About us
We believe that in the modern days of technology
a personal service makes a big en ever growing difference.
About Ichiban
ICHIBAN Consult was established by Jan Lambrechts at the beginning of 2012. He holds a law degree, a master in taxation and MBA and works since 1985 as tax specialist and social law expert. Until 2011 he worked as a partner of a “Big Four” consulting firm until he decided to set up his own firm and to render advisory and support services to employees, executives and companies in a personal way.
We believe that in the modern days of technology a personal service makes a big en ever growing difference. Clients are able to easily reach us and we aim at keeping the response time for questions limited. The continuity of our service delivery by the same persons is greatly appreciated by our clients as well as our hands-on, no-nonsense approach, irrespective of the complexity of the issues to be addressed.
What does ICHIBAN mean?
This question often comes up. Ichiban is a Japanese word, composed of two parts “ichi” and “ban”. Ichi is the Japanese word for “one” and ban is a numerical suffix (a counter). Therefore, Ichiban simply means “number one”, “the first” or ”the best”. People also use the word to express their preference for something (over other things). We believe the name reflects our attention for personal service and quality.
If you search Ichiban on the internet, you will also find that the name is often used by Japanese restaurants. Countless Japanese restaurants across the globe carry the name Ichiban and food products and drinks also often are labeled with Ichiban to refer to their quality. Use has also spread to other areas such as manga, modern music and even for indicating Japanese social networks, such as Japan Ichiban. In the consulting world it also stands for excellence, first choice, premium service, innovation and commitment of advisors to their clients.
About Jan Lambrechts
Professional advisor
ICHIBAN Consult was established by Jan Lambrechts at the beginning of 2012. He holds a law degree, a master in taxation and MBA and works since 1985 as tax specialist and social law expert. Until 2011 he worked as a partner of a “Big Four” consulting firm until he decided to set up his own firm and to render advisory and support services to employees, executives and companies in a personal way.
By working in a specialist area of knowledge during numerous years, he was able to develop a unique degree of expertise in the areas of individual taxation, social security and employment law.
He believes that taxation and legal advise does not need to be boring and theoretical, and offers true solutions. Modern communication media and technology are ranked high with him in order to support the consulting activities. ICHIBAN Consult offers a contemporary and well conceived alternative to the traditional larger consulting firms, that most often are lost in bureaucracy and internal rules and procedures. ICHIBAN Consult is open to collaborate with others and has ties with a large network of independent, qualified specialists in various areas of professional expertise and in other countries.
Clients describe Jan Lambrechts as an innovative professional, who communicates clearly, dares to think ‘out of the box’ and who has an alert mind. He is appreciated as a reliable partner, who walks the talk and is always prepared to go the extra mile. Jan thinks in solutions, which are easy to implement and makes matters no more complicated than the strict necessity. He has the ability to explain complex issues in an easy and comprehensive way and solves matters in an efficient and pleasant way.
Passion and interests
Jan is passionate about cross-border entrepreneurial matters and about the new world economies and technology. He extensively traveled Europe and the globe, not only in the Western regions, but also in the East with multiple visits to Japan, China and India. He also has a keen interest in languages (English, French, Dutch, German, Italian and Japanese). He is an active member of the Culture Committee of the Belgian-Japan Association.
Jan likes traveling and exciting outside activities. In the past, he was trained as a glider pilot and spent numerous days on the water as a wind surfer. The past 10 years, he spent much time on one of his beloved motorbikes, not only as his daily means of transportation, but also on travel abroad and off-road riding. He also has more quiet activities on the golf course, in the kitchen, behind his camera or behind a Japanese taiko drum. On his bookshelf you find comics, thrillers, books on history, culture and technical publications.