Max Adrian Malcorps (26) lives in Utrecht, is athletic, musical and loves to win. Not only on the field hockey field or during a game of padel, but also in his work. In October 2024, he started ConQuaestor's Young Executive Program (YEP). His goal: to put the combination of finance, strategy and humanity into practice. And that turned out to be exactly the step he was looking for.
After studying Strategic Management and HRM, Max knew one thing for sure: He wanted more than just numbers. He was looking for a place where the human side of work was as important as the content. "No matter how strategic a project is, in the end you only achieve something if you can work with people. Gaining trust, working together; that's the basis."
At ConQuaestor, he found exactly that balance: content and interaction, responsibility and room to learn.
Why the YEP stood out
Max looked at several traineeships, but YEP immediately caught his eye. "Many traineeships have a flat learning curve. Here I noticed that I was seen as a full employee and consultant from day one."
What convinced him? The freedom to design the program yourself. "It's up to you how far and fast you grow. You get all the space you need to choose your own path. That, combined with the atmosphere, made the difference for me."
A week in the YEP: intense and varied
His weeks are full of variety: 4 days Max works on his assignment at a university. The fifth day is filled with training, internal projects or personal development. "We plan sessions with stakeholders, dive into the data and build trust. And then there are the training days, where you are really challenged."
Sometimes the focus is on hard skills, such as Excel, PowerPoint and Process Mapping. Other times, on the contrary, training is on soft skills. Think communication, giving feedback or practicing conversations with loads.
Growing in skills and self-awareness
Max notices daily how much he learns. "Hard skills like Process Mapping or working with Excel I use all the time. I also learn a lot about myself. I am often in do mode. The YEP teaches me to slow down and reflect sometimes."
Stepping out of your comfort zone
During the training days, Max is challenged to step out of his comfort zone. "Sometimes you role-play a difficult conversation. That feels uncomfortable, but you learn a lot from it. And you are allowed to make mistakes, that's exactly what you learn from."
These lessons prove valuable in practice: "You sometimes have to discuss less news during each assignment, for example about a deadline or deliverable. You notice that the training courses really give you something to hold on to, for example through the structure of the conversation and your attitude. In addition, you are already a lot more confident in the basics."
A group of friends growing together
What Max did not expect was the close bond with his fellow Yeppers. "It may sound crazy, but sometimes it feels more like a group of friends than colleagues. We spar, give feedback and support each other. But we also do fun things outside of work hours. For example, we cooked a three-course dinner together, and the other day we organized a wine tasting."
Continue to learn and take responsibility
Although Max has not yet mapped out his entire life, he does know that he wants to continue to grow within ConQuaestor after the YEP. "More responsibility, lead own projects and in the meantime keep learning as much as possible."
Why choose the YEP?
According to Max, it's simple: "If you are eager to learn, have a firm grasp on what you do and love working together, then this program is for you. You will develop yourself at lightning speed and work with fine people. They promise 4 years of experience in 2 years, and that's no lie."