Degroof Petercam & Atolo

Leading three teams in a different language

When Geoffrey Pareyn joined Degroof Petercam as CFO, he took on the responsibility of three French-speaking teams. As a native Dutch speaker with years of leadership experience, he had solid professional French but he wanted to master the language fully. To build trust, engage his teams authentically, and lead with the nuance the role demanded, language mattered.

Summary: How can an experienced leader truly connect with his teams in a language that isn’t his own?

Language coaching designed for leadership.

Atolo designed a fully personalized coaching program with one clear goal: help Geoffrey lead authentically in French without compromising his personal style. We focused on precision, nuance, and confidence in a demanding managerial role.

Summary: A language coaching program built to empower a strategic leadership role.

Connecting through everyday moments.

During our Deep Scan, Geoffrey's coach asked a simple but powerful question: 

"What if your leadership also came through in informal moments?"

It was something Geoffrey had not yet fully considered and yet, it was exactly what he needed. That insight allowed us to reshape the coaching around a key leadership lever: everyday human interactions, where trust is built.

Together, we worked on:

Daily relational language

Implicit cultural codes

The balance between adaptation and authenticity

Staying authentic while leading in a second language

A leadership style grounded in nuance and connection

Through this focused work, Geoffrey strengthened his impact without compromising his authenticity. He became more linguistically fluent but above all, more present and connected as a leader.