TriFinance sets up in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is the fourth country where TriFinance is active, after Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. TriFinance has chosen 2 experienced Client Partners, Anne-Laure and Samy, to handle its expansion into Luxembourg. "Our model of offering operational support combined with practical advice does not exist in the Grand Duchy, where we are already doing more than I had originally planned, despite the Covid-19 epidemic", underlines Xavier Gabriëls, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Parklane Insight Group. "Of course we are focusing on the financial sector, but we are not stopping there. We are presenting ourselves in Luxembourg with our entire portfolio of services."

Samy adds: "The advantage at TriFinance is that we don't have to carry the administrative burden that characterizes the biggest players in the consulting field, with their complex structures and hierarchies. Departments sometimes tend to work in silos within these companies, and one can quickly feel stuck in a predestined path. At TriFinance, we are at the helm of our career.

For Anne-Laure, our network organization offers a new approach to consulting, with consultants who have experience in the field: "We are committed to combining theory and practice". Our Me inc.®'ers work for and with the client. They don't just propose solutions, they implement and follow up on them. Anne-Laure speaks of "pragmatism" and "flexibility". She emphasizes that by taking the reins of their careers, employees reveal their potential and achieve better results.

"Luxembourg may be a small country, but its market is huge. It has a banking sector with almost 130 institutions and is home to many ManCo's and other holding companies that organize and shape their European activities from here. So it was logical for us to locate here. We have already signed several contracts, and a dozen others are on the right track," says Samy. These contracts mainly concern advice to financial departments but also to entities in charge of risk management, compliance and operations. Anne-Laure continues : "Our clients are banks, it's true, but also companies active in the metallurgy, IT and retail sectors. These achievements show that Luxembourg offers many and varied opportunities."

Both explain that the Luxembourg business world is a very special ecosystem. Everybody knows each other ("You can meet a client on every street corner!") and partnerships are commonplace. The trendy concept "frenemies" fits perfectly in this context. "Here, the human dimension plays a major role in conducting business. The fact that the coronavirus crisis drastically limits physical encounters could have been a brake on our development, but that was not the case," says Anne-Laure.

Jean-Philippe Thirion, head of the Belgian Blue Chip Boutique Financial Institutions and the new Blue Chip Boutique in Luxembourg, emphasizes that this local specificity requires a local presence. He adds that the environment in Luxembourg, despite its small size, is very international. For him, this is one more element that can motivate employees to carry out missions there, in order to increase their employability, and which can of course also attract new employees.

"For example, Désirée and Richard are two Dutch colleagues who are on assignment in Luxembourg. This is part of TriFinance's flexible dimension: we offer our clients the most suitable Project Consultants, regardless of the department they work in or the country they live in. The Covid-19 crisis opens new ways for us and also allows us to take advantage of the advent of virtual meetings and teleworking. The principle of telework is becoming more and more important and accelerates the need to rethink the rules of governance and work processes, what we globally call 'reinventing the workplace'. »

Finally, Xavier underlines that Luxembourg is just one more step in TriFinance's expansion in Europe.

Anne-Laure Ferreira holds a Master's degree in Finance from Reims Management School (Reims, France). She has 15 years of experience in the field of corporate finance, with a specialization in management control and Corporate Performance Management (CPM). For 5 years, Anne-Laure contributed to the development of the CPM offer within the Satriun Group in Switzerland, then at KPMG Luxembourg, where she held a Senior Manager position. "The arrival of TriFinance in Luxembourg represents, for Samy and me, a great opportunity".

Samy Hoballah obtained a Master's degree in Finance and Audit at the ICN Business School (Nancy, France), before embarking on an MBA at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, USA). He worked in the banking sector for 10 years (BNP, KBL then ING), and then decided to join the consulting world. About his experience at KPMG Luxembourg, Samy explains: "The experience was enriching and we certainly keep in touch, but it was time for me for the next step.”

"I then met Xavier and Jean-Philippe, 2 great ambassadors of TriFinance. Not only did they explain their company's philosophy to me, but they also demonstrated it to me. That's how I realized what I needed: a smaller structure giving priority to both the employee and the client. Today, I am very happy to be able to build TriFinance Luxembourg with Anne-Laure!"