IDEA Consult recently published its first Impact Report, an honest look at where the organisation stands on sustainability, both in the work delivered for clients and in how it runs internally. Over the coming months, reflections from the report’s chapters will be shared, starting with “Walking the Talk,” a section focused on our people.

We are looking for someone who enjoys both thinking and building: someone who can understand a client challenge, translate it into a practical approach, develop the solution and explain it clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Gilles Cremers (20) is studying Public Administration at Ghent University. As a third-year undergraduate, he undertook a three-month placement at IDEA Consult. He investigated the extent to which local authorities were required to make savings when drawing up the 2026–2031 multi-year plan, and how they went about tackling this challenge. We spoke to Gilles about his first steps in research and consultancy.