Maayken Saegeman, Sales Engineer at Nord-Lock Group, has built a career in the fastener industry by combining technical curiosity with a passion for problem-solving. Saegeman talks role models and the effect guest lectures at schools and companies can have to broaden the industry's scope.
How did you get into the industry?
By coincidence. I was looking for a sales job, and one of our customers had an interesting vacancy nearby. The sales manager at the time valued enthusiasm over experience or technical background and gave me a chance.
What does your day-to-day job Involve?
I focus on finding and approaching larger end users of Nord- Lock washers, showing them how our products can save significant time and money in maintenance. This means sitting down with designers, engineers and maintenance teams.
In addition, I give guest lectures at schools and companies. By introducing young people to our products, we hope to build long-term partnerships.
What are the biggest changes you have seen in the industry and company since you started?
The steady decline in technical knowledge and the increasing difficulty of finding skilled people. Somehow, the job no longer seems attractive, even though it is a fascinating and varied field.
Can you share some of your career highlights and milestones so far?
I'm naturally very curious and have immersed myself in AI technology and how it can support sales and marketing engineering. It’s a very interesting area, and almost every day we discover new opportunities to use the technology to our advantage.
What is your favourite thing about the fastener Industry?
The versatility. Everything is held together by nuts and bolts including wheelchairs, wind turbines and rockets. That gives you a behind-the-scenes look at all kinds of companies and the chance to talk to all sorts of people. I still find it fascinating.
What do you think needs to be done to encourage more women to get involved in the fastener Industry?
More role models - leading by example is key. In companies with more women in management, more women tend to apply for vacancies as well.
The lack of women actually starts in the classroom. I some- times give guest lectures in secondary and higher education, and women still make up less than 5% of the audience, so there's still work to be done.
On LinkedIn and Instagram, I follow several women in typically male professions. They share inspiring stories and portray technical and scientific jobs in a heroic light.
At the same time, I think we should accept that women and men often make different choices, including when it comes to careers.
If you could, what piece of advice would you give your younger self as you started working in the fastener Industry?
Try less to please everyone and trust your own vision and goals more. Be selective about whose advice you take - people often give advice out of caution, and just because someone is successful in one area doesn't mean their advice will work in another
Try more and know that failing is not a problem. You can always try something else.
Any final thoughts?
As a woman in a male-dominated industry, you stand out, and you can use that to your advantage in a positive way. I have to honestly say that except for the occasional awkward comments - I have never really encountered sexism. Most people know what is and isn't appropriate in 2025.
