Jorien van Braak: Business Unit Manager
The 42-year-old Jorien van Braak works as a Business Unit Manager at IZEN. In this role, her responsibilities include the coaching and functioning of the employees and the financial results of the business unit.
“As a manager, I want to break through the traditionally
tougher technical sector by creating a safe environment
where everyone can be vulnerable.”
- Name: Jorien van Braak
- Age: 42
- Studies: HBO Construction (Technical College of Utrecht)
- Function: Business Unit Manager
- Hobbies: Race cycling and running
How did you get into the technical sector at VINCI Energies?
Jorien: Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of becoming an architect, a passion that led me to study Construction at the Technical College of Utrecht. Although I never ended up working as an architect, that background laid the foundation for my career in project development and later in energy transition, where I focused on making buildings more sustainable. My transition to VINCI Energies made me responsible for the IZEN business unit. What initially made VINCI Energies so appealing to me was the ambitious transformation trajectory to re-shape IZEN into the ‘VINCI Energies-way-of-life’. But also the world the company is embedded in, the fact that the company is listed on the stock exchange and the impact VINCI Energies makes every day.
Which individuals are inspiring to you and awaken your admiration?
Jorien: I have several sources of inspiration, but first of all I think of Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand. I greatly admire her ability to combine leadership with taking care of the country and her family. It signals to many women that it is possible to combine those roles. Furthermore, I see Mien van Bree as a great role model in sports. She was the first top cyclist in the Netherlands in the 1930s. Cycling in those days was indecent for women, so she had to move to Belgium and leave her family behind to fulfill her dream. I find it admirable how someone can follow her heart so passionately.
What approach do you take in the traditionally tougher technical sector?
Jorien: All my life I have been working in the technical sector. As a result, I have noticed that there is sometimes a lack of vulnerability and softness in this “tough” world. As a manager, I try to pay attention to these things by ensuring that people can be vulnerable with me. I was selected by VINCI Energies partly for my people-oriented side. The sector benefits from more room for individuals and their vulnerabilities, of course in balance with the business aspect. That is what I try to work for and pay attention to every day.
