From Véronique’s view, she is not the most athletic or adventurous person, but after listening to her various interesting travel stories, we agree to disagree. After studying economics and majoring in finance – she quickly figured out that a career in finance would be the right choice for her – Véronique set out to see the world. During her semester abroad at UCLA in California, she was gripped by a thirst for adventure.
Véronique at a pilgrim's place for Buddhists to pray in Myanmar.
Since then, she has not only been to the US, but also visited Australia and New-Zealand, travelled across the South Pacific, admired Buddhist temples in China and Tibet, slept in tents in the Serengeti National Park, climbed the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu while travelling through South Amerika, visited Mount Everest basecamp at an altitude of 5.150 meters, and made her way through Russia and Mongolia on the Trans-Siberian express. On her many journeys, she experienced activities, many of us can just dream about. One adventure specifically stuck out to us. Who else can claim that they have swum with Humpback whales before? Dolphins maybe, but whales? That is a different dimension, and we admire Véronique for her courage to swim with the colossal mammals.
Her favourite part about travelling is discovering the authentic culture of the area she is visiting. For her, different sounds and smells are the first pointers indicating a culture. To be able to really get absorbed by the country’s way of life, she tries to avoid crowded touristic places and observes natives in their daily life. It is hard for Véronique to point out her favourite place she has ever been to because every place has its own special place in her heart. She makes it a rule to not visit the same country or area twice, as to not destroy the memories of her first visit. Because who knows, perhaps the second time it will not be as great, and they always say you should stop when you are having your best time, right? After probing for the ultimate travel tip – hard to say because this is so personal – there is one thing sticking out. Try travelling by train! It's a good way to enjoy the surroundings while sitting back, enjoying a drink and meeting local people.
If Véronique is not busy discovering places far away, she is juggling Chainbalance’s finances and is responsible to care for People & Culture. After finishing university, Véronique started working for a bank managing financing business companies. After she left, she took a short break, when Ben asked her to help with Chainbalance’s finances part-time. The two have been friends for over 20 years, so Véronique agreed with pleasure and is a perfect addition to the Chainbalance team. Her work consists of Chainbalance’s finances as well as entirely new topics like handling ISO-certificates and Human Resources. Véronique enjoys the challenge of battling new tasks and says it keeps things interesting and busy. Even though Véronique has no work background in fashion or IT, her big interest in fashion is noticeable whenever she steps into the room.