The EMEA Recruitment podcast was pleased to welcome Jean-Michel Deckers, who serves on the board of various entities, and advises them on governance processes and growth strategies.

“I’ve grown the most when I was confronted with my own limitations by management.”

As a previous CFO, CEO and M&A professional, Jean-Michel also supports a portfolio of clients in the technology, life science, medical and cosmetic industries in their strategies, development and corporate Finance projects.

Jean-Michel spoke to our Founder, Paul Toms, from his home office in Switzerland. He discussed the challenges and opportunities that he’s seen in different roles at various companies, and the biggest obstacle that he currently faces as a non-executive director.

Jean-Michel combines his various interests, particularly in technology and life sciences, in his current work and is committed to using technology to have a positive impact on people’s lives. It’s this passion that helps him bring different perspectives to business.

In fact, Jean-Michel explains the importance of using data correctly within the Finance function, as more and more data is available to companies.

His focus on providing meaningful results is something that he also applies to management, as he describes himself as “more a mentor than a manager”. Building for the long-term is also essential for retaining the best people, Jean-Michel believes.

During these current strange and sometimes difficult times, Jean-Michel offers his best advice for prioritising, working from home and preparation.

We also discussed who Jean-Michel has been mentored by in his own career and why he probably got more support than he deserved!

We hope that you’re inspired by Jean-Michel’s commitment to enriching the use of data and guarding of the Finance function – please share this episode of the EMEA Recruitment podcast with anyone that you think would enjoy it.

The timestamps below will help you find the section you’re looking for:

01:20 – Challenges and opportunities
03:56 – How to draw the line as a non-executive director
05:01 – Using tech to have a positive impact
08:16 – Data as a key responsibility of the Finance function
13:38 – Using data in a meaningful way
16:27 – Jean-Michel’s projects for the next 12 months
19:29 – Balancing people’s strengths and weaknesses
25:27 – Retaining the best people
26:53 – How to prioritise
29:38 – The importance of exercise
32:05 – Creating a culture of feedback
39:35 – Jean-Michel’s mentors
44:02 – How to reach out to Jean-Michel

Listen to the full episode here: 

Or at: https://emearecruitment.libsyn.com/emea-recruitment-podcast-69-using-data-in-a-meaningful-way-jean-michel-deckers

You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

If you’d like to connect with Jean-Michel, visit his LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-michel-deckers/

We’d like to thank our charity partner, Operation Smile, for supporting the EMEA Recruitment podcast. We hope to raise valuable funds and awareness for the work this amazing charity does through our partnership. To find out more and to support this cause, visit: https://www.emearecruitment.com/pages/operation-smile

This Finance episode of the EMEA Recruitment podcast was hosted by Paul Toms and Jenny Callum.

If you’d like to find out more about EMEA Recruitment, please visit our website: https://www.emearecruitment.com/

You can also follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emea-recruitment-limited/

To connect with Paul, click here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultoms/

Or Jenny, at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennycallumemea/

If you have any topics that you’d like covered in the EMEA Recruitment podcast, please let us know via LinkedIn.