The Team
The Team
The power of multiple talents
In 2018, when Frédéric Desmet decided to create his own fiduciary, he already had the ideal team in mind: the two accountants with whom he worked some 15 years earlier. “I knew Fabienne and Jessica at my first client. We were so effective together at the time that when I launched Crystal Cube, I didn’t even have to think about it: I had to offer them to join.”
“We then hired Vanessa and Soufian, and we’ve trained them in our methods. It’s a pleasure to see them grow.”
Frédéric Desmet
Certified Accountant and Tax Expert
“I love helping my clients get organized”
In 1997, less than a year after leaving school, Frédéric Desmet understood that the status of employee did not suit him, and changed his mind. “I started as a freelance and started my internship as a chartered accountant. My internship supervisor encouraged me to work for my own clients after hours. In 1999, I obtained my diploma as an expert accountant.”
One of my first clients was a large company that needed someone to take care of internal control. This is where I got to know Fabienne and Jessica. I worked for this client for over 20 years, two days a week. As the company had a certain size, it was necessary to organize the accounting so that all the information was available as quickly as possible and to update the cash flow statements and decide on the tax optimization strategy: prepare an operations schedule, write procedures, organize document flows … as quickly as possible.
That’s when organizing finance and accounting became my passion! “
My favourite activity? Financial management!
Fabienne obtained her accounting degree from EPHEC in 2004, and began to work in the company that would become Frédéric’s client. “We worked together from 2005 to 2008, and it was a really great collaboration.” Fabienne then pursued her career in the world of large corporations. There, she developed her knowledge of financial management and cost accounting, which has fascinated her since her studies.
“More and more companies, even small SMEs or non-profit organizations, are beginning to realize the importance of having the tools to understand and analyze the evolution of their activity, establish realistic budgets, better manage their cash flow … General accounting is useful, but you already need a lot of knowledge to fully understand the annual accounts. For managers, financial tables and ratios are therefore essential tools. Developing these tools and helping our clients use them means we go beyond simply recording operations. We act as real advisers. “
Fabienne Lambert
Certified Accountant and Tax Expert
Fabienne Lambert
Certified Accountant and Tax Expert
Fabienne obtained her accounting degree from EPHEC in 2004, and began to work in the company that would become Frédéric’s client. “We worked together from 2005 to 2008, and it was a really great collaboration.” Fabienne then pursued her career in the world of large corporations. There, she developed her knowledge of financial management and cost accounting, which has fascinated her since her studies.
“More and more companies, even small SMEs or non-profit organizations, are beginning to realize the importance of having the tools to understand and analyze the evolution of their activity, establish realistic budgets, better manage their cash flow … General accounting is useful, but you already need a lot of knowledge to fully understand the annual accounts. For managers, financial tables and ratios are therefore essential tools. Developing these tools and helping our clients use them means we go beyond simply recording operations. We act as real advisers. “
My favourite activity? Financial management!
Jessica Meng
Senior Accountant and ITAA Trainee
The self-employed and SMEs are my thing!
Graduating in 2006, Jessica did her end-of-studies internship under the supervision of Fabienne. “This is where I also met Frédéric. We worked together a few years before our roads separated … to better meet today.”
From her career in the fiduciary sector, Jessica has gained a fine knowledge of the world of small SMEs and the self-employed. “I like the idea of being able to completely manage a file, to gain a real vision of the client’s activity. And since I am in the front row to help them organize themselves, I can also guide Frédéric on the avenues to explore with our clients to improve their management or optimize their taxation. “
Behind the numbers, there are lives
Vanessa identifies as a cat; she has had nine lives. From childcare to hospitality, secretarial, banking and retail, she has worked – and developed skills – in many fields.
An unexpected event forced her to interrupt her activities for a while, and she seized the opportunity to step back and build her next life. That’s where she discovered accounting. And she focused on practicing it as she practiced her other activities: with a marked attention to social bonds, and a complete dedication to customer satisfaction.
It is this sense of service that motivates her: “Pleasing people is my thing. I love being able to satisfy customers and knowing that what I’ve done has helped them.” And at Crystal Cube, she found what she was looking for. “We realize that it is crucial to understand what is at stake with customers beyond the balance sheet figures. What’s more, everything was well structured, Frédéric pays great attention to training and makes sure that everyone knows that he is an important link in the chain, and not just a pawn as can be the case in other companies. Because there are human beings and lives behind the numbers, both at customers and at Crystal Cube.”
Vanessa Evraerts
Accountant
Vanessa Evraerts
Accountant
Behind the numbers, there are lives
Vanessa identifies as a cat; she has had nine lives. From childcare to hospitality, secretarial, banking and retail, she has worked – and developed skills – in many fields.
An unexpected event forced her to interrupt her activities for a while, and she seized the opportunity to step back and build her next life. That’s where she discovered accounting. And she focused on practicing it as she practiced her other activities: with a marked attention to social bonds, and a complete dedication to customer satisfaction.
It is this sense of service that motivates her: “Pleasing people is my thing. I love being able to satisfy customers and knowing that what I’ve done has helped them.” And at Crystal Cube, she found what she was looking for. “We realize that it is crucial to understand what is at stake with customers beyond the balance sheet figures. What’s more, everything was well structured, Frédéric pays great attention to training and makes sure that everyone knows that he is an important link in the chain, and not just a pawn as can be the case in other companies. Because there are human beings and lives behind the numbers, both at customers and at Crystal Cube.”
Soufian Zaroui
Accountant
“When a customer feels involved, we can move forward together”
Soufian loves performance and surpassing himself. Indeed, while he is freshly graduated from Ephec after an excellent internship at Crystal Cube, he has also had a long career as a footballer, in elite from his 9 to 16 years old and in D2 from his 16 to 20 years old. And where some see a change of direction, he sees continuity. “Football, if you’re made for it, you can feel it. Accounting, it’s the same, I liked it directly. In both cases, there is always pressure coming from outside. And that pressure motivates me to perform and move forward.”
During the big accounting transfer window, Soufian chose Crystal Cube without hesitation. “It was Frédéric’s attention to detail – in a good way – that seduced me. He knew what he wanted, it was well defined. And at the same time he had a more daring approach, and a more human side than my other interlocutors.”
Soufian is eager to learn and deliver more value to customers. And for that, he was in luck: “At Crystal Cube, we have a freedom of design. If you have a good idea to better help a client, no one is closed-minded, we are ready to experiment. And that forces us to be curious.”