Julien is a senior data & AI consultant with a track record of building and leading complex data platforms, ML systems, and AI programmes across financial services, retail, and CPG. Equally at ease hands-on in Python, PySpark, Databricks, and Microsoft Fabric as shaping strategy at C-suite and board level. He holds a PhD in Financial Economics, bringing strong quantitative foundations to real-world delivery.
💼 Professional experience
Independent Consultant
Data & AI Strategy · Platform Delivery Since 2024 · Brussels / Remote
- Lipton Teas & Infusions (CVC-backed) Group-level AI strategy mandate for a global CPG post-carve-out from Unilever. Executive discovery across IT, Data & Analytics, and OT; sized the value opportunity; designed the AI roadmap and board-level presentation — delivered to the Lipton board by the CIO (March 2025).
- Melexis (BEL 20) AI strategy, Target Operating Model design, and executive AI literacy programme for the central AI team; presented to the executive committee.
- Chemitex End-to-end data platform build on Microsoft Fabric — ingestion through reporting — covering operational, logistics, and strategic use cases.
Artefact
Consulting Director 2023 - 2024 · Paris
- International Engineering & Telecoms Developed two GenAI solutions for the Finance department — a financial writing assistant and a natural language co-pilot for internal database querying — from requirements through working prototype.
- International Travel Retail Designed the company-wide AI Acceleration programme — use case identification, technology and governance approach. Board presentation resulted in the launch of two separate AI and data initiatives.
Redkite
Associate Director · Head of Data Science 2021 - 2023 · London
- International Retailer — Data Platform & MLOps Led build of an Azure-based group-wide data platform (ADF, Databricks, PySpark, Synapse) supporting dashboarding, analytics, and data science across multiple business units; subsequently evolved the client DS team from on-prem to cloud and implemented MLflow for model tracking, versioning, and serving.
- Transportation — Model Optimisation Delivered a PySpark/Databricks solution estimating congestion and passenger flows across a major bus network; iterative performance optimisation with the client team.
Oliver Wyman Digital
Associate · Head of Retail Analytics 2017 - 2021 · London
- Major European Retailer — Assortment Optimisation & Promotional Efficiency Complete overhaul of the central analytics component; product owner for an Agile team of 5–10 developers. Data engineering solution for promotional analysis driving a strategic marketing overhaul.
- Leading European Retail Bank — Strategic Planning Tool Python-based financial statements projection and cash-flow forecasting tool; codebase optimisation achieving a 60% reduction in total runtime.
- Leading European Retail Bank — Data Quality Framework Designed a data quality management tool architecture across 10+ local systems; consolidated 10,000+ controls to 400 key controls institution-wide.
Université de Liège
Research Fellow · Teaching Assistant 2010 - 2017 · Liège
- Empirical finance research using OxMetrics/C++, MATLAB, R; co-creator of the Experimental Finance Laboratory including a Python-based virtual trading system.
- Teaching: Financial Derivatives, International Finance, Applied Financial Instruments, MATLAB for Research.
Deloitte
Consultant in Strategy & Operations · Junior Auditor 2007 - 2009 · Brussels
- Strategy & Operations: sales process improvement and fleet strategy for leading automotive clients (Brussels, Lisbon); e-commerce development.
- Audit: financial statements testing and internal controls review for financial sector clients.
🦾 Certifications, trainings
Methodologies
- Data & AI strategy, AI roadmaps
- Generative AI / LLM integration, RAG architectures
- MLOps, CI/CD for data platforms
- Lakehouse design (Delta Lake / Iceberg)
- ETL pipeline architecture, data modelling
- Data quality frameworks
- Agile / Scrum, SAFe (Scaled Agile)
- Executive & board-level communication
Software & programming
- Python (incl. PySpark), SQL, R, MATLAB
- Microsoft Fabric, Databricks
- Azure (ADF, Synapse, DevOps), AWS
- MLflow (tracking, versioning, serving)
- Power BI
- Git, Azure DevOps, JIRA, Confluence
Certifications
- Financial Risk Manager (FRM), Level 1 — GARP
- AgilePM — Agile Project Management
🎓 Academic credentials
- PhD in Management Science (Financial Economics) Université de Liège – HEC Management School, 2010 - 2017 Thesis: Essays on Behavioural Market Finance
- Master in Quantitative Economics (pre-doctoral) Université Libre de Bruxelles – ECARES, 2006 - 2007
- Finance programme (Erasmus exchange) London Business School (CASS), Spring 2005
- MSc in Management, Major in Finance Solvay Business School – ULB, 2003 - 2006
🇺🇳 Languages
🇫🇷 French: native
🇬🇧 English: fluent
🇳🇱 Dutch: fluent (C1)
🇯🇵 Japanese: beginner
🔐 Proprietary and confidential. 💡 Profile CVs are provided for illustration purposes. ✅ Planning of specific experts will be secured upon formal agreement.