Corda Connect: McCoy & Partners

McCoy & Partners has been based at Corda Campus for five years. “The fewer of us you see, the better,” says Ruben Winters, who heads up the Belgian team of international SAP consultants. “If there’s nobody in the office, it means that everyone is hard at work at our clients’ premises. And yet we still feel part of the broader Corda community.”

McCoy & Partners sounds a bit like a Scottish law firm, but it’s not, is it?

“No, we are SAP consultants and we implement projects at our clients’ premises. Our philosophy is quite simple: all our focus is on our people and our clients. If we look after those two groups, the rest will follow naturally. This vision also means that we work with professionals in other fields, such as marketing, administration and finance, to cover all the other aspects of business. It’s a strategy that works because our business is growing fast.”

Why are your Belgian activities managed from Hasselt?

“We were looking for a central location between Brussels, Antwerp and our organisation’s head office in Eindhoven. Corda Campus is the ideal location. Also I’m from Pelt, so being able to stay in Limburg was a nice bonus.”

You have to be quick to keep up with your company on the campus…

“Yes, indeed, we’ve moved a number of times. It’s a result of the flexibility on offer here. We started out with one flexible working space in the Corda INCubator, quickly followed by a permanent office with a few members of staff. However, our continued growth meant we needed a much larger space. We have now found that in Corda A. Not that we turn up on our neighbours’ doorsteps all the time, but we think it’s great to see so much entrepreneurship around us. If the opportunity arises, we will certainly call on their services. And vice versa too I hope….”

A question of give and take?

“Yes. We are a full part of the community that has formed here and that is why we always look around us with a view to procuring goods and services from our immediate neighbours. Just look at the life-size photos covering our walls. All ‘Made in Corda’…”

Why do you rent an office if the idea is for everyone to work elsewhere?

“Colleagues that are not currently on secondment like to come in to maintain a connection with the organisation. Corda is their home base, if you like. Because, as much as we want everyone to be working at clients’ premises, the true atmosphere and corporate culture is created when the team comes together. That was more difficult during the pandemic, but we are quickly getting back into the swing of things, not just in terms of reviving the group spirit, but also for purely practical reasons such as organising training. Our McAdemy is an investment in developing our people’s knowledge, both in person and online. Even (potential) clients and partners can use this educational platform.”

And then Corda’s meeting rooms are useful…

“Yes, we make a lot of use of the infrastructure that is here. The wide variety and availability mean you only need a small space yourself and you can scale up as you need. That’s really handy. And, on another note, some of the other infrastructure we use a lot are the Corda Bar and the Cordaat 😉

If McCoy & Partners were to expand to another location, where would you want a second Corda to be built?

“The campus concept works anywhere. But just looking to our own needs, it would have to be Brussels. From there we can conquer every corner of the country. But I doubt it would be as sociable as here in Hasselt…”