Years ago, I wanted a career change—from a mergers and acquisitions lawyer to investment professional. So, I completed a one-year MBA program and then joined BCG, wanting to finish off the MBA with business cases of flesh-and-blood at a company which speaks credibility, through its reputation.

While at BCG, I learned key skills essential for success as an investor. BCG refined my skills to swiftly grasp and understand the context, to decipher, interpret and extract key points from masses of information, and to determine what actions to then take. At BCG and as an investor we are strongly focused on value: what are the value drivers?

How are we benchmarked vis-à-vis industry peers and how can we push our investee companies to think out-of-the box to outperform? BCG defined my business ethics. At BCG, you have the right and obligation to speak up. There is no place to hide, and you stretch yourself in your efforts to make a difference to your clients.

Piet joined BCG in 1993, after attending INSEAD for an MBA.  He also holds a law degree from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Piet is now a member of the executive committee of Ackermans & van Haaren.

My interest in being an entrepreneur stems from my university days but I was weary of entering the world of an SME with low growth aspirations.

Someone suggested I consider BCG, and during the interview process itself I could see that there was an entrepreneurial attitude behind the way BCG worked. You had to be quick, discover opportunities, and develop concrete actions while working with like-minded individuals. During my years at BCG, I was pushed as if I had limitless capabilities, developed a critical mindset, and became results oriented.

Alexander joined the Brussels Office of BCG in 1999.

He graduated as a Commercial Engineer from Solvay Management School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in June 1998 and also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago.

Alexander now works as a director for Darts_ip, and was co-founding partner of Transwide.

I found my career at BCG to be extremely thrilling. You are influencing key decisions and actions of top management teams, sometimes with the very existence of the company at stake.

I decided to join LMS for the opportunity and challenge to put a high technology company on a new path for growth. But the toughest decision was actually to leave BCG, because there is always something new to learn and great people you want to stick around with.