There’s a new Strategist at Keep Left: Lucien Bienvenu. We could tell you about his pristine white T-shirt collection, his prowess on the cricket pitch or his gourmet lunches that never quite make it out of the Tupperware. But it felt better to let him do the talking.
So we threw a few left-field questions his way.
Left & Centre with Lucien Bienvenu
What kind of problem do you love getting your hands on?
Anything that is interesting to research and takes you down a bunch of different rabbit holes. Problems that are a bit more obvious or restrictive tend to get a bit boring.
What do people reliably come to you for?
Someone to go to the pub with on a Sunday afternoon. I’d probably shoot at a 99% success rate of saying yes to these requests.
What’s a recommendation you’ve forced on at least three people lately?
Having two separate pepper grinders, one for black pepper and one for white pepper (stop buying pre-ground white pepper, it is foul). I reckon I’ve told at least 20 people that they should do this since the start of the year.
What’s something you bring to a room that isn’t on your job description?
Doesn’t come up all that often and hopefully won’t in the future, but I’m fairly elite at using Excel and have used it to build a bunch of different frameworks and models.
What’s something uncool you stand by?
Birkenstocks and socks. It has its place.
Welcome, Lucien. We’re looking forward to the rabbit holes, the Sunday pub availability and the very real possibility of Birkenstocks and socks in the office.
And just for kicks, here’s a Lucky Lucien Leftie Limerick.
There once was a Strat, Bienvenu,
Who loved rabbit holes and a strong point of view.
His lunch stayed unplated,
His pepper curated,
Now he’s right at home with the left-side crew.
