I am really in love with data.

When exactly did you fall in love with data?

“That’s difficult to say. I always liked math at school and as a kid I had a system to class VHS videos at home. Also, I need facts to believe a story someone is telling me. At university I worked on  a case for Kinepolis. That’s when I knew I wanted to work with data for a living. We had to predict how many people would come to watch certain movies, based on the type of film, actors, past behaviours, etc. ”

You are also a Chapter Lead. Which role do you prefer?

“As a Chapter Lead, I help people grow and develop. Giving continuous feedback is super important. Not just on how they perform, but also on how they interact with colleagues and stakeholders. The combination of coaching people with different needs and analysing data makes my job really interesting. I consider myself to be a social person who also happens to love data analysis.”

People sometimes see us as superheroes. We help them by turning a big amount of data into something they can use.

Does your job come with a lot of freedom?

“A data analyst has the freedom to find answers based on expertise and curiosity. That freedom of course stops with data security and privacy where strict rules apply. Also, how you operate as a Chapter Lead is completely up to you. You decide how you help the people in your team”

Is data your only passion?

“Of course not. I have my violin and my family. We love to go hiking in the woods with our kids. But data is never far away. My husband is an environmental scientist. He knows we need data to understand nature and save the world.”