Jacco van de Griek on his journey from trainee to Director

Written by Consultancy.co.uk

2026 is a special year for Jacco van de Griek. He was promoted to Director on 1 January and is celebrating Improven's tenth anniversary this year - extra special for Jacco, who was there from day one. Enough reason to look back, but especially also forward. Because Jacco has big ambitions with Young Improven, which he now leads: “We want to become the number one development programme in consultancy.”

Jacco van de Griek is in the office when we speak to him via Teams. “It's a 25-minute drive,” he explains. “I am physically here or at the client's premises as much as possible. During corona we have sat at home enough. I like being among people.”

It is a major reason why he is in such a good place - almost a decade now:“Improven feels like my home.”

Jacco remembers well how he was approached by Maarten van Weeghel. “He had mentored me on my thesis and we had stayed in touch. He told me that with a small club of 40 people, they were Improving started and asked if I felt like joining. I started on September 1, pretty much as the first hire.”

Seeing all dreams come true

What followed were ten turbulent years. “When we started, we were still in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Then, of course, came corona, global supply chain disruptions, skyrocketing inflation, rising geopolitical tensions and so on. If I have learned one thing, it is that you never know exactly what to expect.”

Even so, Improven managed to grow into an established name in the consultancy industry. “In large part precisely by helping organisations deal with that uncertainty,” Jacco explains. “By setting up processes so solidly and realising projects in such a way that they remain resilient and competitive.”

“I started as a trainee and have learned almost everything I know here,” he says.”

Looking back on those first ten years of Improven, Jacco's gratitude prevails: “In this turbulent world, I have seen all the dreams we had ten years ago come true. We started with a fixed core - projects, processes, finance, IT and risk management - and are now leading in. In addition, we continued to expand, becoming more and more a full-service office, now with more than 250 employees.”

Nursery

Jacco himself was also constantly developing. In doing so, he distinguishes two phases. “The first five years I focused entirely on content - in my case project, programme and portfolio management with corporates, multinationals, the mid-market at home and abroad, with side trips to the central government.

The second phase began in 2021, when he joined the management of Young Improven, the development programme for young talents launched three years earlier. “Under the leadership of Guido Anninga and Masha Hennequin, we have built Young Improven into what it is today: a wonderful breeding ground for talent.”

“We started with business consulting. Now, five years later, there are three tracks - in addition to business consulting, finance consulting and data and AI consulting. We have grown tremendously: we now hire almost 40 talents a year. This also makes us an important foundation for Improven's growth. It is great to see that talents from the programme have now moved on within our organisation and are in our management team.”

Having himself started even before Young Improven existed, Jacco still counts himself somewhat among that group. “I also started as a trainee - fresh out of school - and have learned almost everything I know here,” he says.”

The number one development programme

His appointment as Director is the provisional crowning glory of Jacco's development. “I am now part of Improven's management team,” he explains. “In addition, I have been ultimately responsible for Young Improven since last year.”

Together with the rest of the management team of Young Improven - Franka Buitenhuis, Jorg Melchers, Léon Lasker and Maud Bruijs - he continues down the same path. “We will continue to build and strengthen the label,” he indicates.

“I can still do wonderful client projects, and besides that, I am fully engaged in entrepreneurship.”

In any case, there is no lack of ambition: “We want to become the number one development programme in consultancy, with our team of talents doing challenging assignments with cool clients in all the sectors we operate in - from central government, healthcare and energy to corporates and the mid-market.”

The team is already working hard to realise this ambition. “A small sample: we are working on a more modular programme, which will allow our talents to broaden beyond the core curriculum. We are also pushing for new business models and more collaboration with sister company It'sValue. Finally, I can firmly reveal that we are coming up with a sharpened rebranding this year. So more on that later...”

The complete man

Jacco clearly enjoys his role. “I still get to do wonderful client projects, and in addition I am fully engaged in business: business development, bringing in clients and, of course, recruiting new trainees. It feels a bit like football scouting: scouring the squares - universities in our case - for tomorrow's talents.”

He emphasises that recruitment within Improven remains eminently human. “At a time when AI is increasingly automating recruitment, we very consciously do not go along with this: every candidate is assessed by a human. This is the only way to find out whether it really is a match - you want to see the person behind the CV.”

For Jacco, it gets to the heart of Improven - and the reason he feels so at home there. “With us it's all about the person - the person behind the consultant, the person behind the client. I always feel commitment, warmth and a listening ear here - even in difficult times.”

“For the past year, I have been providing informal care,” he says of this. “There was plenty of space and support for that. That attention to the whole person makes this such a special place. That's the reason I've been here for ten years and want to be in the office every day.”

The highest level

According to Jacco, people are also crucial in projects - right in these digital times. “IT-driven change remains the main trend in this sector. However, the biggest challenge is not technological, but organisational: how do you implement systems on time and within budget and - even more importantly - make sure they actually deliver value? That ultimately hinges on people.”

“Gather people around you who challenge you and with whom you can have a great time.”

Take a project for a large international beer brewer. “There, we have been working on a massive digital transformation for four years. We are innovating, developing and implementing solutions around dashboarding and analytics, IIoT, robotics and AI to make the brewery's core processes run as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

“It is wonderful that as a business partner we work with such a top company worldwide,” he says beaming. “I get to know SO many inspiring people - young, talented leaders from all kinds of countries and cultures. Performing together at that level, I find that insane.”

Embrace the unexpected

With almost ten years under his belt, Jacco is therefore far from done with Improven. “Whether you are supporting a client in solving a challenge or helping someone take a step in his career - working together towards a goal remains a wonderful experience. That at the end you can look back together: ‘It was tough, but we did it’.”

Talents still at the beginning of their journey, he advises embracing the unexpected. “Your career is full of surprises. It will never be as linear as you envisage. That is precisely where the best opportunities lie.”

“It also allows you to find your authentic self,” he explains. “In the beginning, I was very studious and too results-oriented. As the years progressed, I got to know myself better: Who am I when things are going well? Who am I when things get difficult? What gives me energy?”

It ties in directly with his latest advice: “Gather people around you who challenge you and with whom you can have a great time. I have seen friends become colleagues, colleagues become clients and clients become friends. For me, that sums everything up.”