Bloom: Marjolein Callant
"SAP is in my heart," admits Marjolein Callant. She says it seriously, with a proud smile. SAP CRM is the thread that runs through her technological career. The determined path she followed brought her, after about ten years, to Flexso where she is now Competence Lead. Flexso appears to be the ideal company for a driven woman like Marjolein, who works as a home cook in addition to her full-time job. 💪🏻
Marjolein started at Flexso four years ago as SAP Consultant/Project Manager. Two years ago, she took on the role of Competence Lead and since the end of March she has been working full-time in this varied job.
What does a Competence Lead do at Flexso?
"Flexso is composed of Competence Centres - Finance, ERP, Reporting, Supply Chain and CRM/CX, ..... We have a flat structure. We do not talk about managers, but about experienced Competence Leads who are responsible for the development of a team. My team, the CRM/CX Competence Center, consists of about 13 colleagues, which is quite a small team within Flexso, but we are growing rapidly. I am responsible for determining the strategy, recruiting the necessary resources and building knowledge. In addition, I make sure that we win nice projects with new customers and that everyone in the team ends up on the right project."
Let's go back to the beginning. Where did your interest in technology come from?
"I studied Commercial Sciences, option Marketing, but that left me a bit hungry. I really didn't know what I was going to do after my studies. Through conversations with my family and friends, who were working for companies from the well-known Big 5, I learned about consultancy and SAP technology. I then went to apply for a job with a smaller SAP player, who actually only did CRM & BI, which fitted in well with my major. The combination of technology and consultancy really appealed to me and I found it fascinating to know how things worked behind the scenes, in terms of both content and process. Here I could immerse myself in the technological side of SAP and I really liked that."
"The combination of technology and consultancy really appealed to me and I found it fascinating to know how it worked behind the scenes."
Wouldn't you rather have studied IT?
"Actually, I wanted to become a physical education teacher! But my mother wouldn't let me, and I'm still grateful to her for that. In those days it was not easy to find work in that field. Commercial sciences was a fairly general subject, with mathematics, economics and many languages. In hindsight, I did an extremely useful study, but if I had to do it again now, I would take Computer Management as an optional subject. That was a very small group back then, with only boys. If the school had pitched it differently at the time, I probably would have chosen it. I would have learned about technology, project approach, ... all things I found fascinating and really needed in my job afterwards. But then again, that was not the direction girls went in. Even though that was only 14 years ago, right!
The ceiling is not always made of glass
Before joining Flexso, Marjolein worked for Agfa for nine years.
Tell us why you switched from Agfa to Flexso?
"As an external CRM support consultant I ended up at Agfa. After a while I got the opportunity to start working internally at Agfa, in a first step this meant little change, but a big financial step forward. I worked with the same people as before and therefore did not really feel that I had changed jobs. Afterwards, I went through an ambitious process at Agfa in which I often came into contact with people from Flexso. They were the SAP supplier and I was now team leader of the technical ABAP developers at Agfa (ABAP is the code language in SAP). In the end, it was a very familiar choice to switch to Flexso. It did not feel totally new because I already knew so many people there. I am still very glad that I made that switch. In the past four years I have learned a lot and been able to take steps forward. Above all, things go much faster here.
"In my whole career, I have never really felt that I have changed jobs."
At Agfa, weren't you on your way to a great career?
"It was not always easy to grow there. Even after nine years, I was often seen as the youngest IT colleague. That gave me the feeling that I constantly had to prove myself, and that within a hierarchical structure. There were many managers who would remain in their current role for a while. My day-to-day job included a lot of challenging and fun tasks, the teams had a very good relationship with each other, but the environment and structure did not appeal to me, so I chose the path of consultancy again.
Diversity works (in all directions)
Marjolein no longer has to prove herself and she sees this as one of her greatest achievements. "I am justifiably proud of my professional career. At Agfa already, but especially since my move to Flexso. I'm proud to be a woman in the SAP world who stands up for content. People respect me above all for my knowledge. That is how I want it. That gives me enormous satisfaction.
Does it still feel a bit strange as a woman in a man's world?
"There is still a lot of work to be done. Despite the flat structure, the male/female ratio at Flexso is still not quite right. For example, today I am one of the few female Competence Leads, but I am hopeful. We are seeing more and more girls applying for technology positions. Proportionally, they are still in the minority, but something is moving and I want to work for that in a positive way. This is done by talking a lot about what a tech job exactly entails and what talents you need for it, but also that typically female characteristics are very useful here. Just think of being able to listen well to your customer or show empathy during the execution of a project."
Male colleagues might also benefit from this?
"Diversity definitely has advantages for men too."
"Diversity definitely has advantages for men as well. I sincerely believe that the dynamics change with a more diverse team. Because with a woman, it is often easier for them to voice their doubts if something is not going well. But that also applies the other way around. Only women in the workplace is not ideal either. Some more masters in nursery education, for example, it would probably be a breath of fresh air.
At Flexso, we actually deal with diversity in a very natural way. Background, gender, age, none of that matters here. As long as you like to work! We recently hired someone with tons of experience at Flexso who is less than 10 years away from retirement. He would like to spend another ten years doing challenging work as a Customer Experience Consultant. That is the best! That makes me just as happy as if I could hire a woman."
You were once in the running for Young ICT Woman of the Year. Do initiatives like this help to make women enthusiastic about tech?
"My CIO at Agfa at the time wanted me to take part in that award. I finished among the last three, didn't win, but it was a nice experience. I think it's great that attention is finally being paid to female role models in this way, but much more needs to be done to convince young girls in particular. That is why we try to be present at job fairs as much as possible and go into schools to tell them how important IT is and what the opportunities in the sector are."
A new wind
Flexso employs many young people, what does that do to a company?
"My years at Agfa were instructive, but quite intense. I missed the career opportunities and felt that the hierarchical structure did not suit me as much. In hindsight, I am also happy with what I got out of it all. It has shaped me into who I am today. The new generation thinks much more about the right fit. It's all become a bit softer and that's a good thing, isn't it! Work is no longer the only thing that counts to be happy. We have to take that into account much more, it's important. I'm very happy that the people in my team easily come and ask to work 80%, both men and women. That shouldn't even be a question, it should be an announcement. And anyone who chooses to be at home more and take on a caring role deserves respect for that, including men. Just as mothers with careers deserve respect instead of comment. Of course such a thing is difficult to plan for, but it is also just a professional problem that can be solved. That's how we deal with it at Flexso and that's how it could be everywhere."
"Wanting to work 4/5ths should not be a question, but a statement."
Cook at home
Marjolein knows what makes her happy and that is what she goes for. She attended night school for years and is now a qualified cook. "It started when I was still studying. My sister was already working and we wanted to spend more time together. So we started an auxiliary cook course at our place in Eeklo in night school and that was great fun. I really like working with food, so it didn't stop there for me. After my Commercial Science studies, I found work in Mortsel and decided to continue studying to become a chef at the PIVA in Antwerp. I did that for years. At the rate of one evening a week, you can stay busy for a long time.
You worked, you had children in the meantime and then you graduated as a cook. Do you do anything with that diploma?
"Until March 2020, I would occasionally cook at people's houses for parties. During the first lockdown, when that was no longer allowed, my sister and I immediately started a pop-up. We made a takeaway menu once a week and we did that until the restaurants reopened. A great time! And since then, we've been working occasionally on weekends and during the summer as home cooks."
What drives you to be so active, even on your weekends?
"My sister and I are doers, but we find it especially important to be busy with things we like to do. For me, being a chef is just part of it. And because I'm self-employed, I decide for myself when I work and when I don't."
The ideal combo
What does your ideal life look like in the near future?
"I find it very important to be happy in my job and to be active outside it. And that combination is possible!
"For the time being I don't regret anything, but from now on I want to make more time for my children. That is actually not so difficult. I don't necessarily have to work less, I just have to reschedule my work.
On a professional level, I want to continue to build my story within Flexso and grow CRM/CX. I really enjoy my job and I feel that I am not finished yet. I also have genuinely good colleagues and that is very nice. At the same time, I would like to spend more time with food on a personal level. If the right opportunity presents itself, I see myself in the future working two or three days a week as a consultant and also running my own business. I find it very important to be happy in my job and to be active outside of it. And that combination is possible, isn't it! It doesn't matter if it's a side job, an intensive hobby or a caring role at home. Everyone has to decide that for themselves.