Paul Weiss
Summary
Strategic business leader with over 10 years of experience, including 2.5 years in East Africa, with a proven track record in leadership and strategic management. Demonstrated expertise in implementing target operating models, lean and agile methodologies, leveraging technology, and leading by example. Known for a pragmatic approach, analytical mindset, and value-driven focus.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
CCO (Chief Commercial Officer)
at Simbuka
Kigali, Rwanda
10.2021 - Current
- Key member of the management team, responsible for the management of Sales, Marketing, Business Development, Product and Public Relations
- Consistently exceeded all sales targets, achieved a significant 133% increase worth of sales in the first 2 years
- Lead a sales team of 4 core team members and 6 flexible sales associates across diverse regions, overseeing sales across 3 product lines and managed the end to end sales cycle and processes, including management of forecasting versus targets, leading negotiations to close deals
- Develop strong relationships and liaise with C-suite leaders of financial institutions, representing CEO internally and externally
- Single-handedly conceptualized, developed and launched new product line for East African market to achieve EUR 900,000 in sales within 12 months
- Product line is new cornerstone for company’s overall Africa strategy
- Restructured sales & marketing function: redefined the value proposition, shifting from a reactive and uniform approach to a modular, customer-centric model
- Oversaw the P&L for two pivotal and large-scale access to finance projects, totaling EUR 2,210,000, with a combined direct and indirect staff of 44 individuals, collaborating with 4 consortium partners, and providing direct reporting to the funding donor.
Strategy Consulting Manager
at Accenture (Financial Services Practice)
AMSTERDAM
02.2016 - 10.2021
- Advanced from junior consultant to senior consultant and then to junior manager within 5 years, exceeding the projected growth trajectory of 8 years
- Led diverse and international teams, including on-shore, off-shore, and hybrid, managing teams of up to 80 members and managing annual budgets of up to EUR 5 million with full P&L responsibility
- Delivered 12 projects over a six-year period for leading financial institutions like ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Rabobank, and MasterCard, focusing on digital transformation, organizational change, target operating models, and agile IT implementation
- Authored Accenture's official Point of Views on Open Banking (2018) and 8 thought leadership articles, primarily focusing on innovation and digital transformation within the financial services sector
- Established and led a Financial Services Research team, managing 12 junior consultants and overseeing the recruitment of 40 master thesis students annually, converting their research into paid consultancy projects with a recruitment budget of EUR 180k.
Independent Researcher
Universitas Indonesia
Jakarta, Indonesia
01.2015 - 08.2015
- Awarded the Frans Seda Foundation’s Twin Scholarship Program
- Performed an independent research project on entrepreneurial intentions among Dutch and Indonesian university students
- Liaised with key organizations including student organizations, educators, governmental organizations and policy makers in a multi-cultural environment to present findings and recommendations.
Education
MBA - MBA With A Specialism in Strategy
Edinburgh Business School At Heriot-Watt University
Online07-2026
Master of Science - Master of Strategic Management
Tilburg University, School of Economics And Management Tilburg
06-2015
Bachelor of Science - Bachelor of Commerce
Fontys Hogescholen, School of Economics And Management
06-2013
Young Expert Agrofood
Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO
08-2023
Skills
- Change management
- Digital transformation
- Profit and loss management
- Product positioning and messaging
- Data-driven decision-making
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Problem-Solving
- Business model innovation
Certification
- SAFe 4.0 Advanced Scrum Master
- SAFe 4.0 Product Manager / Product Owner (PMPO)
- SAFe 4.0 Agilist (SA)
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
- Positive Power and Influence Programme
Frequent publisher of thought articles (2016 – present)
Regularly publishing thought publications in internal and external media (11 thought articles and Point of Views). Selected publications:
- “A New Era, Open Platform Banking”, Accenture Point of View, June 2018
- “PSD2 – gamechanger in the banking industry”, Payments & Cards Network Magazine Vol.2 – Issue 8, August 2016
- “The Agilification of Automation”, Accenture Insights, March 2020
- The potential of instant lending: why traditional banks hold the key, the Paypers, May 2023
- Simbuka’s Head of Growth Reflections: The burning topics in the boardroom of East African banks, Simbuka website, January 2024
- Fintech driving access to finance in Rwanda, YouTube, January 2024
Languages
Dutch
First Language
English
Proficient (C2)
C2
French
Upper Intermediate (B2)
B2
Kinyarwanda
Elementary (A2)
A2
Indonesian
Elementary (A2)
A2
German
Upper Intermediate (B2)
B2
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
CCO (Chief Commercial Officer)
at Simbuka
10.2021 - Current
Strategy Consulting Manager
at Accenture (Financial Services Practice)
02.2016 - 10.2021
Independent Researcher
Universitas Indonesia
01.2015 - 08.2015
MBA - MBA With A Specialism in Strategy
Edinburgh Business School At Heriot-Watt University
Master of Science - Master of Strategic Management
Tilburg University, School of Economics And Management Tilburg
Bachelor of Science - Bachelor of Commerce
Fontys Hogescholen, School of Economics And Management
Young Expert Agrofood
Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO
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