Meet Josee

‘Successful transformation requires a solid learning strategy!’

Josee Zielman assumed the position of director at Capgemini Academy since January 2025. With a background in software development, Human Resources and a specialization in change management, she combines technology and people-oriented leadership. ‘Technology gets change underway; people make it sustainable.’ 

When Josee Zielman buys a smartphone, she researches every technical detail extensively. ‘I’ve always been a bit of a nerd’, she explains. And this is more than a playful remark: the words reflect her way of doing things, as an interview reveals. 

Her thoroughness and curiosity are just a few of the weapons she deploys as the new Director of Capgemini Academy. 

Josee shares her vision about leadership, innovations and how organizations can stay fit for the future. 

‘Technology gets change underway; people make it sustainable.’

Please briefly introduce yourself

“My name is Josee Zielman. I’m the Director of Capgemini Academy. I have a technical background, on the cutting edge of electronics and software. I started my career as a software developer at Philips, where I was the operational manager of their Embedded Software Systems division for quite some time. Before I became the director of Capgemini Academy, I was the HR Director at Altran, which later became Capgemini Engineering.”

This provides you with a background in both technology and HR – rational analysis on the one hand, human interaction on the other. What does that say about you? 

“I enjoy exploring technology and content. I also like managing change, engaging people in that change and getting them excited about it.” 

“When you combine those two aspects, then I’m knowledgeable enough to be technically savvy, and social enough to turn that technical stuff into a good story.” 

How do you, as a brand new leader with a fresh outlook, reflect on Capgemini Academy as an organization? 

“Capgemini Academy is a close-knit, driven organization. Many colleagues have worked here for a long time. They feel a strong connection with Capgemini Academy and with each other. As a team, we’re passionate about our work: the personal and knowledge-driven development of people..” 

“A second defining element is that Capgemini Academy is service oriented. We develop and provide training courses and learning consultancy, often customized. This requires continuous innovation and close collaboration with clients to develop learning solutions that truly work.”

Innovation, client interaction… how is this reflected in practical terms? 

“The key role of product development and client interaction lies with our trainers. Our team members, about 30 of them, are content experts. At the same time, they have a heart for teaching. Furthermore, they often have extensive practical experience in IT – having been trained in their profession in Capgemini’s consultancy division, for example, and in interacting with customers.”

“Also important: employees have lots of freedom to come up with solutions. Combined with the elements above, this results into innovative learning methods that align perfectly with our clients‘ practices.”

How is Capgemini Academy doing? 

“Great. Under my predecessors, our organization made tremendous progress. We have learned to work completely digitally. In addition, we streamlined our portfolio by concentrating on the most valuable training courses and services for our clients. This allows us to work with more focus and to serve our clients even better.”

“Organizations go through continuous change. Guiding and embedding that organizational change is a skill in itself, and we play a big part in that. We call this domain ‘learning consultancy.”

“In addition, digital transformation remains an important topic. We already offer a lot in this area, but we are moving a step further with this, e.g., with courses that focus on innovative areas such as so-called immersive technologies.”

Can you give an example? 

“We help clients adopt new technologies, such as Copilot. Introducing the technology to an organization is simple. But ensuring that people are able to use the technology effectively requires a considerable amount of attention. Together with the client, we design a program of learning and adoption, with customized training and workshops.”

“By the way: learning consultancy is a growing part of our portfolio, but it doesn’t replace existing training courses. Our specialties reinforce each other.”

Do you want to accomplish other strategic goals with Capgemini Academy? 

“Now that we have further solidified our foundation, we can grow further in a controlled way. That is a priority.”

“Other focus points include international expansion and investing in our customer-focused service organization. High level of service was always important, but now it’s becoming essential.”

Capgemini Academy is turning 50 this year, congratulations! Where will the organization be in another 50 years? 

“Let me first point out the importance of our team members. In addition to our trainers, these include a team of learning consultants, as well as our staff in customer service, planning, marketing and sales and our delivery & client office. They are there for our customers day and night.  I want to be visible and approachable: everyone’s input is important for our future.”

“What Capgemini Academy will look like in another 50 years is difficult to predict. I am willing to predict thought that the essence of who we are will remain intact: a globally recognized partner in the continuous transformation of organizations and employees. The way in which we will achieve this will change without a doubt. But the foundation – quality service and impact on learning and development – will remain.”

Finally, back to the present: what topics deserve extra attention at organizations right now? 

“Three topics stick out: AI, sustainability and hybrid working. AI is not a hype, it’s a development that is already affecting businesses. We help organizations implement this effectively.”

“Sustainability and green IT are getting more attention, and is especially important to the younger generation. And hybrid working remains a puzzle: how do you set it up properly and what does it mean for learning and collaboration? These are topics with which we are glad to share our thoughts with employers, in order to develop focused training courses and solutions together.”

Would you like to know more about what we can do for your organization? 

Then get in touch with Capgemini Academy for a customized recommendation or training course. We are glad to help!