Two chapters, one story

On International Women’s Day, we reflect on growth, the growth of teams, organizations, and opportunities. In the Finance team at imec in the Netherlands, two colleagues represent different moments in that journey. Morela Lathouwers-Bor brings nearly two decades of experience; Eleonora Marchetti has just begun her path. Together, they show how experience and fresh perspective strengthen each other, and how a supportive environment enables women to build lasting careers. On International Women’s Day, their stories, so different, so connected, remind us that growth at imec is not just a technical story; it is a human one.  

18 years of evolution

In March 2008, Morela walked into an imec the Netherlands Finance team of two people. Purchase orders were signed on paper; there were 46 coworkers on payroll.  Today, the finance team has thirteen people, and they support more than 260 colleagues on payroll across three locations, including the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. Imec has evolved into a global organization operating within an international matrix structure. With more than 20 years of experience in finance, and a background at TNO before joining imec, Morela has grown alongside that transformation. Her role evolved from individual contributor to team manager, business partner, and today full financial lead for imec the Netherlands, while also overseeing the finance activities of Holst Centre and OnePlanet. “I constantly had the opportunity to take on new responsibilities and new challenges. I felt recognized and trusted. That is why I chose to build my career here,” she says.

The path had its challenges: the constant pressure of high workloads and tight deadlines, and the complex transition to imec’s matrix organization in the last years, while keeping local compliance intact. Through each of them, her approach was the same, keep optimizing, keep collaborating, and never stop looking for solutions. “I have been given all the opportunities, like a male employee.” It is a sentence worth pausing because it reflects something real about the environment imec has built, and that Morela has been part of the building process. Looking back, she shares “I am proud that I stayed resilient. I never gave up. I am proud of the trust I earned and of being able to mentor new colleagues and help them grow, always with a positive mindset with a focus on constructive collaboration.” Alongside her career, she also built a family. As a mother, she knows firsthand what it means to balance leadership responsibility while raising a child.

A leap and a landing

Stepping in Eleonora’s story begins with a leap. Six months ago, she moved from Italy to the Netherlands, with her partner and their three-year-old daughter, a new country, a new city, a new company, a new life, all at once. “I pushed all my forces to come here,” she says. “I think it was our chance to completely change our lives.” Before the move, she had been through several rounds of interviews at imec. At each stage, she noticed something she had not quite expected: consistent energy from the people she met; positive, open, genuinely engaged. It told her something about the kind of place she was walking into. “All of my life changed in two months. And yet from the very first day, I felt attached to this team because I work daily with professionals and, at the same time, beautiful people.”  

Working closely with Morela has been central to that experience. “If I am here today, it is because she trusted me and believed in me. Her door is always open. I can share new ideas and new proposals. You have this perfect balance: you can think independently, but you also have the structure because she has a very deep understanding of the company and finance expertise and knows exactly what track to follow.” In Italian they call it having your shoulder covered. That is exactly how Eleonora feels, she says.  

Two generations, one team

“Senior colleagues bring vision, historical knowledge, and the ability to navigate complexity,” Eleonora says. “Less experienced colleagues bring fresh perspectives, new energy, and innovative ways of thinking. It creates a powerful balance.” Morela frames it as intentional: “A well-balanced, diverse team can be a strong team. As a manager, it is very important that you put team members in their strengths and make sure they contribute with what they are best at.” Her team reflects that belief: men and women, different generations, and a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Diversity is not an abstract idea, but something lived every day. Born in Curaçao, Morela moved to the Netherlands at 18 and built her entire professional life here. Along the way, she also started a family, continuously balancing her career with raising her daughter. That experience of building a life in a new country is something she and Eleonora share. Leaving home, adapting to a new culture, and building both a career and family in a different environment creates a quiet but powerful connection between them.

This International Women’s Day, imec celebrates every woman who contributes to what we do, in the lab, at the desk, and everywhere in between. They are the story. For both, the advice to women starting their careers today comes from the same place: believe in what you bring. Be curious. Find an environment where your talent is genuinely valued, find a good mentor, and lift other women as you go. “Being a woman does not have to be a disadvantage at all,” Morela says.  

Two women, two chapters of the same story, proof that when the right environment exists, careers don't just happen. They're built, passed on, and carried forward.