bloom: Arianne Sanders
From policy to innovation: How Arianne is building the bridge between people and technology at Colruyt GroupCompany: Colruyt Group
Job title: Service Delivery Manager Smart Technics
No matter how far your career path seems to be from technology, sometimes life unexpectedly takes you exactly where you are supposed to be. Colruyt Group' s Arianne Sanders ' story is a perfect example: from starting out as a researcher in the public sector to a crucial role in the innovative tech world. With a background in political science and a healthy dose of curiosity about technology, she proves that passion and determination can lead to a career that is both impactful and surprising.
First steps in the public sector
Arianne's path began not in tech, but in an entirely different sector: in the public sector and public policy. "After studying Political and Social Sciences, I took a master's degree in public management. I wanted to delve further into the day-to-day work of governments in Europe," she kicks off the conversation. "During that master, I did research on how governments and local administrations deal with following up on strategic planning and KPIs and how they use IT to support that policy planning process." After her master's, she started as a researcher at the Institute for Government at KULeuven.
"I always had a love for technology. Love also brought me closer to tech, by marrying a civil engineer. But until then, I had always thought I wasn't smart enough to work in tech."
That's where her contacts from her master's came in handy. "The company where I did research during my master's contacted me when they heard that my research had been discontinued. They had a lot of accountants but little expertise in building policy planning and policy monitoring and wanted to build out their software for that purpose. That's how I got into the software piece. I always had a love for technology. Love also brought me closer to tech, by marrying a civil engineer. But until then, I had always thought I wasn't smart enough to work in tech."
"It was super cool there because everything was so small scale. I did everything from sales, giving demos, doing analysis and talking to developers about what button to put where and testing the innovations. And I also talked to the end users: what are we going to build and not build? What is there a need for?" she looks back.
Profit-driven or people-oriented?
"I did that job for seven years. Then small children came, which made it difficult to combine it with consultancy: I was working long hours and was always on the job. Meanwhile, we had also moved to Halle. I was looking very hard at what my next step might be: continue in auditing or still join a large consulting company?"
At that time, she received the same question from those around her: why not go work at Colruyt Group in Halle? "That seemed such an obvious option, because it was so close. Yet I felt a resistance: I wanted to stay in the public sector. What could I do there with my background in public management? Could and would I work for profit-driven organizations?"
Eventually Arianne does go for a job interview, for a position as an analyst within BI. "I didn't want to work for a company that focuses solely on profit, but during the interview it quickly became clear that the culture is much broader than profit-driven. It was clear that we were working for the customer. That always had to be the end goal, and money was supportive. The atmosphere was really good there, too."
And that's how the ball got rolling. "I ended up joining a group program and not BI. I received on-the-job training and coaching and in this way I was able to build up various skills (analysis, testing, project and asset management, ...). At a certain point I got the opportunity to start as Application Manager for some applications within Customer & Marketing, where things became a bit more technical again. Last year I made the switch to Smart Innovation, the innovation hub within Colruyt Group. There we can think up the craziest things, for the store or supply chain of the future. Of course, we also have to demonstrate that it is viable and can be sustainably developed. So now I am even closer to the technology."
The bridge between tech and customer
At first glance, Arianne's studies and work experience are miles apart, but are they? "I have learned over the years where my added value lies: in interpreting between technical development and functional use within a business process. I can understand at a deep enough level what is being developed technically so that I can talk to the developers, but I understand it equally well at the functional level: how do you use it here? And why? How do we translate that to the shop floor?"
"The technology may work perfectly, if your people are not on board or don't understand why this adaptation is needed, then you will get resistance."
That turns out to be a crucial step in implementation. "The technology may work so well, but if your people are not on board or don't understand why this adjustment is necessary, then you get resistance. Say you hang an extra camera at the checkout, but don't explain why, then the wildest stories arise," Arianne frames the importance. "Especially in a retail context, you want to make your own employees your biggest ambassadors. By getting that translation right, you keep them involved. That way you support each other and the success of the stores."
Cross the threshold
In terms of gender distribution, things are looking good at Colruyt Group and more specifically in the IT piece. "I think it's almost fifty-fifty here," Arianne says. "Within innovation, we do see a lot fewer women, although that has also changed a lot in recent years. "What tip or advice would she give to other women considering entering a tech profession? "Don't hesitate, just do it," reads the answer. "It's much more accessible than what I used to think. If you had told me 20 years ago that I would do this job, I wouldn't have believed you. I would have thought I could never do it anyway. But my course shows it: you get to rely on what you can already do and believe in it being complementary to what's already there.
"If you had told me 20 years ago that I would do this job, I wouldn't have believed you. I would have thought I could never do it anyway."
"Cross that threshold, it's not as scary as it seems. Just apply for that job that you think 'that seems super cool and interesting, but am I going to be able to do it'". Also trust the people already working there and their skillset. Really go talk to them and ask what they expect from you in that role and what you can still grow in," she continues. "I then said very clearly to that hiring manager that if they were looking for a tech lead, I was not the right person for it, simply because I don't have 20 years of programming experience under my belt. Then they indicated what they were looking for and I thought, 'hey, I can do that'. Therefore: dare to start the conversation, maybe you can even come and have a look."
Inspiring role models
"Every job I did, there was someone - a 'godmother' or coach - who had been there for a while and was a little older than me. They inspired me with their way of working to approach things the same way."
"I also found such a role model here at Colruyt Group. She was working in the team where I started and also had three children, so I loved seeing how she kept the balance. She made me see and believe that it is possible to have three children and do a fantastic job and excel in the way you do it. It made me realize that I didn't have to choose."
Speed and impact
Impact and speed are two terms that typify Arianne full-length. "Those are my personal drivers. I want what I do today to have an impact on the customer in the store, to make them feel it. That gives me energy. It also has to move forward. It doesn't make me happy if we make a plan today and the rollout might not happen for another four years. Finding the balance between a robust base like we have at Colruyt and being innovative is sometimes a bit of a search. Within the innovation hub, we get the playground and the speed, which I like."
The other side of the coin
Although that ingrained hunger for speed and impact also sometimes plays her parts. "Corona had a huge impact, the whole world was at a standstill, but our contact center was running at full speed. More and more Colruyt customers were calling the contact center with questions about their store or their home delivery, but at that time we didn't have enough extra licenses to just bring in extra contact center agents. People were angry, scared, and full of questions. It was a very stressful period. And I went into overdrive: I worked shifts, alternating with my husband in order to be able to homeschool our children as well, slept way too little, and lived alongside my husband. As soon as the kids were in bed, I just went back online to catch up on our social media channels. People told me to rest, but how do you stop? I was exactly on a high-speed train that I couldn't get off. So I crashed in 2021."
"It's all cool that it has to go fast and a lot of impact was made, but I've had to learn to dose better. That's a difficult balance, especially for someone who already has little patience. Now I listen to my body better and trust my gut feeling more. More out of my head and into my body, so to speak. That's why I do ceramics now: just sitting with my hands in the clay without any goal attached. Just being there and feeling, and letting what you have in your head land and fall silent. Actually, the clay shows how I am. If my head spins madly for the first half hour, so does the clay."
"I don't think because I'm a woman and have brought three children into the world in five years time, that my career should be on the back burner."
Balance, as a mom of three, partner and career woman, is extremely important to Arianne. "I try to communicate a lot and indicate what I am and am not okay with. My husband is often abroad, so we almost have to have a planning meeting for the week to come: who gets the kids when? Who will or won't be home? What can we put on the weekly menu on a night I'll be home later? That transparency is very important. Just like having a network around you that you can count on, like my cousin, my parents or my father-in-law. I don't think because I'm a woman and have brought three children into the world in five years that my career should be on the back burner. I have indicated that I want room for that," she concludes forcefully.
