Arjen Iwema has worked as a consultant for almost two decades, in a wide range of settings across the globe. His core skill is to make people think about their own business a few degrees deeper than they normally do. Goal is to come up with an underlying vision and a tangible strategy, often more useful than a long list of to-do items. After all, leading in business is more than “holding the fort”.
Arjen likes working from a place of individual and intellectual freedom. A little distance from the subject helps to get a clear view.
Being trained as an Aerospace engineer with a strong ability to see through complex issues, having many years of strategy consulting experience combined with a foundation in an oil major, allow for his ability to quickly develop deep insight into new client situations.
Arjen’s core strength, according to one of his recent clients, is to provoke the team in a charming way to develop new insights and work together more closely on topics that matter. “Deep focus” is a characterisation that people have often used for the way Arjen works with his teams. Sometimes being a little “rough on the edges”, while caring passionately about the subject matter allows Arjen to get the best out of his clients. Arjen has a highly inclusive approach: he embraces all team members, no matter their different style, status or orientation and helps them perform to the level of their best abilities, sometimes far beyond what they imagine they can achieve.
Arjen’s work ranges from strategic consulting through facilitation to training development and execution.
He moved from the Netherlands to Switzerland 13 years ago and now lives close to Lake Geneva. Having worked in 30 countries, including Africa and the Middle- and Far East, Arjen loves embracing different cultures and quickly adapts his style to fit well in new environments. He speaks fluent Dutch, English, French and German.
When not working, Arjen spends time in the outdoors, often in the water. To go places, he likes to move fast; he has a passion for bikes, skis, nice cars.