Event Review – Benelux Region STEM Careers Event – September 2022

On Wednesday 28^th September, we ran our online Benelux Region STEM Careers Event, attracting 14 exhibiting employers and 539 student sign ups! Our attendees and employers were based across the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

The event began at noon CEST with a welcome talk from STEM Women events host, Sophie Chadwick, followed by a sponsor address from Booking.com. We then heard a fascinating panel discussion featuring women working in industry, and 5 speaker insight sessions from exhibiting companies.  Throughout the event, attendees could also network with employers via webchat and video call, browse company stalls and apply for opportunities.

The Sponsor Address

This event was sponsored by Booking.com. Stella Zhang, Senior Product Manager at Booking.com opened the event with an interesting introduction to the company and their missions. Stella also spoke about Booking.com’s commitment to improving diversity and inclusion and highlighted some of the initiatives they run at the company. Attendees heard about the roles and opportunities they have available, and learnt more about the employer resource group B.equal.

The Panel Discussion

Our panel for this event was made up of Greta Moser from Avery Dennision, Laureline Senequier from Deloitte, and Kelly Pisane from Booking.com. We heard some invaluable advice around finding allies in the workplace, how to consciously fight unconscious bias, and the importance of showcasing your transferrable skills.

“Consciously fight the unconscious bias”- Laureline Senequier

“We are the most critical of ourselves because we remember everything we have said – nobody actually ever has all of the skills that we say we want. You are not the least qualified person, you are probably the most qualified.” – Kelly Pisane

The speaker sessions

Throughout the afternoon, 5 employers presented speaker sessions which introduced the attendees to the companies and highlighted what opportunities they offer to students and graduates.

We heard from:

Avery Dennison – Pascale Wautelet, Vice President Global R&D and Marina Carrer, Graduate Program Associate R&D

Key topics: Pascale’s varied and successful career journey, an introduction to Avery Dennison, Marina’s experience on the graduate scheme.

Deloitte – Juliette Hoogerhuis, Manager Technology Strategy & Operating Model.

Key topics: Juliette’s career journey from university to industry, why she chose Deloitte and why she enjoys working for the company.

Booking.com – Liana Mahon, Senior iOS Software Engineer.

Key topics: Liana’s experience at Booking.com – her first week at the company and what she learnt, the importance of breaking boundaries and stereotypes.

Schneider Electric – Lien Hespel, Strategy & Marketing Manager.

Key topics: About Schneider Electric and the industries they work in, Lien’s personal journey from university to her role now and the lessons she learnt.

ASML – Vina Faramarzi

Key topics: Growing up in Iran, her experience at university, and the benefits of working for a great company like ASML.

Join us at a STEM Women Event!

We run a range of industry specific, general STEM and location specific careers events each year.

If you’re a student looking to register for your free ticket, take a look at our events line up – careers.stemwomen.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for event updates.

If you’re an employer interested in exhibiting at an upcoming event, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Event Sales Manager, Lauren Jenkins by emailing laurenj@stemwomen.com, or fill out the form below. www.stemwomen.com.