Karolien didn’t even realize she was in a STEM²D career until recently. A lifelong fan of numbers and mathematics, Karolien also loves connecting with people. Her role as a project manager embraces both of those passions—managing financials and working with other people on project deliverables.

As a Senior Project Manager in Supply Chain for Johnson & Johnson in Belgium, Karolien has worked for J&J for 20 years. Today, she runs large improvement and simplification projects with a focus on data (that is, numbers!) and predictive analytics (using those numbers to predict what will happen next). When she first started in her position, she focused on helping the various business units spend their money in the wisest way possible. She particularly enjoyed working with people and numbers at the same time. In the process, she was also able to learn about science and manufacturing.

After 15 years, she moved to project management in the supply chain area of the business, translating the technical and manufacturing language for executives to help improve the lives of both employees and patients. In her time at the company, she has improved the delivery performance of the manufacturing plant by 10 percent, which means products get where they need to go, on time . . . what’s referred to as a “reliable supply chain.” This improves the lives of patients who rely on those products. Karolien has also implemented predictive analytics to forecast how much demand there will be for products.

Karolien loves that her job challenges her every day and provides opportunities to learn something new while connecting with people. As a project manager, she gets to work with a variety of people, helping them understand complex topics by translating the technical into understandable information.

Karolien’s STEMspiration: Marie Curie

The first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics, and the first person to do so twice, Marie Curie (1867–1934) “chased her dreams and opened the road for a lot of women after her to be able to study and enter the world of STEM.” Learn more about Marie.

What’s On Karolien’s Desk?

Want a sneak peek into Karolien’s day-to-day worklife? Taking a look at her desk gives you clues as to how she works and what she does! Here’s how she describes her workspace:

Starting in the upper-left and going counterclockwise:

• Calendar with family pictures providing me a quick glance at timelines. The pictures are also important as they remind to happy moments in life.

• My laptop, the most important tool, from email to documents and systems access. And now with the COVID19 pandemic, where working from home is the standard, it serves as my meeting room. 

• Tin Can “Healthiest Careers,” a campus project focused on providing our employees the tools to take their development in their own hands.

• Current paperwork and printer, a home and a work stash . . . once dealt with it finds it way to the bin.

• Water and coffee or tea close at hand to keep me hydrated along with the lip balm. The ring is there just because it was so hot today I had to take it off to give my finger a bit more swelling space. 😊

• Wireless headset for the numerous calls in the day. Being close to the family living space a headset is much needed to kill the surrounding noises of the house when talking to colleagues all over the world. And wireless, as that allows me to stand up and walk when needed.

• Mouse for easy navigation on the computer.

• Notebook and favorite pen for my personal notes, to do list, shopping list, thoughts to keep, things to do (typically marked in red, hence the red pen), … Basically everything I need to dump out of my head to make room for work and conversations, but that I do not want to forget.

• iPad to make electronic notes of meetings when the computer is in use for presenting. If I do not make those notes immediately and send right away, I tend to forget about them.

• External hard drive for personal items such as photos and my resume.

• My iPhone is missing in the picture as used to make the photograph but cannot be missed as it holds my calendar and important contacts and provides a quick glance at my email when I do not feel like opening the computer.