mayke huiberts

international analytic lead at nationale postcode loterij & vriendenloterij

about

i’ve never really been a girly girl. when i was young, i preferred playing outside and building huts to dressing up. now i’m a mum of three boys and work in tech, so i guess i have a theme in life!

because i wanted to do something with both people ánd numbers, i chose to study psychology, followed by a research master’s in statistics and communications. i’ve worked at the lotteries for 10 years now, and i’ve held several positions in that time. after my last maternity leave, i started as a team lead for our international analytics hub, which builds dashboards and models on an international platform. working together internationally is fun, but not seeing each other in person every day means it can be more challenging to bond. i’m proud that we’ve managed to create a strong team spirit.

when i started here i was the only woman in my team. i didn’t mind, but “female” qualities, like organisational sensitivity, really add value to a team. i hope to see more women realising their potential for success in roles like mine, even while balancing work with motherhood. that’s why i want to share my story.

what qualities do you think are essential for success?

earlier in my career, i used to hold off presenting my work to colleagues until i felt completely sure it was good enough. over the years, i’ve come to realise that you have to be willing to risk making mistakes. i think women in particular tend to hold themselves back due to insecurity. doing things your own way, even if you stumble along the way, is part of the journey to success.

nationale postcode loterij & vriendenloterij

the digital landscape is evolving rapidly, and in the coming years a wealth of talent will be required to navigate these changes. women remain underrepresented in the tech and analytics fields. often, women do not consider these areas when choosing their studies, and they are less likely than men to apply for tech job openings later. although we maintain a good gender balance in our organisation overall, we observe this trend as well. this is unfortunate, as the field offers numerous career opportunities. additionally, diversity in teams is crucial: diverse teams perform better, foster more innovation, and contribute to a more inclusive culture. fortunately, we have highly enthusiastic and ambitious female tech team members at the lotteries. we believe sharing their stories more widely will make a difference. and we hope this role model campaign will inspire more women to pursue careers in tech, and we cordially invite them to come and work with us in a tech role.