Anke den Ouden: Coming together to change together

Anke den Ouden has mixed feelings about the word ‘retirement’. As the former CEO of Microsoft Netherlands and winner of the 2024 RightBrains Digital Leadership and Diversity Award, her own recent early retirement has been a clean break from the fast pace and always-on mindset that marked her extraordinary working career. But to her, it’s also a period of self-reflection and a new beginning to apply her experience and knowledge to new arenas where she can make a tangible impact.

A call for empathetic leadership

As the winner of the 2024 RightBrains Digital Leadership & Diversity Award, Anke will be delivering a keynote at the upcoming 2025 RightBrains Celebration Event under the main theme ‘Finding focus in the age of acceleration’. Conceptually, the theme refers to a technique called spotting, where ballerinas fix their gaze on a single point as they spin -- to maintain balance and avoid disorientation. She will delve into empathetic leadership as one of the aspects that can help us stay centered and purposeful as a collective industry as innovation accelerates, AI evolves by the day, and global instability adds further complexity. “The key differentiators of human intelligence are adaptability, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, empathy, intuition, and purpose – qualities that AI can never replace. Yet, in a global political landscape where empathetic leadership is often lacking, leaders in the tech space must embrace and advocate for it. Empathy doesn’t compete with technology; it complements it – unlocking its potential to serve humanity more effectively.”

Ambition - on a perpetual mission

Anke has been a formidable force in her own right at Microsoft over the course of her career. With nearly three decades at the iconic company, her contributions were significant and transformative, and she wore many hats -- including that of the regional general manager of 24 markets before landing her position as the CEO around three years ago. She believes that her holistic view of various management functions across business portfolios, including finance, marketing, digital sales, and even hardware, uniquely prepared her for her role. But now, without the constraints and challenges of corporate life, she has a chance to apply her maximiser-mindset – a drive to add value beyond the bottom line – to roles at foundations and on advisory boards. “I have the experience and time, and dream of making an impact beyond the Netherlands.”

The power of the platform

Anke is excited to celebrate the winners of the 2025 RightBrains Awards. She believes in the power of the platform created by award shows celebrating and honouring excellence by female leaders, talents and male allies in the digital technology industry. “For me, the connections I made following my participation in the RightBrains Awards have been invaluable,” she says. She hopes to continue inspiring women in the field through speaking engagements and projects. Her advice to women who are striving to become their best personal and professional selves is to take some time and intentional effort to unearth where their energies lie. “I don’t believe that women should be waking up tired. We should aspire towards finding what our passions are and what motivates us in all aspects of ourselves; and we should be self-aware enough to help us find a balance. This mindset has helped me tremendously in transitioning into a new life phase.”

Maximising diversity and inclusion

When Anke compares the markets she oversaw in Central and Eastern Europe, from Croatia to Mongolia, she finds the Dutch market’s current gender gap disheartening. But she is also optimistic about the progress made over the last decade: “There are undoubtedly more opportunities for diverse and out-of-the-box thinkers within many areas of technology. Plus, the interest of young female tech talent in the ESG field and climate science is skyrocketing”. She believes that with the rise of AI and GenAI, there have never been more opportunities for diverse voices and business cases to be heard for the good of society and humanity. “Even practical things, like the design of a standard headset microphone could benefit from diverse perspectives in the design process – a woman would probably consider accommodations for female speakers wearing jewellery, or who wear dresses without lapels.”

A collective change

Anke notes that a significant universal shift across markets has been that society has stepped up and become more inclusive and a driver of change. She finds this encouraging, but feels there is still a long way to go to cement the changes society is asking for within the digital technology industry. This is why she felt compelled to speak at the RightBrains Celebration Event. “I’m confident that the more we come together, the more we can change together,” she says. “Women, including the less vocal introverts, need to consider how to be a more powerful collective force to create more spaces at the boardroom tables. And as women, we need to embrace the fact that we belong. If more and more women and like-minded male allies start coming to these types of events, more people can be part of the change.”

Want to see Anke in action? Register now for the upcoming RightBrains Celebration Event. If you're a woman with digital ambitions or a like-minded male ally, this event is the perfect opportunity to advance your career, network, and contribute to bridging the gender gap in digital technology.