Mechteld Kirpensteijn: Raising great expectations

Mechteld Kirpensteijn, former Senior Manager in the Technology business unit at Valcon, is leveraging her self-awareness to inspire others on the path to career growth in the technical consulting industry. She shares more about how to reframe your mindset, embrace mistakes, and be intentional about the future.

Mechteld’s path to her role at Valcon was not a straight line. Her studies in Econometrics (the application of statistical and mathematical methods to economic data to test theories and forecast trends) opened many doors, but not an obvious one. After four internships that left her underwhelmed, she did the work: tough conversations, interviews, and some honest self-reflection. She eventually found her home within Valcon, a European consultancy focused on data-driven business transformation, integrating consulting, technology and data capabilities. In its nature, consulting work is fast-paced and complex, but to Mechteld, it proved to be fantastic soil in which to bloom.

Self-awareness as a superpower

One thing that Mechteld knew when setting out on her consulting journey was that she was enthusiastic about being hands-on beyond the advisory side. “I began at Valcon as a low-code developer, which gave me practical experience building solutions from the ground up. Over my time at Valcon, I  transitioned more towards project and programme management, with a strong emphasis on implementation and change management in tech projects,” Mechteld explains. In her role as senior manager, which she recently moved on from, she was dedicated to delivering sustainable impact while working with her clients on operations technology and transformation.

She is still a self-aware person and finds that it’s an underrated soft skill within the consulting environment. “I try to connect with both the technical and business stakeholders. My technical foundation helps in understanding what the IT delivery teams need, but I find a lot of purpose and fulfilment in bridging the gap between business, IT departments and technical stakeholders.” She is energised by Valcon’s entrepreneurial culture too, which gives employees room to contribute to the firm’s own evolution, commercially and professionally. “I think this culture suited me well; it gave me room to grow in every direction,” she adds.

“You cannot change the environment by only changing the women."

Consulting on inspiration 

Mechteld believes that there are many parallels to be drawn between one’s career journey and consulting frameworks. She views skills development and career growth through the lens of a consulting project: start by defining your minimum viable product (MVP), which is what you want to achieve at its core, then map out the steps to get there. “This will define your focus and keep you on track. And then, from that foundation, refine your plan and adjust the scope as you go. This will make you resilient in the face of challenge, but will also enable you to pursue opportunities that come across your path.”

Reframing failures

Although Mechteld is keen to encourage others not to fear making mistakes in the name of progress, she is conscious that your working environment and support structures play an important role in your growth journey. In the end, a person can only do a job to the very best of their ability with the knowledge they have at the time. “It’s imperative that your team has your back and that your manager is on board – a single person should not be carrying the burden of the responsibility completely alone when they are still learning. But your own perspective also carries massive value. Something like feeling insecure can be reframed as simply being curious. That way, you feel much more comfortable asking questions, and you approach it from a place of strength.”

She also notes that it’s tough to reframe failure while you are in the eye of a storm, and that some time and distance can do you a world of good. She knows all too well how teams can be under pressure in changing environments, and that a timeout with a team to check in about people’s emotions and frustrations can improve delivery and help bring about overall project success.

Great expectations

At the time of this interview, Mechteld was standing on the cusp of first-time motherhood. As a supporter of gender balance in the digital technology industry, she was already intentional about the mindset she wants to raise her baby boy with. Her hope is for him to be the kind of person who values the characteristics and strengths of different kinds of people in the workforce, and to be an ally to women. “You cannot change the environment by only changing the women,” she says.

To Mechteld, raising an ally starts with raising a good person – someone who is simply curious about, and respectful of, people who are different from him. A graduate of the RightBrains Digital Talent Programme herself, Mechteld was also involved in Valcon’s internal mentoring programme. “Don’t underestimate the power of having amazing women to look up to, especially in a technical environment. It can be within your own company, but also within the larger industry. And I’m proud to say that I’ll be striving to be a role model to others in my new journey of motherhood – and beyond.”

This article was originally published in the RightBrains DIGIDIVA Magazine. Check out this year's issue for more inspiration or to get involved!