"I like working for Accenture: it is innovative and flexible, and we keep up with global developments at a pace that is hard to match," says Eben Smit in his forthright manner.
Smit is an industrial engineer by training, and apart from a bachelor’s degree in engineering (industrial), he has a diploma in marketing and, in 2004, was awarded a master of business administration by the University of Stellenbosch. He joined Accenture in 1996 and assumed his role as an executive director in Accenture’s Resources operating group in 2007.
Smit’s Accenture experience included a period in the Public Service operating group before moving to Resources in 1999. While gaining a breadth of exposure to an array of projects over the years, he has also been steadily deepening his knowledge, particularly in shared services, supply chain and strategic sourcing. As an industrial engineer, Smit is naturally drawn to new ways of thinking, and he particularly appreciates the enormous range of projects and accompanying challenges that his work brings. “Perhaps the biggest thing that I enjoy about Accenture is the variety of the problem solving that I’m exposed to—and of course being surrounded by good people to help come up with solutions,” he says.
Currently Smit and his team are contributing to a strategic-sourcing project that aims to create value for a global resources company, as well as implementing a global, multiple-level shared-services model to reduce support function costs.
Smit points out that Accenture’s ability to adapt its offerings to fit economic conditions is a crucial differentiator. “At the moment, the industry is facing a big challenge: the top line for resources companies has diminished overnight, so they are scrambling to secure the bottom line by reconfiguring their operating models and supply chains,” he says.
In these circumstances, Smit believes Accenture is well positioned to help. He says, “It is time for open-heart surgery in order to position for the future. Accenture can assist by transforming a function or by taking over a portion of back-office operations that we can run more efficiently.”
In his spare time, Smit, along with his wife Winny, likes to take full advantage of South Africa’s wonderful outdoor opportunities. Together, they enjoy exercising, water and snow skiing, reading and exploring the country’s magnificent coastline. The Drakensberg mountains are a favourite weekend retreat. “We don’t mind if it’s five-star or camping,” he says.
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