the #womenintech community

From not knowing what to study, to IT, to marketing and back again: Liesbeth's story is proof of continuous growth, despite doubt. And of the fact that you don't have to be a crack at math to be a successful developer. We asked her, if she thinks coincidence exists. "Who knows?" her answer. What is certain, however, is that an "accidental" gift sparked Liesbeth's interest in IT....

The world of technology is known for its dynamism and constant evolution. But what if your path does not lead directly from a technical background to a tech career? The story of Sylvia Maeckelberghe, Quality Assurance manager at Telenet, offers an inspiring insight into how passion, eagerness to learn and flexibility led to a blossoming career. 🦺 🖥️ 💪🏽

Where some women only lose their hearts to tech later in life, for Marlies Claeyssens it was clear from childhood: she would be with her hands in cables! As Network and Security Engineer and recently Product Owner Network Security at KBC, that's exactly what she does! "For me, things can be a little exciting." 🦾🖥️🔌

If you work in tech, is it enough to be passionate about IT? Or is the enthusiasm of those around us part of it, too? For Melissa Franklin, Program Manager at OMP, you don't even have to ask. She loves how she combines her analytical and people skills in tech. 👩🏾‍💻🔥🙌🏾

Life goes fast for Gerline Gheysens. After her master's degree in commercial engineering in policy information technology, she immediately joined Flexso in 2020, where she quickly developed into a project manager and functional consultant. Yes indeed: Gerline wears two hats in her job. "I want to be the link between two worlds."

It doesn’t matter where you start, all roads can lead to tech. Don’t believe us? Meet Soizic Launay, and you’ll quickly change your mind. From studying molecular biology, Soizic is now a Senior Quality Assurance Test Manager for OMP, a supply chain software company. Curious how she made the change? Keep reading to find out.

19 years ago, at the age of 21, Poland's Krystyna Anna Cichon set foot on Dutch soil for the first time. The language? She didn't speak that. But neither that nor the illness that would strike her would stop her from making the most of it. Privately and professionally. Flexso's business analyst looks back and ahead: "Actually, in my life I have already achieved everything I dreamed of as a child."

It’s not easy to uproot yourself and move halfway around the world to live, study and work in a new language, culture and country 🌏. But that's what Jie Wu did when she moved from China to Belgium. 20 years later, Jie is still based in Belgium, combining the best of both worlds as Team Manager for OMP China. Want to find out how she does it? Keep on reading.

"At work, I am often at the computer. During remodeling, as with ceramics, I can work with my hands. That combination between the physical and the mental helps me develop further." That's Marinke Van Laer's take on balance as the key to growth. Discover how Marinke not only connects art and IT in her life but also how she actively put a spin on her career, true to the slogan "he who doesn't dare, doesn't win!

Different industries, different countries, different challenges: it's all daily business for Esma El Harti, Managing Director at Cronos Nordics. Just take a peek at her CV to see what we mean: from training as a physiotherapist🏅 to being a freelance photographer📸-and that was all before she entered the tech world. Let's find out where her next challenge will take her.

Constantly learning is the path Sigrid Van de Wiele followed to finally find her niche at Flexso in 2018. "The choices that I had trouble making during my studies, I don't have to make them at all now," the mother of two teenagers explains about her path, that of SAP FICO Consultant as well as that of mother and human being.

On talents, choice stress and being a tireless learner: discover Sigrid Van de Wiele!

Since 2017, Debbie Gijsbrechts has been working as an accessibility expert & UX architect at the Antwerp-based company Humix. Here Debbie can combine her interests: "I find it fascinating that in my job both the technical approach and user needs are often addressed, because both appeal to me a lot. My interests flow nicely together in my work. The nice thing about what I do is that I can support and help people. Not only people with disabilities as we often know them, but actually everyone", he says.

In her own words, Stefanie Monteyne arrived at Flexso in 2015 "rather by chance," but she is completely in her place. "I can perfectly combine and develop my passion for IT and for people here. Add to that a pleasant work culture and numerous opportunities for advancement, and I see myself working here for a very long time to come," she says of her job as Lead Consultant SAP SuccessFactors. "I grab every opportunity that comes my way. In this way, I have already grown tremendously in eight years, and I hope to continue doing so for a long time to come."

Anisya was born and raised in Indonesia. She studied Nursing, because girls simply did not become IT professionals back then. Today she lives in Ghent with her Dutch husband and works as a Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer at Refleqt. Anisya's story can be called distinctive to say the least. Be inspired by her perseverance and endless drive for knowledge.🙌🏼

Tech entrepreneur, Sophie Angenot, believes in the human side of data: "My focus is first and foremost on people, and then on technology." For Sophie, however, going into business in the technology sector was not a logical choice. "I don't come from a nest of entrepreneurs and doubted for a long time whether I was ready to run a company," she says.

How does someone with an English-French teacher's degree get into the IT world? Helping people is what drives Athena. Rather accidentally, she started her career at a tech company and last year she found the ideal job at Arxus: Customer Success Manager in a Cloud Infra environment. Why that position is a perfect fit for Athena, she explains here.

Her passion for technology brought bioengineer Lien Keulemans to the data consulting firm Sparkle after a career of more than 15 years in consulting and biotech. As Managing Partner, she values human leadership. Find out how she aims to become the best version of herself!

Barbara is an SAP consultant at Flexso and works as a business analyst in the Business Transformation team. It's the ideal job for someone with an analytical mind and a passion for inspiring people and taking them with her through change. Barbara does it with as much perseverance as the marathons she runs. A driven mind in a healthy body.

Valeska was working as a software tester when she began training as an analyst-programmer. It soon became apparent that she enjoyed programming as much as testing. Fortunately, there is such a thing as test programming, so Valeska became a test automation engineer at Refleqt. Sometimes life seems predetermined!

The daughter of two gaming parents, Keesha grew up in a world of computers and virtual gaming fun. That world turned out to be totally her thing. She consciously chose a computer science degree and a challenging job in tech.

Inge De Swaene has been working in service-related tech jobs since 2005. She got into it by accident, she says, but when you read her story, the words "talent" and "well-deserved" come to mind. Meanwhile, in addition to being a proud mother of three sons, she is also a founding partner of Bulls-i. Like her family, Inge runs her business with an enormous drive and a high dose of empathy.

Hanne Vandael has been working at RedMojo 🌶️ as a People Analytics Consultant since September 2022. After studying occupational psychology and a first work experience in HR, she took a different route once she found her interest in data. Find out how Hanne co-founded this start-up in People Analytics!

"I love working so much!" You believe it immediately. Amina's expressive eyes and permanent smile emphasize every word she says. Inspiring ladies and IT. It's apparently a natural combination.🤩🤩

Geertrui Mieke De Ketelaere makes a particularly energetic impression throughout the interview. And yet she calls herself functionally lazy. "I'm someone who really doesn't get energy from stupid, repetitive actions, but prefers to be creative," she says."⚡💡

"Project management involves more than people often think. It requires both technical knowledge and soft skills as well as the necessary patience to go through the full life cycle of a project step by step." Discover the story of Kim Verbist 🤩

Lieve Heylen does not like to be the centre of attention. She prefers to be the unobtrusive driving force, the person who makes things happen. Calm, with a healthy dose of self-confidence. And she radiates it.

Eva Bouton looks very neat. That is not necessarily relevant to this interview, until you hear that she made her dress herself. This SAP Consultant is clearly multi-talented. And that's an understatement.

And then Bo entered the room. One lump of energy! Very focused on her job as HR Teamlead at Arxus, but she finds having fun with colleagues at least as important. Bo Van de Poel learned early on to put things in perspective. This is to a large extent the result of her unforeseen life story.

What. A. Cool. Human being. Iona Varga looks impressive and so is her brain. She easily translates complex mathematical matters into clear concepts. Knowledge without airs and graces and a no-nonsense approach with clear insights.