How Maxime landed her AI Adoption Intern role at Van Lanschot Kempen
Meet Maxime, AI Adoption Intern at Van Lanschot Kempen, where she helps teams across the company put AI platforms to work and is building a new in-depth training on agents. Her path there started with a pink HerFuture poster in the coffee line at TU Delft, and a sushi networking night that eased her worries about a CV full of film industry experience. A Women in Tech day at VLK showed her how big their tech department really is, and she applied with confidence. It's a story about how what makes you unique can matter more than having the "right" experience.
How she found HerFuture
It all started with a pink poster that caught Maxime's eye while standing in line for coffee at TU Delft, where she's currently doing her master's. She scanned the QR code more on a whim than anything, and just like that, she was in HerFuture-world. Maxime decided to sign up for one of the events, a sushi networking night in Amsterdam. She was stressed about her resume at the time, with mostly film industry experience and not much in tech, but people there told her she was fine, and it turned out to be the best time.
The connection
Maxime found her way to Van Lanschot Kempen through HerFuture, too: she was scrolling through events on the app and saw a Women in Tech day at their offices. The event itself won her over: she hadn't realized how big Van Lanschot Kempen's tech department was, and it felt like the perfect bridge into finance through tech. After the event, she felt confident to apply for the intern position on the AI adoption team, for which she was selected.
Her role today
Maxime works on the AI adoption team within Van Lanschot Kempen's digital innovation and analytics department. Her team figures out the best use cases for AI platforms across the company, builds out agents and processes, and trains other employees to use them. She's currently developing a new in-depth training on building agents. It's social, hands-on, and tech-adjacent without being pure coding, which she loves, and she's struck by how open Van Lanschot Kempen is to hearing ideas from everyone on how AI should be adopted.
Her advice to women who want to land a career in tech
Networking events like those she attended through HerFuture taught Maxime that recruiters mostly want to see how you think and talk face to face, not just your job history. Her experience across completely different industries and time abroad ended up being bigger conversation starters than any of her "real" work. "People will remember you for what makes you unique, so instead of stressing about having the right experience, make sure you stand out in your own way. It's all about attitude," she says.
Ready to start your journey?
Join the community and put yourself out there: your next big opportunity might just start at a HerFuture event. Sign up at app.herfuture.nl.
