partnership with 3D Investments in January 2016 we focus on organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions. We are always on the lookout for dynamic recruitment and consultancy firms with smart and ambitious management. Sebastian Jacquin and Amélie Alleman bring a lot of experience, a strong network and a clear vision to the table.

In addition, Akros Solutions has a great reputation and their IT specialties and customer base are complementary to ours. Pauwels Consulting is very active as an IT recruitment and consultancy company in Flanders, but not so much in Brussels and Wallonia. This merger will help us strengthen our position as IT recruitment and consultancy company in Brussels and Wallonia, and it will help us to reach new clients.

Amélie and Sebastian, will this merger change things for your consultants and clients?

Amélie: I only see benefits. If anything, this merger will help us serve our clients even better. We will no doubt benefit from the network, know-how and internal processes of Pauwels Consulting. This will make it easier for us to find ‘hard-to-find’ consultants for our clients in a limited amount of time.

Sebastian: I also see many opportunities for our consultants. Pauwels Consulting invests in knowledge growth and knowledge sharing between their consultants. Our consultants will enter a vibrant network of over 600 consultants and clients we haven’t worked for yet. Great career opportunities ahead!

Sounds great. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Bert: I am very happy with this merger. Not only because of the benefits for our clients, consultants and business, but also because I have a knack for smart, dynamic and ambitious people. I am very sure this partnership will be very successful.

Sebastian: I think there is nothing left to say (laugh). Evidently, I agree with Bert and Amélie. And should you (or the reader) have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We look forward to answering all the questions you may have.

Bert, Sebastian and Amélie, thank you very much for this interview and all the best with this new partnership.

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Pauwels Consulting Recognized by KellyOCG® as a Top Supplier

17 May 2017
Ghent, April 26, 2017. KellyOCG®, the outsourcing and consulting group of Kelly Services®, has recognized Pauwels Consulting with the company's annual Supplier Excellence Award for the second year in a row.

This award honors KellyOCG’s 25 top performing national and global suppliers whose outstanding service, superior results and strategic partnerships have made a significant impact on KellyOCG’s business.

“At Kelly, we pride ourselves in making a difference in people’s lives by connecting them with work,” said Thorsten Koletschka, Vice President and Global Lead Supplier Strategy & Engagement for KellyOCG. “Outstanding suppliers such as Pauwels Consulting enable us to deliver the world’s best workforce solutions. Our award winners have not only delivered distinguished services but have made a positive difference to numerous people’s lives through their dedicated and passionate work every day.”

“It is a great honour to be recognized as one of the Top Suppliers for the second year in a row,” said Jolien Demanet, Account Manager and SPOC for KellyOCG® at Pauwels Consulting. “This award is the result of great team work at and between both our organizations. It is always a joy to work with the KellyOCG® team.”

“Both our firms share the same vision, goals and way of work”, added Van Nguyen, Operations Director and Partner at Pauwels Consulting. “That’s why this partnership is so successful. We look forward to further strengthen our partnership and to connect even more talented people with ambitious organizations in the future.”

About KellyOCG

KellyOCG®, the Outsourcing and Consulting Group of workforce solutions provider, Kelly Services, is a global leader in integrated workforce solution delivery for clients worldwide, utilizing proven talent supply chain strategies. In addition to integrated solutions, KellyOCG specializes in Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Contingent Workforce Outsourcing (CWO), Talent Advisory Services, Career Transition and Executive Coaching & Development, and Executive Search.

KellyOCG was named to the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® 2016 Global Outsourcing 100® list, an annual ranking of the world’s best outsourcing service providers and advisors. Further information about KellyOCG may be found at kellyocg.com.

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Pauwels Consulting, Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult join forces

09 May 2017
Ghent. Pauwels Consulting, the Belgian recruitment and consultancy company active in life sciences, engineering and IT, announces the acquisition of Vandycke & Partners and its sister company Mediconsult.

For more than twenty-seven years, Vandycke & Partners is regarded as the reference in the field of executive search and recruitment for the healthcare and life sciences industry in Belgium. Its sister company, Mediconsult, is specialised in clinical research outsourcing. Following this acquisition, Pauwels Consulting will be one of the largest providers of executive search, recruitment and project sourcing for the life sciences industry in Belgium. The group now has more than 490 employees in the field of life sciences, engineering and IT.

Pauwels Consulting, Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult have reached an agreement to combine their activities. As of today, Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult will function as autonomous companies within the Pauwels Consulting group. We had a meeting with Bert Pauwels, founder and general manager of Pauwels Consulting, and Michel Vandycke, founder and CEO of Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult.

Gentlemen, congratulations! A fine agreement was entered into! Could you please introduce yourself?

Michel: My name is Michel Vandycke. During the first half of my career, I implemented a variety of commercial and HR management roles. During the second half of my career, I focused on executive search and clinical research outsourcing. In 1990 I founded Vandycke & Partners, followed in 2004 by the foundation of Mediconsult. Today, I transfer both companies to Bert.

Bert: My name is Bert Pauwels. I am still in the first half of my career. (Laughs.) In 1999, I founded Pauwels Consulting. Initially, we focussed on IT. However, since 2004 and 2005, we also specialise in engineering and life sciences. I am involved in the daily management of the company. Today, I am very pleased to take over the Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult activities.

Could you please explain the activities of your companies?

Michel: Vandycke & Partners is specialised in executive search. We search for management profiles for life sciences clients in Belgium and abroad. Mediconsult is specialised in project/contract staffing and outsourcing and has approximately seventy consultants mainly working on clinical, medical, marketing and regulatory projects.

Bert: Pauwels Consulting is specialised in project sourcing, business process outsourcing, recruitment and projects related to engineering, life sciences and IT. We work for various companies in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

“Our services are perfectly complementary. This was an important condition.”
Today, Pauwels Consulting takes over the Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult activities. Could you explain why this choice was made?

Bert: Since our cooperation with 3D-investments, we explicitly focus our attention on organic growth and growth by means of strategic acquisitions. As such, we have taken over P.I.T.-Advisor, a Belgian IT service provider, only five months ago. This type of acquisition allows us to assist our clients in many more fields, which strengthens our market position.

Not long ago, I was informed that Michel was looking for a takeover candidate for Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult. We immediately felt highly attracted by the perfect organisation. For many years, Vandycke & Partners is regarded as the reference par excellence in the field of executive search and recruitment for the healthcare and life sciences industry in Belgium. Mediconsult is a strong player in the field of clinical research outsourcing. These services are perfectly complementary to our own services.

Michel: Indeed. Our services are perfectly complementary. This was an important condition when selecting the right takeover candidate. Furthermore, we were looking for a company with a young, dynamic CEO who adheres to the same values as Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult.

“Our clients are very loyal clients, most likely based on the fact that we do not hesitate to go the extra mile.”

How would you describe these values, Michel?

Michel: At Vandycke & Partners, we do all we can for our clients. In our view, complex assignments simply do not exist. We always continue our search until we have found the perfect candidate for our client. Our clients are very loyal clients, most likely based on the fact that we do not hesitate to go the extra mile.

When meeting Bert and thus Pauwels Consulting, I immediately recognised this client-oriented mentality as well as their focus on quality and we instantly had this personal click. This could perhaps be the most important topic in acquisition projects such as this one.

What will be the advantages of this cooperation for your clients?

Bert: As stated, the services provided by our organisations are perfectly complementary. This means that Pauwels Consulting clients can now also be assisted with regard to executive search and project sourcing with clinical profiles.

Michel: On the other hand, the Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult clients will now be able to find other life sciences, engineering and IT consultants quicker. Pauwels Consulting is a strong player with a powerful network and a large sales and recruitment team. This can only benefit our clients even more.

Vandycke & partners acquisition by pauwels consulting

What will be the advantages of this cooperation for your employees?

Bert: Knowledge-sharing and career opportunities! The larger our consultant’s group, the more knowledge-sharing and cross-fertilization will apply. At Pauwels Consulting, we devote great attention to knowledge-sharing and we are always eager to offer our consultants the very best and most challenging career opportunities. This acquisition will most certainly contribute to that.

Michel: My thoughts exactly. Our employees will now be part of a larger group. This will undoubtedly present new growth opportunities. Moreover, they will now have a young CEO supported by a young, experienced and dynamic management team. I am convinced this cooperation will ensure new dynamics, which will be positive for all parties involved. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Gentlemen, are you willing to share a thought with our readers?

Bert: Absolutely. People who know me, are very well aware of me citing the following quote: “When you want to go fast, go alone. When you want to go far, go together.” Early on in my career, I realised that it is much easier to establish great results if you surround yourself with great people.

This is also the reason why I devote a lot of attention to strategic acquisitions. The better and stronger our team, the better we can assist our clients. I cannot wait to continue straight ahead, now supported by the Vandycke & Partners and Mediconsult team!

Michel: My preferred quote is “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. Actually, this is the title of a Billie Ocean song. The number dates back to 1985, but, actually, I have acted accordingly throughout my entire professional career.

In executive search and outsourcing, it is remarkably simple to achieve success, but to continue to be successful in the long haul and under difficult circumstances, you must be strong. You need to have the proper focus and must be willing to go the extra mile for your clients. I am convinced that both our teams will continue to follow this philosophy.

A perfect final remark, gentlemen! Once again, congratulations on this agreement and thank you for this interview.

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7 years in a row: Pauwels Consulting is Trends Gazelles 2017

20 Feb 2017
Each year, the financial-economic weekly Trends nominates the 200 fastest-growing and financially sound companies in each Belgian province.

Each of these companies contributes significantly to the dynamics, employment and innovation in their region. Trends ranks the fastest-growing companies according to turnover, workforce and cash flow during the past five years. For the seventh consecutive year, Pauwels Consulting was honored as a Trends Gazelles for the province of Flemish Brabant.

We had a brief conversation with Bert Pauwels, founder and Managing Director of Pauwels Consulting.

“I am very proud of everything we have achieved so far, but we remain ambitious. We are going to do everything we possibly can to make 2017 a great success!”

Bert, congratulations on your latest Trends Gazelle award. How does it feel to be honored  – once again – as one of the fastest-growing companies in Flemish Brabant?

Bert: It feels great to be on this list again. It’s a nice reward for the entire organization. Just as every year, everyone has worked very hard. And it’s nice to see that – each year – our efforts are rewarded with great business results. 2016 was no exception.

This is the eighth Trends Gazelles award in 7 years’ time. Aren’t you getting used to it by now?

Bert: Absolutely not. And we will make sure we will never get used to it. We must be sharp and stay sharp. Every year, we set new goals and we are only satisfied if and when these goals have been achieved.

We try to stay on top of what is happening around us. We want to continue to grow organically, and if we see interesting opportunities for strategic acquisitions, we won’t hesitate to look into them.

We have a strong team that gives its best every single day. We keep each other focused and we often go the extra mile. We owe that to ourselves and to our customers. It is a crucial part of our company culture.

How do you look back on 2016?

Bert: We ended 2015 with a turnover of almost 26 million euros, and last year, we grew even more with a turnover of more than 30 million euros. In the end, thanks to the attractive acquisition of P.I.T.-Advisor, we even achieved a turnover of more than 38 million euros. Together, we now form a great group of more than 380 employees. A very nice result, I would say!

But what makes me equally happy are the happy and enthusiastic colleagues I see every day. People who love to go to work, day in day out, and people who want to go the extra mile. An infectious enthusiasm, so to say. I am particularly grateful to be able to work with such great people.

How do you see the future of Pauwels Consulting?

Bert: We want to continue growing in a healthy way in Belgium and its surrounding countries. In 2017, we will pay special attention to our further growth in Belgium and France.

Since the start of our collaboration with 3D Investments in January 2016, we are focusing on organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions. The acquisition of P.I.T.-Advisor last December is a great example.

In the future, we plan on making similar strategic acquisitions. That way, we will be able to offer our clients extended services and our employees even more attractive career opportunities. The latter is and remains a very important priority for the future.

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers, Bert?

Bert: I am very proud of everything we have achieved so far, but we remain ambitious. We are going to do everything we possibly can to make 2017 a great success!

Those are nice words, Bert. Again, congratulations on this Trends Gazelles award and good luck with the further development of Pauwels Consulting.

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Pauwels Consulting acquires IT consulting firm P.I.T.-Advisor

19 Dec 2016
Ghent - Pauwels Consulting, the Belgian consultancy company with subsidiaries in Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland, announces the acquisition of P.I.T.-Advisor. P.I.T.-Advisor is a Belgian IT service provider specialized in ERP solutions, software applications, hardware and project sourcing. Pauwels Consulting strengthens its position as a multidisciplinary IT service provider in Belgium as a result of this acquisition.

Pauwels Consulting and P.I.T.-Advisor have reached an agreement to combine their activities. Both companies were founded in 1999. Pauwels Consulting has since developed into an international provider of project sourcing, business process outsourcing, recruitment and projects in the field of engineering, life sciences and IT. P.I.T.-Advisor has become known to be a multidisciplinary IT service provider in Belgium.

As of today, P.I.T.-Advisor will function as an autonomous company within the Pauwels Consulting group. Marc De Roeck, cofounder and commercial manager for P.I.T.-Advisor, continues to be responsible for the further development of the P.I.T.-Advisor activities. As such, the quality and continuity of the service will be guaranteed.

Growth strategy and acquisition fit perfectly

Johan Mertens, cofounder and managing director of P.I.T.-Advisor, is pleased with the acquisition: “To support the continued growth of P.I.T.-Advisor, we were in search of a strong, reliable and multidisciplinary IT service provider in Belgium with a complementary portfolio of services and clients. Moreover we were looking for a dynamic partner with a high level of experience, a clear strategy, a distinct vision and the same values and ambitions. Pauwels Consulting fitted this profile perfectly.”

Bert Pauwels, general manager of Pauwels Consulting, is also very pleased with this acquisition: “Since the start of our partnership with 3D-Investments in January 2016, we explicitly focus our attention on organic growth and growth by means of strategic acquisitions. We have been interested in P.I.T.-Advisor for a longer period of time since our employees, services and clients are perfectly complementary. This results in a leverage effect. This is a very good day for our clients and our employees.”

Again clients and employees are the most important winners

“Following this acquisition, we have a diverse team of approximately 380 experienced consultants”, says Marc De Roeck, cofounder and commercial manager for P.I.T.-Advisor. “This offers fabulous opportunities for sharing knowledge and for broadening and deepening our services for existing and new clients in Belgium and throughout Europe.”

Bert Pauwels: “I fully endorse this. Another pleasant aspect is the fact that we can now offer the Pauwels Consulting and P.I.T.-Advisor employees even more career perspectives. Our employees will now have the possibility to work on even more different projects with various clients. This will no doubt present an impressive cross-fertilisation, which will benefit both our clients and our employees.”

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Pauwels Consulting and P.I.T.-Advisor join forces

19 Dec 2016
Pauwels Consulting and P.I.T.-Advisor, two successful Belgian consulting companies, have agreed to merge their operations. As of today, P.I.T.-Advisor will be operating as an independent unit within the Pauwels Consulting Group.
Marc De Roeck, co-founder and commercial manager of P.I.T. Advisor, will remain responsible for the further development of P.I.T.-Advisor’s activities. Johan Mertens, co-founder and managing director of P.I.T. Advisor will enjoy a well-deserved retirement.
We had a conversation with Bert Pauwels, founder and Managing Director of Pauwels Consulting and Johan Mertens and Marc De Roeck of P.I.T.-Advisor.
Gentlemen, congratulations on this deal! Can you briefly introduce yourselves?

Marc: Sure. I’m Marc De Roeck, Commercial Engineer by training. I started my career as an auditor and analyst. Over the years, I’ve held various commercial positions and, in 1999, Johan and I founded P.I.T.-Advisor.

Johan: I’m Johan Mertens, 63 and veteran in the IT world (laughs). I have held several IT roles during my career and in 1999, I took the plunge into entrepreneurship and started my own company, P.I.T. Advisor.

Bert: I’m Bert Pauwels, the youngest of us three (laughs). I have always been an entrepreneur at heart and I founded Pauwels Consulting in 1999. At first, I still took on projects myself, but since 2004, I’m fully engaged in the daily management of the company.

Speaking of which, can you briefly introduce P.I.T. Advisor and Pauwels Consulting?

Johan: P.I.T. Advisor is an IT services company from Antwerp. We have 80 fantastic consultants and we deliver integrated ERP applications and software and hardware tailored to our clients’ specific needs.

Marc: In addition, we have increasingly focused on project sourcing in the past 10 years. We support our customers in a wide variety of development and integration projects.

Bert: Pauwels Consulting specializes in project sourcing, business process outsourcing, recruitment and projects in the field of engineering, life sciences and IT. We work for companies in Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

Starting today, both companies will join forces. Why did you decide to work together?

Johan: Due to health reasons, I have decided to step aside this year. My hearing is increasingly deteriorating. This has started to affect my work at P.I.T.-Advisor. I made this decision with mixed feelings but I am sure it is the right decision.

Marc: I still have lots of ideas and energy to continue with P.I.T. Advisor. I see our collaboration with Pauwels Consulting as a catalyst: all of a sudden, our team is five times larger and we can now serve even more customers. This offers many benefits for our customers and excellent career opportunities for our employees.

Bert: At Pauwels Consulting, we note that companies are increasingly entrusting tasks to a smaller number of contractors. Therefore, it is important to continuously develop our services and our customer portfolio. In that regard, this collaboration with P.I.T.-Advisor came at the perfect time.

In what way Bert?

Bert: I have been following P.I.T. Advisor for a while now. The people, projects and customers of P.I.T. Advisor and Pauwels Consulting complement each other perfectly. We understand each other, but we are not competitors. That is a good starting point for a collaboration.

Marc: During our conversations, we quickly noticed that the strategy, vision and ambitions of our companies can be aligned easily. We immediately got along on a personal level as well. In such cases, you should not hesitate.

Johan: I wanted our new partner to be young, dynamic and experienced. Such partners are rare, but Bert Pauwels and Pauwels Consulting fit the profile perfectly.

At what point did you know you would join forces?

Johan: I’m a tough cookie (laughs) and we have had some lively discussions, but in the end we all came to an agreement. That’s how I know it’s going to be all right. Marc and I have a very good feeling about this collaboration.

Bert: Conversations about an acquisition or other forms of co-operation are always a bit precarious. But in the end, we quickly came to an agreement because we had the interest of both our companies in mind. Our employees and customers will benefit from this.

What are the benefits of this partnership for your clients?

Marc: In recent years, P.I.T.-Advisor has built a beautiful and diverse customer portfolio. And this customer base is complementary to that of Pauwels Consulting.

Johan: The same goes for our services and the skills and competences of our consultants. Thanks to this collaboration, we can immediately extend our services and support customers in even more fields. This is an important strategic advantage for the future.

Bert: At Pauwels Consulting, we’re increasingly focusing on Business Process Outsourcing: we are happy to take care of the management of entire departments and processes of our clients. Thanks to the strategic expansion of our workforce and our competence matrix, we can take up increasingly complex departments and projects.

And what are the benefits for the employees?

Bert: We think it’s important that our employees have clear and broad career opportunities. Thanks to this partnership, our customer base grows significantly. This means that the people in our back-office and our consultants can take on new projects, functions and responsibilities in a natural way.

Marc: We also see many opportunities for knowledge sharing. Pauwels Consulting is paying more and more attention to knowledge sharing. The Pauwels Consulting Academy is a great example. I am confident that our people actively can and want to contribute to this.

Sounds great gentlemen! Do you have a final message for our readers?

Bert: I’m really looking forward to welcoming our new colleagues from P.I.T.-Advisor. The same goes for our whole team. During previous acquisitions, the integration and cross-fertilization between colleagues always ran smoothly. I am convinced it won’t be any different this time.

Marc: I really want to start this new chapter. We have already made a beautiful journey with P.I.T.-Advisor and now we have the opportunity to accelerate our business. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Johan: I’m glad I can hand over P.I.T.-Advisor to Marc and Bert with confidence. I really enjoyed building the company and bringing it up to this point. I am also proud and grateful that the company can start a new chapter now. I’m sure this collaboration will turn out fine.

Thanks for this interview gentlemen. Congratulations again and good luck with all of your future projects.

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Pauwels Consulting honored as WORKSENSE Supplier of the Year

12 Jul 2016
WORKSENSE, the global external workforce solutions program of KellyOCG for the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, has honored Pauwels Consulting as WORKSENSE Belgium Supplier of the Year 2015.

The WORKSENSE Supplier program is aimed at selecting the best suppliers of talent in order to get access to the best external talent at the best price and at the right time.

Mélodie Rogiers, Key Account Manager at Pauwels Consulting, received the award at the yearly WORKSENSE summit at Janssen Beerse on July 7, 2016.

Mélodie Rogiers, Key Account Manager, and Van Nguyen, Operations Director and Partner at Pauwels Consulting

“I would like to thank everyone – and especially our team – for their help and their share in making this cooperation with Janssen, Johnson & Johnson and WORKSENSE a success”, says Rogiers. “This award is a team effort. We won it last year, and we won it this year (along with the Supplier Excellence Award of KellyOCG), so we know what we should strive for in the future!

Every day we work hard to supply the WORKSENSE team with the best possible candidates for positions at Johnson & Johnson. Last year, we saw a strong growth of our group of consultants at J&J. We are very happy to be recognized for our hard work.

We will continue to optimize our way of working. Our goal is now to further expand our services to the EMEA WORKSENSE program and other programs of KellyOCG.

Big thanks to the entire team at Pauwels Consulting, our consultants and our partner WORKSENSE for the great teamwork and this wonderful award.”

About KellyOCG®

KellyOCG® is a leading global advisor of talent supply chain strategies and workforce solutions. They are dedicated to helping clients ditch the script on old ways of thinking about their workforce strategy. They anticipate what’s next in the future of work and apply market insights, data analytics, and supply chain management principles to design customised solutions where businesses and talent thrive. Our commitment to challenging the status quo positions us as a trusted strategic partner for our global client portfolio, which spans leading industries across North America, APAC and EMEA.

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Pauwels Consulting Recognized by KellyOCG® as a Top Supplier

14 Apr 2016
Pauwels Consulting was recently recognized by KellyOCG, the outsourcing and consulting group of Kelly Services, with the company’s annual Supplier Excellence Award. The award honors national and global suppliers whose outstanding service, superior results and strategic partnerships have made a significant impact on KellyOCG's business.

This is the fourth consecutive year that KellyOCG recognized its top suppliers and granted the Supplier Excellence Award. Twenty-four companies from Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific were recognized at an event at Kelly Services’ world headquarters. On April 11, 2016, Pauwels Consulting attended the award ceremony in London.

“Kelly’s partnership with Pauwels Consulting has enabled us to successfully execute our clients’ talent strategies,” said Thorsten Koletschka, supplier strategy and engagement lead, Global Talent Supply Chain Management, KellyOCG. “The diversity of the delivery models and capabilities of the award winners reflect the importance of recognizing the unique demands of our broad customer base.”

“We are very honored and excited to be recognized as one of the Top Suppliers of KellyOCG,” said Mélodie Rogiers, Key Account Manager and SPOC for KellyOCG at Pauwels Consulting. “Our partnership with KellyOCG started a few years ago. Since then, we have witnessed an enormous evolution at KellyOCG and Pauwels Consulting”, added Van Nguyen, Operations Director and Partner at Pauwels Consulting.

“At Pauwels Consulting we live by the mantra

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’.

Our partnership with KellyOCG perfectly supports this philosophy and we look forward to continuing our journey together.”

About KellyOCG

KellyOCG®, the Outsourcing and Consulting Group of workforce solutions provider, Kelly Services, is a global leader in integrated workforce solution delivery for clients worldwide, utilizing proven talent supply chain strategies. In addition to integrated solutions, KellyOCG specializes in Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Contingent Workforce Outsourcing (CWO), Talent Advisory Services, Career Transition and Executive Coaching & Development, and Executive Search.

KellyOCG was named to the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® 2016 Global Outsourcing 100® list, an annual ranking of the world’s best outsourcing service providers and advisors. Further information about KellyOCG may be found at kellyocg.com.

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