Science & Knowledge
Fri. June 9, 12:00PM
Women in Tech: Redefining possibilities
Join us for a celebration of women in tech with Valérie Glatigny and Mathieu Michel
Investing in women in technology is mainly an investment in the Belgian economy, with potential to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP.
The Belgian technology industry has great potential, but it needs to invest more in women to fully realize it. Women are currently underrepresented and face limited career opportunities and leadership positions. However, their diverse contributions and innovative ideas can benefit the entire industry.
To progress, it is crucial to offer more opportunities to women, including support for women-led startups, mentorship programs, and addressing structural barriers like biases in recruitment and promotion.
Womenpreneur and VINCI Energies are committed to this cause and invite you to join a celebration of women in tech on June 9th, featuring virtual reality experiences and an inspiring documentary titled "Redefining Possibilities: The Power of Women in Tech."
The Belgian technology industry has great potential, but it needs to invest more in women to fully realize it. Women are currently underrepresented and face limited career opportunities and leadership positions. However, their diverse contributions and innovative ideas can benefit the entire industry.
To progress, it is crucial to offer more opportunities to women, including support for women-led startups, mentorship programs, and addressing structural barriers like biases in recruitment and promotion.
Womenpreneur and VINCI Energies are committed to this cause and invite you to join a celebration of women in tech on June 9th, featuring virtual reality experiences and an inspiring documentary titled "Redefining Possibilities: The Power of Women in Tech."
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Marc Lemaire
Managing Director VINCI Energies Belgium
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Mathieu Michel
Since October 2020, Mathieu Michel has been Secretary of State for Digitalization, in charge of Administrative Simplification, Privacy and the Buildings Administration, attached to the Prime Minister.
Previously, he held the position of President of the Provincial College of Walloon Brabant for 8 years, from 2012 to 2020. He was in charge of heritage management and digitalization.
Together with the Walloon Brabant Property Development Agency, he was responsible for the development of new large-scale 'New Place of Working' (NPOW) projects.
And, in terms of digital technology, Mathieu Michel has worked on the digitalization of the entire territory, turning the 27 communes of Walloon Brabant into true "smart cities". It is also with the objective to further digitize the provincial schools that they have been fully equipped with the latest computer equipment.
Artificial intelligence is one of his priorities in this area. His objective is to mark Belgium's position as a European leader in the field of AI, particularly in the field of health and energy. He is keen to demystify the use of new technologies and advocates for transparency as an essential component of technological innovation and the algorithms on which it is based.
As the person responsible for privacy, Mr Michel initiated the process of updating the Privacy Act to make it more mature. His ambition is to strengthen the protection of our data and the fight against harmful content.
Finally, as a member of the government responsible for the Buildings Administration, he has decided to give Brussels back the pride of its ambition to be the heart of Europe and has made the renovation of the Brussels Court house one of his priorities. For this symbol of the capital of Belgium and Europe, which marks the skyline of Brussels, Mathieu Michel has expressed his ambition to remove the scaffolding that has been installed since 40 years as of 2024.
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Minister of Higher Education
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Sana Afouaiz
At 27, Sana Afouaiz is the founder and director of Womenpreneur, an initiative that helps marginalized women in Belgium, the Middle East, and North Africa become entrepreneurs. She launched Womenquake, a global think tank, which organizes debates on traditions and norms through a gender lens.
She wrote “Invisible women of the Middle East: True Stories” which deals with the taboos of the Arab world. She is an advisor to UN Women and has lectured in over 50 countries. She was also named one of the ten most inspiring women by the World Bank in 2018.
