TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAILY HABITS THAT KEEP YOU INSPIRED AND MOTIVATED.
Music makes me happy, so on my way to work I usually have something playing that reflects my mood of the day—and I loudly sing along in the car. It is a small moment of joy that sets the tone. On my way home, I will often call my mom for a chat. She was a palliative nurse, and growing up with her taught me the importance of living in the moment and making every day count. That mindset helps me stay grounded and motivated, even on tougher days. I also find energy in sparring with people, sharing ideas, and helping others grow. Those interactions—whether at work or in my personal life—keep me inspired.
LOOKING BACK AT YOUR CAREER JOURNEY, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I am most proud of the fact that I got where I am today without having to change my values or who I am—or want to be—as a person. That is something I truly cherish. I have worked at Barco for 15 years now, even though it was never my plan to stay this long with one employer. But Barco is an amazing international company with values that match my own, and somehow, something interesting always came around just when I was about to get too comfortable or bored in a role.
Over the years, I had the pleasure of working with many different teams, and I am proud to say that no bridges were burned along the way. I am respected for the career I have built, by many of the people I have crossed paths with—across all layers of the organisation. I work best when I understand why people are the way they are, how they think, or why things are done a certain way. I love constructive discussions, sharing knowledge, and helping others grow. One of my favourite quotes is by Socrates: “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” That’s very much how I approach things.
WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU ENCOUNTERED THROUGHOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP JOURNEY? DID YOU HAVE ANY MENTORS ALONG THE WAY?
By nature, I am a shy introvert with rather low self-confidence. So my biggest challenge—or rather growth journey—has been figuring out how to deal with that. I have learned that I gain confidence once I become more skilled or experienced in a subject. I still always fall back to that shy introvert when I have to talk about myself (if this weren’t a written interview, you would see the red blush on my cheeks about now!), but I am pleased that many colleagues who’ve only met me in recent years would not immediately label me as shy.
I count myself lucky to have met many people throughout my career whom I genuinely look up to and want to learn from—both men and women. I especially admire those rare authentic or servant leaders who combine vision and strategy with genuine empathy. I have also been given a lot of trust and autonomy by my managers, which has helped me grow tremendously.
From the very start of my career, I tend not to see hierarchical lines. I see people, ideas, and opinions—each valuable for different reasons. If I feel that what I have to say can make a difference, I speak up, regardless of who is sitting across from me. I have been fortunate that at Barco, most people were open to listening to the opinion of a (then) young and inexperienced woman. To this day, I am convinced that this attitude to speak up and push for change or even just reflection has helped shape my career path. When my last manager promoted me, he literally said: “Stay opinionated.”
GIVEN THE DEMANDS OF YOUR ROLE, HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE?
I am a mum of two amazing boys (4 and 7 years old). Both my work and their school are close to our home, which saves me a lot of time commuting. I can work from home two days a week, and my hours are flexible—as long as the work gets done. That flexibility goes both ways, especially in an international company where you often need to juggle different time zones.
On fixed days, my boys are picked up from school by their grandparents, who they absolutely adore. I can count on them for babysitting too, and I really count myself lucky for having a family that helps out so much. I am very aware that combining my job with two young kids would be much more challenging without that support. Still, work is not the most important thing in life—and it’s not what you look back on at the end. I know that, but I do need to remind myself of that every now and then. Ever since I have children, I take one full month off every summer. Even though I keep up with emails during that time, I am really able to disconnect and enjoy the holidays. Most of that time is spent at home, doing whatever my kids feel like doing. Over the years, we have built pirate ships and treasure hunts in the house, marble tracks, huge Lego constructions, and on rainy days we make Christmas decorations or work on other art projects. When you enter my home, you can’t deny that kids live—and most importantly, play—here. I intend to enjoy and join in those activities for as long as they let me.
Even though I have a network to help with the kids, I always make sure to be there myself too. On a typical work/school day, we do not have a lot of time together, but I make the time we do have count. We have breakfast and dinner together, and we talk about our days or what is going on in the world. Before bed, we play board or card games, and I am currently learning to play chess with my eldest. My favourite part of the day is by far their bedtime ritual. I have been collecting children’s books since before they were born, so they now have their own little library. Every night, we pick a book together to read. I also adjusted the lyrics to a movie theme song and turned it into a goodnight song for my boys, which they can sing along—almost—perfectly by now. It is the perfect way to unwind and relax completely. My boys each have their own queen bed because I like to crawl in with them to read—and very often, I fall asleep right there with them. These are the best power naps you can imagine!
WITH NEARLY 15 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS HOLDING WOMEN BACK, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO CHANGE FOR BETTER REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION?
I am convinced that there is a lot we can do ourselves—as women, as parents, as employees, and as managers. To get more women into certain industries, and especially into leadership roles, we need to reduce the sacrifices that are often required to get there. If a role does not allow for a healthy combination of personal life and career, it will hold people back. And that is not just true for women—I see more and more men who are also no longer willing to make those sacrifices. Some want to spend time with their kids, travel, play in a band, or train for a marathon. Post-COVID, many people have come to appreciate a better work-life balance.
That is why I am in favour of anything that helps improve that balance: hybrid working, flexible hours, additional holidays, or even gym subscriptions instead of financial bonuses. People need different kinds of flexibility at different stages of life, and organisations should aim to accommodate those needs. Everyone now understands the value of diversity in the workplace, but there are still barriers that prevent people from going after certain roles. If a role implicitly requires full-time presence, mandatory office attendance, or fixed 9-to-5 working hours, some people simply will not be interested.
As a mom of young kids, I can say from experience that even if my family or partner can care for my children, I still want to be actively present in their lives. That does not mean I work less or am less committed—quite the opposite. You get a lot of intrinsic motivation from this. For example, I will avoid scheduling calls at 7 p.m., but I do not mind taking one at 9 p.m. after the kids are asleep. It is give and take on flexibility. I do realise I am fortunate to work in a country and company like Barco that supports this. We still have a long way to go before everyone truly sees and believes in these benefits.
Working in an R&D-centric company, it is still undeniable that fewer women work in certain more technical roles. I cannot speak for other companies, but I know for a fact that at Barco we even actively seek out that diversity, but it remains hard to find candidates. We need to steer more women to these interests, studies, and finally careers. That is something we can change from a very young age. Just look at how many toy stores still visibly separate “girls’ toys” and “boys’ toys.” We can all help break that bias in small ways—like choosing gifts for newborns or birthdays that don’t reinforce stereotypes. Luckily, there are more and more role models out there now, with both men and women in diverse roles.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Don’t worry too much about all those people asking about your 5-, 10-, or 20-year career plan. Just stay true to yourself, do what gives you energy, and find ways to learn and grow—personally or professionally. Support the people you meet along the way. That in itself is already a really good goal to have.