'Humour became my way of turning negativity into a positive'

What would you tell your younger self if you met him today? For Wim Fyen, the answer doesn’t have to be grand. “Stay curious, never give up and, most of all, be yourself.”

Today, Wim is Director of Sustainability at imec and likes to describe himself as a ‘funny nerd’, someone who uses humour to connect people and who has a strong passion for technology.  

What sparked your interest in technology?

“I was brought up on it. My father worked in the IT sector and regularly brought home books about IT and technology. We were one of the first families to have a computer at home, so I was exposed to it from an early age. But I was also interested in chemistry. As a teenager, I even set up a small lab in our attic where I carried out experiments. Years later, I found out that my parents had to upgrade their home insurance policy after one of my experiments went sideways and filled the house with smoke (laughs).” 

Never lose that curiosity and, most of all, be yourself. Do that and things will work out in the end.

When you look back at that young Wim now, what advice would you like to give him? 

“Don’t give up and persevere to achieve your goals. Keep moving forward, even if it’s just baby steps and you have no idea yet where you will end up. When I look at my life now, it’s been a long journey of figuring out what I wanted to become. I was the first in our family to go to university, so I didn’t really have a network to fall back on in challenging moments, but I persevered and I really enjoy my job now. Never lose that curiosity and, most of all, be yourself. Do that and things will work out in the end.”

You describe yourself as a ‘funny nerd’. Why?

“That’s a leftover from a management training where we had to describe ourselves in a few words. I meant it initially as a joke, but the combination is a good fit: I can totally immerse myself in technology, but I also like to use humour to bring people together or to ease tension in a meeting.” 

Has humour always been important to you?

“Actually, yes. As a child, I wasn’t the most popular boy at school. I was quite small, so I was bullied sometimes. I realised that I could use jokes to turn those situations around. That’s how humour became my coping mechanism and now it’s my strength.”

What does working at imec mean to you?

“It’s a place where technology, collaboration and impact converge. You work here with people from all over the world, with different perspectives. That diversity makes it incredibly engaging.”