Who is Simon, Consultant at H4 Partners?
Questions asked by Inès Raphel, junior consultant at H4 Partners
Hello Simon! Can you tell us the key stages of your professional career?
During my studies at the Sorbonne, I had the opportunity to discover management control within several companies such as the French entity of General Motors or the headquarters of the Pernod Ricard group. I then moved to the same group to work for the Global Travel Retail entity in London for a year. It was early 2019 when I joined H4 Partners as a consultant.
Why did you join H4 Partners?
My choice to join a consulting firm, and more specifically H4 Partners, was well thought out. First, having worked with one of the partners in a previous experience gave me a lot of confidence. This is a real plus when you join a new company. Then, H4 Partners being a young company, with a “start-up” spirit and real growth prospects, it seemed to me a unique opportunity. Indeed, being able to participate in the development of a human-sized structure, which moreover corresponds entirely to my professional expectations that are among others the spirit of entrepreneurship, the diversity of the missions, or the permanent development. All this with the common goal of improving the performance of our clients’ various finance functions. These are all reasons that led me to join H4 Partners.
What are your missions within the firm?
One of the major advantages of a consulting firm for me is the variety of the missions. Indeed, my missions can be grouped into two main categories. The first, which is the most present, concerns the missions carried out on behalf of our clients. These are varied, including the development of digital dashboards, the analysis of commercial and financial performance, the modeling of a budgetary tool, the realization of a business plan or an operational intervention within a management control team. All the missions proposed within the firm allow me to develop a significant number of skills related to the world of finance. The second category of missions concerns the internal contribution to the firm, such as the writing of commercial proposals, the continuous improvement of internal processes, recruitment, business intelligence or the representation of the firm at events related to our activity.
What are your main professional challenges?
My ambition is to participate fully in the development of the firm, to continue to evolve within it by working in particular on technical, commercial and managerial skills. Concerning this last point, my objective is to acquire more responsibilities over the years in order to carry out the various missions of the firm. Moreover, I wish to continue to give the best of myself in order to “perform” in the dynamic environment of business consulting, which I believe meets the needs of companies of all sizes.
What are the values of H4 Partners that represent you the most?
The first value of H4 Partners that comes to my mind is trust, towards the partners, the employees but also towards the customers. This is for me a fundamental value in our daily work. Of course, other values such as excellence and pragmatism are complementary and very important in our work. It is a profession rich in values. Indeed, our work must be exemplary and the sharing of knowledge is extremely present, in particular thanks to the experience of the partners.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Without a doubt, permanent enrichment! Indeed, the diversity of the missions as mentioned above, the development of multiple skills and the exchanges with the various customers and collaborators are all very motivating aspects on a daily basis. I would add customer and personal satisfaction following a successful mission, which is also a very positive aspect of this job.
What is your wish list for the next few years?
For the next few years, I would like to adopt a development plan that will allow me to acquire certain skills necessary for the evolution of my career. I am thinking in particular of project management or communication, which are keys to success in more senior positions. Moreover, as it is the case since my arrival at H4 Partners, I wish to continue to enjoy a good life balance which is, according to me, one of the keys to good professional development.
Finally, any advice for those who wish to join the H4 Partners adventure?
The firm’s activity being in strong growth, I can only encourage the various candidates to join the firm which represents an excellent professional opportunity. The advice I would give is, firstly, to demonstrate your desire to evolve in a human-sized structure which implies a certain proactivity; secondly, to be reactive and curious about the different missions to be carried out; finally, to demonstrate your strong appetite for analytical subjects. Being part of the H4 Partners adventure is for me a real pleasure, do not hesitate, join us!
You now know Simon better!
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