I was born and raised in Delft, part of a very entrepreneurial family. My family taught me to work hard and to pursue things with a positive and can-do attitude. My mom has always been my inspiration teaching me that whether you are a man or woman, you always need to be able to take care of yourself. Emotionally, mentally, and financially. I was always encouraged to show resilience if things did not go well on the first try. I would say that my journey has been a unique blend of a passion for both people and technology.
When I was younger, I always wondered why I had such broad interests and in high school when I had to choose what courses to pick, I basically chose everything including math, science, physics but also foreign languages like English, German, and economics. Where I felt pretty lost at school, I also had a lot of energy and passion for sports, but I was not as good in field hockey or tennis as I wished. This pretty much changed when I started rowing in college. Finally, I found a sport where my energy and passion resulted in proper outcomes.
In Amsterdam, I did not only worked on my academic skills but also discovered the transformative power of collaboration during my competitive rowing competitions. The experiences I had in both the Netherlands and the United States shaped my perspective, highlighting the significance of being curious where someone else is coming from before embarking on any endeavor.
Rowing: a lesson in collaboration: Rowing taught me invaluable lessons about teamwork, emphasizing the need for synchronization and having an open mind among the eight individuals in the boat. Balancing hard work, dedication and collaboration became second nature as we navigated the waters together. The intricate dance of rowing mirrored the delicate balance required in the professional world. We often forget that everyone lives their own lives, also beyond work, and I cannot stress enough how important it is to always connect with people before you dive into the content. However, working in tech one of the best ways to connect is over content.
Lessons from America: how the Netherlands is a way smaller country but with a much bigger dialogue: Whereas Amsterdam was already a much bigger and more cosmopolitan area than Delft, rowing in the USA provided me with a broader perspective on the world. Virginia where I rowed and studied was literally three times bigger than the country I grew up in, which made me realize the uniqueness of my upbringing. As we have less people in the Netherlands, we have more room for discussion and dialogue. In the USA everyday was a “seat race” – every day my teammates and I would be placed in different seats in the boat to challenge us and see what combinations would row the fastest.
I remember asking my coach why I had to change seats and him replying with a “shut up and do as I say”. As there were so many women in the team, he mentioned to me he couldn’t explain what he was doing to everyone as this just took up too much time. I missed the discussions I had with my coaches in the Netherlands and later realized that I had to use the best of both worlds: the rigorous work ethic of the Americans and the open-mindedness of the Dutch. This really became a guiding principle in my professional life.
Academic pursuits: unraveling the intersection of business and technology: Besides rowing twice a day, I studied Beta Gamma at Science Park in Amsterdam. This study was entirely focused on approaching societal issues from interdisciplinary perspectives as it is believed that we can no longer solve them with just one discipline. I loved this program as it enabled me to combine my passion for both people and technology within the same studies. It was not always easy considering the technical courses I was following but being able to discover what the impact of physics, science, logics, and astronomy were on how people behave has been extremely interesting.
After completing my bachelor’s, I pursued social innovation courses in the USA. Two subsequent master’s degrees followed in Entrepreneurship and Digital Business. My fascination with the motives behind corporate pursuits led me to explore the potential of blockchain technology, a catalyst for transparency and trust in various sectors. Considering the amount of technology around us I believed that I had to continue in this space. Especially as a woman – as there are still way less women in tech – I felt this would be the space where I could create and seize opportunities being someone that also really cares about people and the planet.
Daring to make choices early on in my career created a lot of opportunities and a steep learning curve: Under the mentorship of the European Blockchain lead at Capgemini, I graduated with a focus on blockchain technology. I joined Accenture later as technology strategy consultant, delving myself furthermore into the world of emerging technologies and their impact on society. As a consultant I acquired the skills to analyze situations, identify real problems and formulate solutions. My passion for understanding complex issues and my luck of finding technology intriguing at the same time aligned seamlessly with my role.
As I joined Accenture, I decided that I wanted to be known for my expertise in Blockchain. Some fellow juniors were often surprised by my dedication, but I have only seen over time that if you dare to take a decision and be known for something this is only creating opportunities for you. People start associating you with a topic and share interesting articles and events with you, supporting you in a very steep learning curve.
Changing gear: how I navigated my journey on the intersection of people and technology
After almost 4 years at Accenture, I realized that a lot of the research and strategy work I was doing for F500 organizations focused mainly on how emerging technologies like blockchain and AI can be used to grow / scale / save costs and become more efficient. As I learned more on the technologies and became more aware of the (unintended) consequences of technical designs on people and the planet, I decided to change directions and quit my job.
As I also conducted academic research and was keen to discover how we can support leaders in becoming aware of these unintended consequences I gladly took on the opportunity to provide a novel perspective on responsible technology leadership on the TEDx night of the University of Amsterdam. I came up with a framework, named FOMO 2.0, that can support leaders in making more responsible decisions when implementing new technologies.
Academic milestones: from Harvard to setting up my own company and receiving an EU Research Grant: Transitioning from a technology strategy consultant to a scientific research enabled me to explore the intersection between people and emerging technologies from a different angle. I realized that I started to operate more in line with my values, which makes your work so much more fun. While working for various leaders in large global organizations I saw how they were often driven by a fear of missing out as competitors moved quicker with emerging technology.
Without realizing what the actual problems were they wanted to resolve they hopped on the hype cycle train. By combining my open mindset and collaborative skills that I obtained early on I saw the importance of translating technology into stories that people with less time or less technical background would get. My dedication to understanding and translating complex technological concepts for those without a technical background became the vocal point of my career.
My journey continued with scientific research on what existing organizations need to implement an identity challenging technology like blockchain or AI. I got to present the findings at Harvard University and recently secured a 250,000 euro grant for EU research on the impact of new digital technologies on humanity and the climate. This clearly marked a milestone and has shown me that pursuing a job that fulfils you and taking calculated risks on what you want to work about ignites your passion and energy, which supports you in becoming successful.
I set up my own company to share my stories in keynotes, trainings, and workshops for big organizations. I feel comfortable doing so as I know that I am my own story marked by an unyielding drive to explore new frontiers.
I find immense energy in the pursuit of knowledge and the narratives it weaves. From rowing, and many other sports, to unraveling the mysteries of blockchain and AI, my journey is a story about my passion for people and technology. As I continue to explore the uncharted territories at the intersection between humanity and innovation, I look forward to bridging worlds and shaping a future where we consciously use technology as a catalyst for positive change. If this is inspiring to you, feel free to add me on LinkedIn and follow more about my journey and the research I’m doing.