Youngest Businesswoman of the Year fights for more women in technology

Kristel Groenenboom is the new Business Woman of the Year. At 36, she is not only the youngest ever, but also the only top woman with a welding degree: she is a strong advocate for more women in engineering. „Girls can do everything boys can do. Kristel Groenenboom took over her father’s industrial company when she was twenty-three. It became a success, despite the opposition she faced as a young businesswoman. Customers, suppliers and other business associates could not imagine that such a young woman could be the boss of such a large company. Groenenboom wrote a book about it: May I Speak to Mr. Kristel? In the book, she describes her hilarious and sometimes painful experiences as a businesswoman in a man’s world.

Now that she is a successful businesswoman, as director of Container Service Groenenboom, which designs and builds specialized containers, she is as combative as ever. Her great passion is promoting women in engineering. To make her message clear, and to gain greater understanding of the employees in her factory, she even obtained her welding diploma. Groenenboom: Girls can do everything boys can do: welding, driving a forklift, whatever they want.“ Groenenboom also tries to make this message clear outside her company.