International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the progress made toward gender equality and to celebrate the achievements of women around the world. Despite the many challenges they face, women have made remarkable contributions in every field imaginable. This is no different at Verhaert. In this article, we celebrate some of the outstanding accomplishments of our female colleagues, shining a light on their talent, expertise and hard work. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire you and remind everyone of the incredible power of women to effect positive change in the world.
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What sparked your interest in innovation and product development?
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“As a problem-solving enthusiast, I’ve always been drawn to opportunities that require analytical thinking and creativity. When I stumbled upon flyers about Product Development and visited the campus in Antwerp, I knew this was something for me. There, I learned that I enjoy talking with different stakeholders to analyze their needs and wishes and design products and services that truly cater to their unique situations. I’m happy this is something I can do on a daily basis as a design consultant at Verhaert.”
“On the other hand, I also like how diverse innovation can be. Each day presents a new opportunity to explore different fields and topics. For instance, one day I might be exploring how to renovate a house in a sustainable way, and the next day I could be immersed in the world of coffee. It keeps the innovation process new and exciting each time.”
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What’s been your biggest career achievement, Emmanuelle?
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“At Verhaert, we have a lot of different customers in different industries, each with their own unique needs and requirements. This is directly reflected in our projects and multidisciplinary teams. One of my proudest achievements has been identifying the most efficient ways to help our teams in sourcing their materials. Whether it’s finding the most qualitative subcontractors or sourcing hard-to-find items like out-of-stock items or combined technologies, I’m challenged every day to think out of the box.”
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Alexandra, what’s been the biggest innovation challenge you solved?
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“One of the biggest challenges I face as an Innovation Consultant is jumping from industry to industry to provide our clients with the solutions they’re looking for. It requires a versatile mindset, adaptability, and a fast but deep understanding (ever new and new for me) of industries, technologies, or trends.”
“In the past years, I tapped the waters of many complex industries: from consumer appliance development and paper packaging innovation, to digital measures in healthcare. Even without engineering degrees in my pocket, it’s my MBA in marketing and a strong dose of curiosity that help me tackle these challenges head-on. Nevertheless, I’m sure my biggest challenge is yet to come!”
