Pauwels people

Working as a IT Program Manager

27 Oct 2019
In our series ‘Pauwels people’, our colleagues introduce themselves and talk about how they experience working at Pauwels Consulting and with our clients. Today, we are going to get acquainted with Rudi Princen, Senior IT Program Manager.

Hi Rudi. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Rudi: Sure! My name is Rudi Princen. I am 51 years old, married and I have four children.

What do you do in your spare time?

Rudi: Since I work part-time, I have more spare time than most people. That doesn’t mean I’m not busy though. (Smiles) I like to spend quality time with my wife and children. We love to travel, for example, and if the weather is nice in Belgium, we occasionally go on scooter tours through Limburg.

Together with my wife, I also run a spiritual association: Oneness. We regularly organize spiritual sessions or events with interesting local and international speakers. My wife is also a horse coach, so I’m regularly working with horses as well.

What did you study, and where?

Rudi: I graduated as a Translator / Interpreter French – Modern Greek. After that, I got a diploma in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Bergen as well.

Later, I also obtained a Master in Modern Finance at EHSAL Brussels and a Master in Auditing at the ‘Kamer van Rekenplichtigen’ in Antwerp.

Why did you choose these studies?

Rudi: I have always been fascinated by other languages and cultures. I have lived and worked in Greece for a year, for example. That’s why I wanted to become a Translator / Interpreter.

During my language studies, my interest in economic and financial sciences eventually got the upper hand. I wanted to know more about those fields of study and apply that knowledge later on.

How did you get in touch with Pauwels Consulting, and what was your first impression?

Rudi: I got in touch with Pauwels Consulting – quite recently, actually – through GSK. My first impression? Pauwels Consulting is a large professional organization that is deeply engaged with its clients.

What did you do before joining Pauwels Consulting?

Rudi: I have about 24 years of work experience, mainly as an IT project leader and as an IT program manager, of which 14 years at Accenture.

I have been working in the banking sector for about 7 years, in the public sector – mainly at BPost, the Federal Government and various European institutions – for 11 years and in the industrial sector for 6 years, of which 2 years in the pharmaceutical industry.

I like working with teams on big, innovative or ambitious projects, preferably within a digital context: web or multi-channel applications for transactions with customers, partners and employees.

“I love the responsibility to realize a challenging timeline and scope with a great team.”

Which of your previous projects did you like most of all?

Rudi: I have led many interesting IT projects and programs at Accenture, particularly in the public sector. I learned a lot during those projects.

Some of the most prominent programs I’ve ever managed, were the implementation of the ‘Federaal Portaal’ including the web application for the ‘Kruispuntbank Ondernemingen’, Tax-on-web for the Federal Government, and the implementation of the central Biometric Matching System for the European Commission for VISA applications within the Schengen area.

I’ve been working as a freelancer since 2014. And – as a freelancer – I found the digital transformation program for Doosan very interesting. It was a re-platforming of 32 digital applications, mainly to Salesforce and Hybris as target platforms. The migration program I’m leading now at GSK is also very interesting.

Can you tell us a bit more about your current project at GSK?

Rudi: I’d love to! I am responsible for an ambitious integration and migration program at GSK.

GSK has purchased a large proportion of the vaccines of Novartis. That’s why more than 5,000 people will be moving from Novartis to GSK, as well as a dozen terabytes of data and documentation about those vaccines.

The program includes a dozen projects to migrate this data and documentation from Novartis to GSK applications. Our largest project has gone live recently.

It seems like quite the project! What are the timelines of this project?

Rudi: The bulk of the program will run until the end of this year, but there are still a few projects in the pipeline as well. Those will probably run until 2017.

What do you like about this project?

Rudi: I love the responsibility to realize a challenging timeline and scope with a great team. I also think the specific methodology used to achieve these data migrations is really fascinating. Last but not least: the atmosphere at GSK IT is great!

What are your lessons learned so far?

Rudi: During this project, I have learned an interesting new methodology to migrate data, and – now – I am even more aware of the dangers and risks during large data migrations.

What would you like to do after this project?

Rudi: That is a difficult question. There are many interesting kinds of projects.

Still, innovative and transformational digital projects keep fascinating me: companies and organizations that want to interact more effectively with their customers and partners through innovative web or mobile applications.

What are your ambitions for the future?

Rudi: My ambitions are rather contradictory, actually. (Laughs) I want to manage interesting programs as an interim manager or executive. I would also like to grow with Prime Consultants, a network of 34 independent consultants which I’ve formed, if possible in cooperation with Pauwels Consulting.

On a more personal level, I want our spiritual association to reach even more people. I want to make them live more consciously. And I also want to spend more quality time with my wife and family. Do you see the challenge? (Laughs)I do.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? An inspiring quote perhaps?

Rudi: Certainly: Live from your heart. It’s not about the goal, but about the journey together.

Thank you very much for this lovely interview, Rudi. I wish you all the best for the future!

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