Myriam
Business Analyst
"Dare to try and even fail, it's all part of the growth process."
- Name: Myriam Baecke
- Age: 33
- Studies: Master in Bioscience Engineering: Agricultural Sciences (UGent)
- Function: Business Analyst
- Hobbies: Playing the clarinet in the local brass band
The 33-year-old Myriam Baecke works as a Business Analyst at Actemium. She acts as a bridge between the programmer and the software user and supports customers with the use of the applications. She also guides new customers through the implementation of the software and evaluates their needs. She then communicates these needs and wishes to the programmers.
In your opinion, how can more women be encouraged to enter the technical sector?
Myriam: I think it is mainly related to education. For example, my parents work on a farm where I, along with my three sisters and brother, occasionally help out ever since I was young. Even though farming is traditionally considered a male sector, my parents have always involved me, my sisters and brother equally in everything. For example, my sisters and I also help out in the fields and drive the tractor. In our family, this is considered normal. As a result, I have never felt that men are different from women. My sisters, brother and I have also consciously passed on this way of living and perception to our own children. I believe we should all strive to raise our children in an equal manner, where they are allowed to choose what they do and like, regardless of stereotypes.
As a woman, how does it feel to be surrounded mostly by male colleagues?
Myriam: It is noticeable that I am occasionally the only woman in a work environment. Yet I can honestly say that at VINCI Energies I have never once felt that I was treated differently compared to my male colleagues. I also notice that the collaboration in a mixed team goes very well. There is a synergy due to the diversity of qualities, character traits and personalities, with some differences sometimes indeed being partly gender-specific. Together, you can achieve different insights and approaches. In other words: it’s the ideal combination.
Who are your role models?
Myriam: I have always admired confident and authentic women who dare to fully be themselves. On average, women are better at detecting and identifying emotions and I always find it inspiring when women embrace this aspect in order to use it as a positive tool to be successful. I also believe that some women could easily be more confident. So my message to other women is: dare to try and even fail, it’s all part of the growth process. As Pippi Longstocking believes, ‘I’ve never done it before, so I think I can do it.’
