Fe+male Tech Heroes Conference 2025: Rethinking Leadership

The annual Fe+male Tech Heroes Conference is ready to go!

Join us for the sixth edition of the highly anticipated Fe+male Tech Heroes Conference, where innovation meets empowerment with this year's theme: "Rethinking Leadership"!

Embark on a transformative journey through the dynamic landscape of innovation, equality, diversity and inclusion. Get ready for thought-provoking discussions, groundbreaking achievements, and heartfelt stories that will inspire every tech enthusiast.

Buy your tickets now, because this is an event you won't want to miss!

Thursday, May 15th
12.00 - 18:30
Conference Center, High Tech Campus Eindhoven (Located at HTC 1B on the Campus Map)

The event is open to anyone who shares our passion for gender equality and diversity in tech, whether you're a seasoned professional, curious student or just starting out in the field.

Ticket price:
Early bird ticket - EUR 10
Regular ticket - EUR 15
Student ticket * - FREE

*Registration only with valid student mail-address.

Tentative agenda:

12.00 Walk in

Conference Center High Tech Campus Eindhoven with small snack

12.30 Opening

Fe+male Tech Heroes founders Ingelou Stol and Hilde de Vocht

12.45 Keynote Ingrid Tappin
Founder & CEO Diverse Leaders in Tech, ex-Accenture, MT/Sprout Inclusive Leader 2023

Identity Intelligence: Unlocking Your Leadership Superpower in Tech
As women in tech, we navigate a world shaped by AI, automation, and rapid change—yet our greatest advantage isn’t just technical expertise, but the power of our unique identity. In this inspiring keynote, Ingrid Tappin, leadership innovation expert and founder of Diverse Leaders in Tech, introduces Identity Intelligence (IdQ)—a game-changing framework that helps you transform your lived experiences into your most powerful leadership strengths.

Through the IdQ Quadrant and Exceptional Leadership Archetypes, Ingrid will reveal how the very challenges you’ve faced—being the ‘only’ in the room, overcoming biases, navigating different worlds—have given you the adaptability, resilience, and insight to lead with impact. You’ll walk away with a new understanding of your leadership potential and the confidence to turn your unique story into a competitive edge in tech.

13.15 Powered by purpose: A fireside chat about entrepreneurship, informal leadership and climate action

Beatrix Bos, Project Manager, Carbyon, and Ingelou Stol, Fe+male Tech Heroes and Salvia BioElectronics

13.45 Keynote Meike Nauta
Explainable AI Expert, Senior AI Consultant, Datacation, Asst. Professor at TU Eindhoven, PhD, KIVI Engineer of the Year 2025

Together towards human‑centered impactful AI: A positive story of real‑life AI use cases and how we can unite to shape AI for our benefit.

14.15 Networking Break

Foyer, Conference Center

15.15 Workshops

We offer a number of inspiring workshops on personal development, leadership and entrepreneurship in various conference rooms. We've confirmed workshops with ASML, Philips, Demcon, LUMO Labs, Synopsys, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), SAP and TNO. We'll update this page as we confirm workshop details and presenters. Choose one!

• Starting the journey: practical steps towards more diversity

You want to help foster a more diverse work floor. But where to start? Which things should you be aware of?

Jasper Preijde, Engineering Manager at Demcon high-tech systems, gives you his perspective and practical steps you can take, whether you are an engineer or a manager.

• Beyond the HERO: Leading without the spotlight

LUMO Labs Investment Associate Meron Mekkonen presents: From heroic to human-centered leadership. In a world of complex challenges and constant innovation, the myth of the lone, heroic leader no longer serves us. At LUMO Labs, we believe leadership should be human-centered, empowering, impact-driven and powered by diverse, collaborative teams. Real change doesn’t come from the spotlight — it comes from the culture we build and the people we elevate.

• Ethical implications of AI in healthcare

The power of bringing AI to healthcare is undeniable; however, it doesn’t come without risks. Ethics must remain at the forefront in the ever-evolving realm of healthcare technology. By embracing responsible AI best practices, healthcare systems and professionals can harness the potential of AI, ensuring accountable and ethical integration that benefits patients while upholding the highest ethical standards. Vanda Almeida, Responsible AI Clinical Lead at Philips, explores some of the Ethical dilemmas of AI in Healthcare with practical tips.

• Not waiting for permission: you are already a leader

Let’s get one thing straight. Leadership doesn’t always look like a title, a corner office, or a LinkedIn headline. For (wo)men in tech and science (and many other industries as well), leadership often shows up in quieter, bolder, and more creative ways: in performance reviews, in team check-ins, in calling out bias, in lifting others up while navigating systems that weren’t built with us in mind.

This session, led by Chiara Treglia, Owner and Lead Facilitator at Tini Studio, Education Designer at TU/e Innovation Space, and TU/e alumna, is a highly interactive, no-BS, inclusive dialogue designed to center your experiences and challenge the narrow definitions of what it means to lead. Chiara will unpack the myths that still dominate leadership culture and replace them with real, grounded truths. You’ll make space to recognize and celebrate the small-big, everyday moments where you're already showing up like a leader and you’ll learn how others are doing the same, sometimes visibly, sometimes behind the scenes, always powerfully. Whether you hold a formal leadership title, choose not to, or still think “I’m not a leader yet,” this conversation is for you.

• The power of personal leadership

Discover the power of personal leadership — starting with yourself. In this engaging and interactive workshop led by Gerda Slagter, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Regions and Co-Chapter Lead of BWN at SAP, you'll explore your core values, uncover what drives you and learn how to foster authentic leadership skills. We'll dive into personal leadership characteristics, the unique qualities of female leadership and how to embrace them with confidence. You will also see how a strong Business Women's Network can support your journey. Join us to lead with purpose and connection.

• The challenges of Applied Research in a fast moving world

Joëlle van den Broek, Director Science and Technology Office at TNO, will lead the workshop.

16.15 Short Break

Foyer, Conference Center

16.30 Panel Discussion: The future is multigenerational: rethinking leadership

Miriam van der Meer, Senergetics; Yolanda van Dinther, Thermo Fisher; Joseph Zekry, ZekryTech and iBUILT, International Business & Innovation Leaders in Tech; Ariam Rossom, Nearfield Instruments. Ingelou Stol will moderate a panel discussion featuring leaders from diverse generations and tech companies. The panel will explore different leadership approaches and learning styles across generations in the technology industry.

17.15 Networking & Drinks

At the Summer Festival Tent close to The Strip.

18.30 End of Event