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Career Management
Career management: to support the construction or redefinition of the professional project, the identification of skills, the mastery of job search tools and the market, the optimization of one's application and the realization of a creation project of business.
Career Management
Career management: to support the construction or redefinition of the professional project, the identification of skills, the mastery of job search tools and the market, the optimization of one's application and the realization of a creation project of business.
HeR-Lab
Her Empowerment & Ressources Lab
The HeR-Lab (Her Empowerment & Resources Lab) project brings together women and tech companies to co-create concrete and innovative HR solutions aimed at strengthening the inclusion of women in the digital sector in Belgium.
This one-year project is divided into four main phases over the course of 2026. The project begins with an initial Diagnosis and Awareness phase to refine findings and mobilize the ecosystem. To this end, a survey of companies is being conducted to identify the obstacles and levers encountered, and three webinars/awareness conferences open to all are being scheduled. The second phase consists of a three-day Hackathon to bring out innovative solutions from people who are volunteers and committed to this cause. The third phase, entitled Incubation and
Experimentation in Business, will allow the emerging HR tools from the Hackathon to be tested and adjusted in real environments. Finally, the project is accompanied by a Communication & Dissemination phase in order to share the results of the project and a useful toolkit for companies with everyone.
Who is this project intended for?
The project is based on a simple but essential belief: inclusion cannot be achieved alone. It requires the joint mobilization of the women concerned (students, recent graduates, professionals working or retraining in the digital sector) and the companies, HR departments, and managers who shape their career paths. Researchers working on related topics and anyone (men and women) who would like to learn more and/or get involved are also welcome. Everyone will contribute to this project, whether during the information and diagnostic phases or during the hackathon and testing of innovative projects.
AWARNESS
During the first phase of the HeR-lab project, the Awareness-Raising Phase, two webinars and a roundtable discussion were organized and open to anyone interested.
Webinar: “Women in Leadership”
Webinar: “Does Digital Have a Gender?”
Roundtable Discussion: "Women & Tech: Invisible
Barriers, HR Leverage, Practical Solutions"
ROUNDTABLE PRESENTATION
Co-organized with Liège Créative ↗, this roundtable brought together four women from diverse backgrounds to examine the invisible barriers and share concrete solutions for greater inclusion of women in the tech industry.
THE SPEAKERS
A big thank you to (from left to right):
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Dr. Giseline Rondeaux - Researcher at LENTIC (University of Liège)
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Justine Lambert - Global HR Manager at Yakima Chief Hops
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Thi Tuyet Minh Nguyen - R&D Project Manager at Trasis
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Lise Lombardi, Relationship Officer for Women in Tech & DEI Ambassador at Agoria
DIAGNOSIS
One of HeR-lab’s first steps was to assess the practices and challenges related to the inclusion of women in Belgium’s digital ecosystem. While the underrepresentation of women in digital professions is now well documented, it was essential to refine these findings and gain a better understanding of the realities faced by organizations on the ground.
To this end, a quantitative and qualitative assessment process was launched at the start of the project. An online survey was first conducted among organizations of all sizes (micro-businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises, mid-sized companies, and large corporations) operating in the digital sector or employing technology professionals. It was aimed in particular at HR leaders, recruiters, executives, Diversity & Inclusion leaders, and tech team managers. Qualitative interviews will also supplement this initial data collection to explore certain findings in greater depth and better understand the realities and needs on the ground.
This initiative aims to objectively assess HR practices, identify the main barriers to women’s inclusion (whether organizational, structural, or cultural), and identify concrete courses of action. The insights gathered thus serve as a starting point for the next phase of the project and inform the discussions and solutions developed within the framework of HeR-lab.
Hackathon HeR-lab
Twenty-six participants gathered for three days, from May 10 to 13, 2026, in Herbeumont for the HeR-lab Hackathon to develop HR solutions. These solutions aim to promote greater inclusion of women in the tech and digital sectors.
A Video Recap of the Hackathon
Hackathon Schedule
These three days gave the participants the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and collaboratively develop projects addressing the challenges identified beforehand. To support them in this process, the hackathon was designed as a progressive journey alternating between ideation phases to generate project ideas, group work, workshops focused on identifying individual and collective strengths, discussions on HR practices, and team-building activities.
Beyond the design of their projects, this program enabled them to internalize the findings, obstacles, and needs identified during the assessment phase, to structure their approach, to develop their projects, and to acquire methods and tools they can use to continue their initiatives
At the end of the hackathon, the teams presented their projects to a panel of judges tasked with challenging them, offering critical feedback and recommendations to strengthen their proposals, assessing their potential, and selecting the projects that would receive support during the HeR-Lab incubation phase.
Thank you to the jury!
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David Dalla Vecchia - CEO of IGNITY
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Zineb Bensaid - Co-founder of Dealfox and Country Director for Belgium and Luxembourg at Women in Tech
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Julie Winand - Chief Operating Officer at POSITION META
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Clara Perroux - HR Consultant for Adoc Talent Management
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Leonie Hogervorst - Project Manager for “Gender and Employment” at the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men
Interviews
Check out the interviews with five of our participants and one of the Hackathon facilitators, who discuss what motivated them to take part in the Hackathon.
Projects from the Hackathon
Five projects were developed during the hackathon. These five projects were selected to continue the HeR-lab initiative and will therefore be incubated and tested in real-world settings. Check out these five projects!
WOMEN RISE
WomenRise is a project aimed at strengthening women’s roles in STEM fields, particularly in leadership positions. The project addresses several barriers that still exist in women’s career paths: the glass ceiling, a lack
of role models, informal networks that are difficult to access, biases in career advancement, and organizational cultures that are sometimes not very inclusive. WomenRise offers a structured approach that combines awareness-raising, mentoring, networking, career coaching, highlighting role models, and bringing together existing initiatives.
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The Project Team:
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Wilhelmine Dubuisson
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Anne-Sophie Bridoux
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Marie-Claire Mvumbi
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Céline Parente
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Incubation and Experimentation
The hackathon helped identify and develop five projects, which were selected to receive continued support during the third phase of HeR-lab: the incubation and experimentation phase.
Through the end of 2026, this new phase will allow the projects to continue refining their structure, clarify their key assumptions, and test them in the field to assess their relevance and identify necessary adjustments.
To support this process, the HeR-lab team offers project leaders various forms of support:
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project coaching: dedicated time for each group to help them structure their approach, build their roadmap, overcome obstacles, and prepare for the next steps,
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individual coaching: personalized support to help each participant find her role within the project, increase her level of involvement, and advance in her professional journey,
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Group sessions: regular meetings bringing together all project leaders to discuss various topics, providing them with tools and insights useful for building and developing their projects.
These opportunities for discussion allow project leaders to take a step back, compare ideas, and gradually evolve their projects through experimentation.
KEYNOTE TOPICS
KEYNOTE #1
The purpose of this first keynote is to explain how the incubation phase works, the major stages in a project's lifecycle, and the various roles one can play in a project.
INCUBATION & PROJECT STATUS
KEYNOTE #4
Description coming soon
CHALLENGE THE GROUPS
KEYNOTE #2
This second keynote session will cover best practices in HR to follow when recruiting candidates. Three recruitment consultants from Adoc Talent Management were invited to share their real-world experience.
REFLECTIONS ON BEST PRACTICES IN HR
KEYNOTE #5
Description coming soon
PITCH YOUR PROJECT
KEYNOTE #3
Communicating about your project is an important step in raising its profile. This keynote provides project leaders with the keys to building an effective communication strategy.
COMMUNICATING ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
KEYNOTE #6
Description coming soon
PROJECT PROGRESS UPDATE BEFORE COMPLETION
The incubation phase is currently underway: the five projects continue to take shape and evolve. Stay tuned for updates on the progress of each one.
Communication and Spin-offs
Toolbox
At the conclusion of the project, a toolkit will be made available to any individual and/or organization wishing to evolve its HR practices to promote the inclusion of women in the tech sector.
This toolkit will draw on all the findings, lessons learned, and best practices identified during the various stages of the HeR-lab project.
Project Updates
Throughout the project, the various milestones and results are shared on the project's LinkedIn page.
Follow the Project's LinkedIn page to stay up to date with the latest news!
HeR-lab in the News
Contact
For any questions about the project and/or your participation in the project:
Contact: Laurence Theunis, PhD | theunis@adoc-tm.com
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With the support of the Federal Public Service Economy, SMEs, Self-Employed and Energy - Women In Digital 2026 Program