Antoine Cardon De Lichtbuer

Building a career by building new things: How Antoine found his place in R&D

Navigating the path to his dream role

After finishing university in October 2021, Antoine started his Third Bridge career as an Associate in the Private Equity team. But his natural curiosity and passion for building things from scratch soon paved a unique path.

“I was looking for somewhere I could build a multifaceted skill set and really try and understand as much of the business world as possible,” he recalls. So having spent a year and a half in Client Services honing his communication skills and building a deep understanding of client needs, Antoine was ready for a new challenge.

Alongside another colleague, Antoine joined a team empowered to establish a new Third Bridge service. “I wanted the opportunity to build something from the ground up and to really explore what it's like to start from zero,” he states. As one of the founding members of this new offering, Antoine gained first-hand experience of every step involved in building a new offering, from coming up with creative solutions to engaging with clients and ultimately launching a revenue-generating service.

This entrepreneurial spirit ultimately led him to his "dream job" in Research & Development (R&D). “I was drawn to the creative aspect of starting from scratch and seeing an idea come to fruition,” he explains. So when a new internal position as a Product Manager was advertised within R&D, Antoine didn’t hesitate to pursue his dream of working on greenfield technology initiatives.

A day in the life of a Product Manager

No two days are the same for Antoine. Every day brings variety, changes, and the opportunity for continuous improvement. From spending time talking to internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs, to generating ideas, to collaborating with engineers to make those ideas a reality, the Product Manager role keeps Antoine on his toes.

In the fast-paced world of R&D, Antoine has learned the importance of failing fast. Working shoulder to shoulder with highly experienced colleagues who are always willing to guide him through teachable moments, Antoine has discovered that not every idea works out, and that’s a normal part of the development lifecycle. “Failing fast is the way to create new things,” he says. This mindset enables him to constantly challenge the status quo and push for innovative solutions.

Pursuing continuous improvement

An appetite for innovation and a passion for trying to break barriers are characteristics that have led Antoine to finding his home in R&D. However, the shared vision for continuous improvement is something he has observed across all his roles at Third Bridge. Antoine highlights “continuous development, taking initiative, being a self-starter, and wanting to do the most that you can,” as the key ingredients for building a successful career at Third Bridge.

As someone passionate about building from the ground up, Antoine has had to apply these skills first-hand. “Seeing an idea, or something that doesn’t exist, come to fruition, that’s the biggest achievement I can have,” he explains, “those are the things that drive me.”

A culture of encouragement and recognition

Antoine credits the culture at Third Bridge for his rapid progression. “The opportunities I’ve had for my level of seniority and how relatively junior I still am are crazy,” he reflects. A strong foundation of trust and an environment of “helpfulness and solidarity” have been crucial to his professional growth and ability to build a well-rounded skillset. His experience has taught him that in a workplace where everyone genuinely wants to see you grow, simply showing a willingness to learn from those around will significantly accelerate your development.

At Third Bridge, nurturing talent goes beyond encouragement and recognition is embedded in our culture. Antoine’s strong performance as an Associate was noticed not just within his team but across the company, which opened doors to new opportunities. “If you shine, people will shine a light on you,” he says. “When you work really hard and you do your best to show that you are competent, there are loads of doors that open to you.”

The intersection of passion and profession

For Antoine, continuous development isn’t just a professional goal—it’s a personal one. Outside of work, he has taught himself to “vibe code” on the side. This personal hobby has a direct benefit to his role as a Product Manager. By understanding the basics of coding, he can better communicate with the engineers on his team and more effectively scope out projects. When he’s not lost in innovating new products, Antoine is a self-proclaimed "foodie" who loves to cook and eat.

Advice for new joiners

As Antoine’s personal journey shows, Third Bridge is a place where your career can shift and evolve in response to your interests and desires. His advice to new joiners? Be open to new paths and trust that you can build a fulfilling and non-linear career. Not every project or idea will be a success, and that’s a normal and necessary part of innovation. The key is to learn from your failures and move on quickly to the next challenge.

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