Please tell us about your association work, your focus and interests

I have been working within international associations in different roles for over 15 years, starting from member representative, to positions as legal and strategic advisor, chair and board member to a management position. I like to think of myself as a hybrid association professional, focused on bringing people together and on giving the associations I serve the oxygen needed for continuous and future-proof development.

What inspired you to work in the international association sector? Would you recommend this career to others?

From the start, as a member representative, I felt inspired by the teamwork of members towards a joint mission, by the quest for harmonisation, by the power of knowledge exchange and peer-to-peer contacts and by the ever-present constructive spirit. It was a joy for me to discover there could be more to work than being a legal expert. In my current roles, this inspiration has only become stronger, and I love bringing members together and empowering them, while working jointly towards the energy transition.

Despite the many challenges – like maintaining member involvement, the specifics of governance, finance and keeping your association future-proof in these uncertain times – I would certainly recommend everyone wanting to go beyond the quest for profit, to pursue a career in association management,.

Can you remember a time when you needed to #BreakTheBias?

On several occasions I was invited to speak where I was the only woman on the panel, and sometimes one of only a few in the audience. At such moments, I feel great pride in being able to lead by example not only on the energy transition, but mainly on the empowerment of women.

How important are diversity, equity, and inclusion for the future success of associations? What concrete actions have helped you promote DEI?

How the planet evolves in the coming years depends on how we as individuals will react to it. The work of associations therein is invaluable: we bring people and organisations together on the basis of purpose and mission. Building and keeping the trust of members is a challenge and the only way to overcome this is to emphasize transparency, inclusion and integrity in all actions and communications.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are essential components of associations, and obtaining a balance in this respect is key to be credible and to reach further professionalisation of association management. For example, when approaching candidates for the position of workgroup chair or board members, I have always strived and succeeded in finding that balance so that all members feel truly represented and included.