5 minute read
VERONIEK DE MULDER: AN ATYPICAL ENGINEER?
Engineers are often stereotyped as methodical, logical, science focused and typically seen in rational industrial environments. However, at Group T Campus, we know that the engineering profession is home to a diverse range of individuals, including those who defy these conventional expectations. Time for a chat with Veroniek de Mulder, an atypical engineer. Her career path proves what an engineer is capable of when he/she is prepared to leave the beaten track.
Executive management of companies, restructuring of organisations implementing IT transformation and digitalisation, private-public cooperation in industrial and infrastructural development, contract negotiation and conflict management … these are just a few examples of the rich palette of expertise she has acquired. However, she herself does not find her record so atypical. “Actually, almost everything is in line with the engineering training I took at Group T Campus.”
Management and communication
Veroniek graduated in 1998 as an engineer in Chemical Engineering Technology from the then Group T University College in Leuven. “Although there were two other engineering colleges closer to home, I deliberately chose Leuven”, she says. “Scientific and technical subjects you get everywhere but for courses on marketing and financial management and communication skills, you had to go to Leuven at that time. The international dimension was also clearly present then. It gave me the chance to go on a study trip to Russia and with Erasmus to Loughborough
University in the UK. The students also turned out to be more articulate and enterprising, relations with professors were more informal, in short, Group T was ahead of its time in many areas. We were challenged to search for that creative spark that allows to think outside the box. In my later career, I would find motivation in challenging the status quo, explore unconventional solutions, and embrace a spirit of innovation. I believe that an engineering education should enhance that can-do mindset.”
After completing her studies, Veroniek went to work as a sales engineer at Henkel Belgium. Her customers include the steel giant Sidmar (now Arcelor Mital) in Ghent and major players in the automotive industry. Soon, the ambitious engineer advances to account manager and key account manager and her radius of action expands from Flanders to the whole of Europe. Eager to learn, Veroniek takes sales training and commercial courses and obtains a postgraduate degree in Business Administration at KU Leuven. During her four years at Henkel, she not only sees her salary double but also emerges as the engineer who wants to push her boundaries, and that both in the positions she holds and the sectors in which she operates.
Infrastructure and logistics
In 2006, Veroniek decides to join one of the Flemish Governments major independent public companies. She paves the way up to the position of Commercial Director at ‘Waterwegen en Zeekanaal’ (now Vlaamse Waterweg), the agency mainly responsible for inland waterway transport, infrastructure and waterbound industrial development. “Actually, I was mainly concerned with building a strong team to roll out a commercial strategy on the valorisation of industrial sites along the waterway”, Veroniek continues. “Gradually, this led me into the logistics and real estate sector and eventually, a privately held logistics company asked me to lead their business as a CEO.”
Along the way, Veroniek continues to work tirelessly on her personal development. In 2013, she obtains a postgraduate degree in Conflict Management and Mediation at Ghent University and in 2017 a bachelor’s degree in Law at KU Leuven. And when during the COVID epidemic activities are at a lower ebb, she follows an Executive Programme on Negotiation and Dispute Solution at Harvard Business School via distance learning. “Managing a private company with 250 staff on 5 different locations, showed me the benefits of being a so called atypical engineer. While engineering is often -wrongly- perceived as a solitary pursuit, part of leading an organization in all aspects means building relationships and understanding the needs of others. My engineering background allowed me not to be afraid to take calculated risks and learn from their failures.”
At the Guberna Institute for Directors and the Vlerick Business School, Veroniek continues her dedication to life long learning by studying corporate governance and director effectiveness to prepare for next steps as board member in several organisations. In 2022, she decides to jump forward and to continue full force in roles as independent board member and strategic advisor.
Culture and society
No matter how busy Veroniek is, she continues to make time for social engagement in the nonprofit sector. For instance, she was a volunteer commercial judge in Ghent for five years. And since 2017, she has had a seat on the Board of Directors of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra where she was recently appointed as chairman a.i. of the board. She is also mentoring one of the students in the Women Engineers’ Mentoring Programme at Group T Campus. For Veroniek, this is not merely a matter of idealism. “I feel it is my duty to give something back to the society that has invested a lot in me.” Again, she does not tread the beaten path. No sponsorship or charity but investment of precious time in well chosen goals. Even a generalist is allowed to be selective at times.
Yves Persoons
www.dimples.be
