A couple of weeks ago, we asked all our employees what it is that makes them choose Ascend as their workplace – their “Why Ascend”. In addition, we met up with Madeleine for a deep dive into her thoughts on the topic.

Madeleine is a Senior Consultant here at Ascend. She joined our Accelerate graduate program in 2019 and has done various projects ranging from sales simulation training for start-up hubs to driving full-blown digital transformations for large global companies.  

Tell us – what was your first impression of Ascend?

From the first moment I met with Ascend, I was immediately drawn to the high energy and inclusive atmosphere. I could tell straight away that this is a company with low thresholds to be yourself and speak your mind.

What do you think is the reason people work at Ascend?

I believe that it is strongly related to the Ascend feeling we create together. It isn’t easy to describe, but as soon as you step into the office, there is this feeling based on our values: fun, inclusive, and exceptional. It permeates the entire office and is the core of our culture.  

I believe people further choose to work at Ascend because we are a small company where you can make actual change. Both for our clients but also by developing Ascend as a company. We don’t just provide our clients with a bunch of recommendations and then move on to the next assignment. We are part of the actual change journey, making the client’s change journey ours. We get to see the results and learn how it plays out in reality.

When asking our colleagues why they work at Ascend, the top three reasons were:

1.    The people

2.    Fun projects

3.    The culture

What is the main reason you work at Ascend?

Besides the people, the Ascend feeling and the variety of projects, I work at Ascend because I can set the pace of my own development. So in a way, I get to be the CEO of my career – challenging myself, learning from others and growing.

What would you say is the most challenging about working at Ascend?

For me, it is definitely saying no. We do many fun projects, and there is a wide variety of other things you can get involved in. I guess the “fear of missing out” easily kicks in when I must choose between different things, accepting that I can not do everything.

What makes you proud about being part of Ascend?

Mainly, I would say that I am proud of us for not being that “typical consultancy firm”. We are not just a catalyst or step to get to the next job in a person’s career. Instead, we are a company with an environment people can thrive in, one in which you want to and can stay for a long time. 

I’m also proud of the relationships that we build with our clients and the impact that we actually make. We always deliver great things – together with our clients!

Another Ascendant agrees with Madeleine with some additional emphasis on the fun:

I’m proud that we truly are consultants who are part of our clients’ change journeys. We are an unpretentious and ambitious group of people who impact our surroundings. And that we consider fun a competitive advantage, how can you not be proud of representing that?

Other quotes from Ascendants who were asked the same question (what makes you proud about being part of Ascend):

I’m proud that we all together create an innovative environment where we challenge and support each other. Everyone takes great responsibility for each other and the impact we try to create

I’m proud of how skilled and professional every single colleague is. I never feel like the smartest person in the room, which, to me, means that I can grow and learn so much!

Great people with the ambition to always do great things, both externally and internally. And we have a lot of fun and freedom while doing it!