Is tech right for me?
Femke Cornelissen’s journey into tech wasn’t planned. She started in marketing, unsure whether technology was the right fit. Today, she’s a Microsoft MVP, Chief Copilot, and the founder of Dutch Women in Tech, where she helps women break into AI and cybersecurity.
In this episode, she shares how she overcame self-doubt, why visibility matters, and what companies must do to drive real change.
Key Takeaways from the episode
By listening to our conversation, you’ll learn that
🧑💼 Her entrepreneurial mindset helps her in her current role as Chief Copilot.
🔄 AI can be a career accelerator, helping people accomplish things they never imagined.
💰 More women in cybersecurity and AI equals better security for everyone
🎧 Ready to learn how Femke is paving the way for women in cyber and AI as Chief Copilot? Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Or hit the play button below👇.
Paving the Way for More Women in AI and Cyber as Chief Copilot with Femke Cornelissen | Ep. 89 – Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help build inclusive technology? Change starts here!
Whether you’re a woman in tech striving for change or a (male) advocate eager to make a difference, you can be part of a movement reshaping the future of innovation: the Women Disrupting Tech Community.
By joining, you’ll:
👫 Be part of the only community supporting female founders that is open to women and men.
✨ Gain exclusive early access to inspiring podcast episodes.
📩 Get a value-packed newsletter every Thursday with highlights, actionable insights, and personal takeaways.
🎙 Unlock the full episode archive on Spotify to fuel your journey with ideas, strategies, and stories from role models.
By joining, you’ll amplify the voices of incredible women in tech and inspire more men to champion gender equity in their circles.
Enter your email below to join the movement and make an impact today.
- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build inclusive technology? Change starts here!
- The Magic in This Episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What stands out
- About Femke Cornelissen
- About Dutch Women in Tech
- Your Opinion Matters!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The Magic in This Episode 🪄
“I think we need more role models, visible role models in tech.”
When Femke Cornelissen pivoted from photography to doing marketing for an IT company, little did she know that she would be the visible role model that she is today.
But getting here didn’t happen overnight. It took persistence, visibility, and pushing past doubt.
In this episode, Hendrika Willemse-Vreugdenhil is my co-host as we discuss with Femke:
– How AI can accelerate careers and why many companies are lagging
– Why cybersecurity needs more women and how to create real change
– Why mindset matters and how to stay motivated when stepping into visibility
We also hear about a podcast invitation that turned into a wake-up call when she was told not to talk about her career as a woman in tech.
🎧 When you’re ready to learn what happens when women step forward in AI and cybersecurity, click the button below to tune in on Spotify.
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
If you want to support my guests in making women in tech by the end of 2032, you can help them by doing these two things:
- Share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a rating or review from one up to five stars. You’ll help other people discover the podcast and help me improve.
What stands out
Let’s start with having Femke as a guest. She is one of the women who ranked high on my ‘people to interview list’ because she takes being a role model to the next level with her LinkedIn presence. She shows that it is ok to show yourself as a woman in tech and to inspire other women. And she encourages employers in tech to hire women also in male dominated fields like cyber security.
Then, after 88 episodes of doing the interviews solo, Hendrika Willemse joins me for this conversation. And because Femke and Hendrika know each other, this makes for different follow-up questions and a better-flowing conversation.
The final piece of magic is Femke’s recipe for staying up to date on the latest in AI: be curious, talk to people, and test new functions. I believe that curiosity is a very much underrated skill these days. So, I am happy to hear from one of the role models for women in tech that it works for her, too.
🎧 Ready to discover the rest of the magic in this episode? Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts using the button below.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“Don’t be afraid to tell your story, because you can change your life and the life of someone else as well.”
Femke Cornelissen, Chief Copilot at Wortell
About Femke Cornelissen
Femke Cornelissen is Chief Copilot at Wortell, a leading Microsoft partner in the Netherlands. Her job is to help people understand how they can use AI to help in their day-to-day work.
She is also a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and founder of the Dutch Women in Tech community. Femke co-organizes the Women in Cyber program to promote diversity in cybersecurity.
To say that Femke is very active on LinkedIn would be an understatement. She actively shares insights and best practices to help organizations succeed. In addition, she is a public speaker, writer, and podcast host herself. So, give her a follow on LinkedIn and connect with her.
About Dutch Women in Tech
Dutch Women in Tech is an initiative that empowers women to pursue careers in IT. DWIT gives women in IT a platform to share knowledge, they organize events, and host the Women in Cyber program. Their community and programs are also accessible if you’re not a techie.
For more information and to listen to the Dutch Women in Tech podcast, please check out the website and follow Dutch Women in Tech on LinkedIn.
Your Opinion Matters!
What do you think is the biggest barrier for women to work in AI or Cybersecurity?
1️⃣ Lack of visible role models
2️⃣ Unclear career pathways
3️⃣ Workplace culture and bias
4️⃣ Limited access to training and mentoring
Tell me what you think in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
Do we have some magic coming your way in the next few weeks? Yes, we do!
In episode 90, Victoria Lawson is my guest as we discover how she is solving the biggest headache of suppliers and wholesalers in fast-moving consumer goods with Wholepal: manually typing product details.
After that, Daphne Laan teaches us how to put a heart into tech and what art has to do with that.
So, stay tuned for more magical stories on Women Disrupting Tech!
So, stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech! And if you want to be the first to learn about new episodes, subscribe to updates or follow me on Substack.
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
If you want to listen to other episodes on female role models in tech, you can check out the following three episodes:
– In episode 25, Hendrika Willemse is one of the women on the panel discussion on career advancement for women in tech.
– In episode 34, Claudia Bruce explains why careers in tech should not be a bummer for women, and how to avoid that it is.
– In episode 75, Lieke Hölscher shares how she built a career in tech by building a startup inside a bank.
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 
2 Comments