Louis is a Senior Consultant working at the EDC Paris office. He has joined the firm in March 2021 and has graduated with an MBA from ESCP Business school in 2020. Prior to joining EDC, Louis worked for 7 years in the banking and aviation industries.

‍1. Why did you join EDC? What attracted you to the company and the Payments Consulting industry?

‍As a strategy consultancy firm, I was looking to join a human-sized environment, where sustainable solutions, interpersonal relationships and accessibility to management were valued. Throughout my different rounds of interviews to join EDC, I immediately felt I was knocking on the right door.My experience at Société Générale Consulting has led me to interact with different business units involved with payment functionalities – I quickly assessed how critical this segment was to banks’ overall customer value proposition and how they were failing to deliver in this area. Fintechs were gradually capturing market shares. It was time for me to deep dive into this industry and understand how the whole banking system was going to be reshaped in the coming years. EDC was to become a priority choice if I was to get the best understanding of the nuts and bolts of the payment industry.‍

2. What were your expectations when you first joined, and how right (or wrong) were you?

‍The reason I switched to consulting was to be permanently challenged and placed out of my comfort zone. There is no day at EDC without learning something new. The learning curve is incredible – and I expect it to stay steep. The payment ecosystem is a non-stopping evolving landscape, where massive investments are driving the market, where disruptive thoughts and technologies are shaping the way we will consume in the future. So far, I have been involved in high-stake projects, discussing with senior management from all sorts of segments going from fintech to traditional issuers or payment service providers. We advise leading organizations on high-level decisions in an unbiased fashion. We navigate an ecosystem interconnected and influenced by all the new disruptive technologies such as AI, ML or blockchain. More than ever, I know how lucky I am to be working at EDC.

‍3. What is unique about EDC, which make it respected within the payments and consulting industry?

‍At EDC, every word, concept, thought, or data edited in a deliverable is there for a reason, with a clear rationale behind it. Our teams are eager to bring value creation to the client. EDC’s directors have been in the industry for decades and are thought leaders in their fields, bringing their expert perspectives in every deliverable we produce. This proves to be extremely valuable to our clients as the shared intel can be found nowhere else. This is EDC’s value proposition.

‍4. What is your current role? What do you do?

‍I am a senior consultant. This position is hybrid and involves a large panel of responsibilities. I see two functions as key drivers to thrive in this role. A senior consultant needs strong project management skills to take ownership of specific work streams and ensure project momentum is at the right pace to meet the client’s deadlines. Client management skills is also an important characteristic of this role. I constantly try to build sustainable relationships with the clients and do my best to anticipate any issues that would arise throughout the projects.One of the most memorable projects I have been involved so far was to assess the market readiness for an engine developed by a leading card scheme. The product has been designed to simplify and automate the exchange of payments-related data between buyers and vendors. I strongly believe this tool has the potential to revolutionise B2B payments by combining payments and payments-related data to solve key pain points in B2B exchanges, such as cash flow and reconciliation issues.

‍5. What do you do in your spare time? What are your personal objectives in the next year(s)?

‍I am big a fan of tennis and golf. I try to stay competitive and play both sports on a weekly basis. My wife and I also love travelling – and at the twilight of the pandemic, we are planning many trips for the coming years!At a personal level, I want to strengthen my expertise in a specific field within the payment ecosystem. I am very curious to see how CBDCs and blockchain-related technologies will integrate the payment landscape in the coming years.‍

The content of this article does not reflect the official opinion of Edgar, Dunn & Company. The information and views expressed in this publication belong solely to the author(s).