Kiki Lauwers (she/her)
CEO at Thorizon
About
Since May last year I have had the pleasure to lead Thorizon, a deep-tech scale-up developing nuclear technology. Some would say working on a crazy mission: to produce carbon free energy and reduce nuclear waste. Typically, when someone tells me things are impossible, it sparks even more drive to get things done.When I was little, my two big passions were math and ballet. I decided to study engineering and have never stopped dancing. There are so many things I would still like to learn and do, luckily my 3 children also keep me grounded in the present.
Why International Women’s Day is important for you?
Over my career I have worked predominantly in “male” working environments. I used to see it as an asset, that I could bring something different to work life. However, it can also be lonely, and even today biases towards female leaders remain: too young, too old, too caring, too bossy, too careful – it is ridiculous.
I hope when my daughter has grown up, this will have changed. At Thorizon, we have a diverse team with ~40% women, I think this is important, that people feel welcome. For me International Women’s Day is an important day to remind ourselves that women are 50% of the world and not a minority.
Photographer: Carly Wollaert © | Make-up artist: Larizza Nieto Guzman from Art of Colors
Thorizon
We need all ideas to realize our mission and want everyone to feel at home in our team.
Techleap
We firmly believe that increasing diversity – including of gender – benefits the tech industry as a whole. These women lead the way, provide others an anchoring point for their ambitions and truly show there is no limit to what can be achieved.