Tineke Van hooland is a pharmacist by training and has more than 16 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical corporate industry. She is Deputy Secretary General of bio.be and recently founded Epic 10, a boutique consulting firm specialised in External Affairs in Life Sciences. In this interview, she shares her vision for the future of Life Sciences and for the way in which students and young professionals can contribute to a better future for everyone.
Tineke Van hooland is a surf girl, who dares to go for the unknown. ‘Do you know the feeling when you see that epic wave coming and you are wondering: will I be able to catch it or not? This type of excitement is also there when I take on new personal or professional challenges.’
Tineke has already taken on quite some challenges in her life to know what she is talking about. Throughout her career, she gradually transitioned from technical to external functions, where she took on communicative tasks such as governmental relations, public outreach or contact with patient organisations. ‘When I started in public affairs, about six years ago, everything was totally new for me, I was absolutely out of my comfort zone. But by trusting my instinct and skills I discovered that this is actually what I love the most! In the end, it was a natural process of learning and enhancing my soft skills. The biggest hurdles developing yourself, is accepting challenges when they arise, just as the waves while surfing’, explains Tineke. ‘I think, when you reach a level in your job at which you can execute your functions with eyes closed, then it is time to go for the next challenge.’ For her, these experiences are the most enriching, and helpful to enhance self-confidence. She recommends to think outside of the box in order to become the best version of yourself. ‘En court de route you discover things you didn’t know about yourself, skills you had not used before. And that is very rewarding.’
Good health and wealth for everyone
Tineke’s driving force is to make our world a better place. She refers to the sustainability goals set up by the United Nations, among which is Good Health and Wealth for Everyone, to which Life Sciences can contribute.
‘My vision for Life Sciences is to help reach good health and wealth, to foster investment in sustainable solutions and entrepreneurship as well as gender equality. The Life Science sector has much to offer to reach these goals. The science dream is alive!’
There are numerous examples on how Life Sciences have already started that change. There is for example cell and gene therapy, a new era in medicine, which brings hope to patients for permanent cure. If you think agro biotech, revolutionary gene-editing methods can help to enhance plant-breeding, maximising yield in extreme climate conditions and thereby providing more food. Or bio-degradable products used for packaging materials as more ecological options to conventional plastics.
From sick care to health care
For the health sector, Tineke explains, we need a paradigm shift: ‘I want to create a positive breeze in health, where we move from a sick care system to a health care system. This can be reached by focusing on three pillars: prevention, empowerment of patients, and continuous investment in new technologies.’ What does this mean? ‘Preventive health is the use of recognized proactive health screenings, counseling and maintenance to prevent future illness and treatment. By bringing the patients into the center of their care and equipping them with the right tools, they can live a more normal life. Technological advancements such as for example digital tools will empower them to do so. Finally, we can’t stand still. We need to continuously strive for further improvement of techniques, technologies, and tools.’
A culture of possibilities
One of the challenges Tineke sees for a healthy and wealthy society is the fear of the unknown, ground-breaking technologies. ‘There are huge opportunities for Life Sciences, but we need to communicate more and better about the innovative ideas and value for society,’ she emphasizes. ‘The fear of the unknown also often leads to overregulation; rules blocking progress.’ While experts highlight the assets of certain technologies, long policy discussions and procedures block and hinder the (fast) implementation of them. ‘We need smart regulations to bring new technologies to the market,’ Tineke summarizes, ‘a culture of possibilities, not a culture of rules and regulations.’
The Belgian Life Science sector has much to offer, but it also needs to be kept alive. ‘We are asset-rich, with a beautiful ecosystem of universities, start-ups, scale-ups, knowledge and expertise. But we need to create the right investment climate to ensure to keep it here; to provide enough oxygen to companies so they can grow here and don’t leave the country!’
More talents in STEM
The need for skilled labour has been a challenge for the sector for many years, also in Belgium. ‘Only one in five students in Belgium chooses a STEM education, and among them only a limited number of girls. This makes it difficult for companies to find the right profiles for their vacancies,’ Tineke explains. ‘One approach Belgium has applied is “dual learning”, where schools and companies collaborate allowing students to learn ‘on the job’. But we also need to make STEM education more attractive to students.’ Tineke emphasizes to not only focus on the technological hard skills. ‘We need to stimulate the development of soft skills; foster creativity, think outside the box, be curious, be passionate and enhance communication skills. We need to communicate effectively, only then a proper dialogue is possible, for example with governmental bodies, patient organisations, NGOs or companies.’
Role model in Life Sciences
Tineke also encourages girls and women to follow their passion in Life Sciences. ‘I want to be a role model and ambassador in Life Sciences for girls and women. We have every right to have the same ambitions as men. What I often see is that women tend to invest too little in their contacts. Invest in your network, have conversations with people in- and outside your own organisation. Stay authentic, focus on your strengths and follow your own path and guts. Do regular self-reflection, make it yours and communicate about it.’
Agents of change
Last but not least, Tineke’s advice to students, starters and professionals is to broaden their own horizon. ‘If you want to make a difference, look at the bigger picture. Look where the needs are and believe in your strengths!’ She strongly believes that the next generations will have the drive and possibilities to create a better future for our world. ‘Students and young professionals are our agents of change. You are the future! You have the power to change the world.’
BCF Career thanks Tineke Van hooland for this interview.
Did you see her keynote at BCF Career Event Belgium 2019? Make sure to attend the next BCF Career Event and get inspired by the speakers!
