Els Vandooren

Els Vandooren (°1986) is a Technology Team Lead at TUI, with 12 years of experience in the field. She is a strong advocate for team autonomy, supportive leadership, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Els is passionate about promoting wellbeing and work-life balance, and she actively contributes to creating a positive and inclusive work environment.

Accomplishments
Els has successfully led the transition to a microfront-end architecture at TUI, improving scalability and collaboration among developers. Her supportive leadership style has fostered team growth, improved collaboration, and increased confidence among team members. She has mentored several team members, leading to their promotion to leadership roles. Els also improved delivery processes, resulting in a 50% improvement in delivery and a 40% increase in team motivation.

Diversity
Els is an active DEI representative at TUI, contributing to strategies that enhance diversity, equality, and inclusion across all teams. She is dedicated to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in the company.

Ambitions
Els aims to empower others to grow and maximize their skills by fostering an environment of trust, openness, respect, and psychological safety. She is passionate about promoting wellbeing and work-life balance, encouraging a “work smarter, not harder” approach. She also plans to expand DEI initiatives to ensure a more inclusive environment across all teams.

Leadership
Els believes in empowering teams through trust, confidence, and autonomy. She emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity and encourages thoughtful problem-solving. Her leadership style is focused on promoting wellbeing and work-life balance, ensuring that work is a fulfilling part of life, not the only part.

Why she could win
Outside of work, Els is an active member of the Ypres Surrey Pipes and Drums, a Scottish bagpipe band, where she serves as Pipe Sergeant. She is dedicated to breaking stereotypes and encouraging more women to participate in this traditionally male-dominated field.

Els’s dedication to team empowerment, DEI initiatives, and promoting wellbeing makes her a strong candidate. Her successful implementation of process improvements and her commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive work environment demonstrate her exceptional leadership abilities. Furthermore, her passion for breaking stereotypes and encouraging women’s participation in male-dominated fields showcases her commitment to diversity and equality.