People Series - Cas Gaaf speaks to us about his move from Deloitte Netherlands

Hi Cas, tell us a bit about yourself and your role within our practice?

I am a Manager in our UK Occupiers & Capital Projects (O&CP) team, with over eight years of experience in management consulting. I joined O&CP from Deloitte Netherlands, and now work with a focus on real estate (operational) transformation and strategic sourcing. My clients mainly sit within the Energy and Financial Services sectors - my most recent client was a global financial institution which we supported in developing a global outsourcing strategy for facilities management, and real estate projects and services.

Why did you decide to make the move to London from the Netherlands?

I had the opportunity to work with O&CP on an international engagement, travelling between London and Amsterdam and getting to know the UK team. I really enjoyed the experience and felt that O&CP would be a great fit for me, so I jumped at the chance to move across in 2021. London is such a vibrant city and so many interesting clients are based here, but it also offers so much in terms of the culture and food scene!

It still must have been quite a big change - how long did it take you to settle into your new role in O&CP?

The transition was made easier by the fact that I already had some experience of working in London, but my team went above and beyond to make me feel at home from day one! It was not too long before I felt able to throw myself into O&CP client work and developing out our practice. We have regular team socials, which are a great way to catch up with our ever-growing team and are always great fun! Besides the socials I most recently joined one of our sporting teams running through Central London past the beautiful landmarks and the Thames!

What advice would you give to anyone who might be considering a similar move? Where can they find our more information?

Go for it! I am so glad I decided to make the move and so far it has been a brilliant experience. I would also say that if you think O&CP would be a good fit for you, reach out to us to hear more about the work we do. We are a friendly team and welcome people from a broad range of backgrounds, so have a look at our job opportunities to see if one might be right for you.