Updates

Interview: Marie Impens – Twine’s new Product Assistant Trainee

July 28, 2021

By

Julian Morency

Hi Marie, first tell us a bit about yourself

I was born in Luxembourg and studied in the Netherlands for 3 years. I soon preferred speaking English over other languages so I decided that I wanted an English-speaking role after graduating. Since my boyfriend lives in the UK, I decided to move to London in October 2020 to start a new adventure and escape tiny Luxembourg. My first job in London was in Customer Support at a Fintech company but I quickly realised that the role wasn’t for me. Fortunately, one of my colleagues at the company transitioned into Product Management, which sounded very intriguing so I started a course on Udemy. And here I am now assisting Julian, the founder, with Twine!

How long have you been at Twine and what’s your job role?

I started about a month ago as a Trainee Product Assistant working closely with Julian in various areas of the business, such as Customer and IT Support, Sales, and Product Management.

Why Twine?

I was looking for Product Management roles specifically on Escape the City because I wanted a role with purpose. I was also really drawn to Twine because of the number of responsibilities I would get from day one and the flexible working environment. When I had my interview with Julian, I knew that we’d get along really well since we started talking about van life amongst others. Feeling comfortable with someone I am working closely with was one of my top priorities since this was lacking in my previous role.

What, where, and when did you study?

I studied Business Administration in Hospitality Management (sounds very long I know) at Hotelschool The Hague from 2016 to 2020. In my last year, I decided to follow my favourite lecturer’s advice: ‘Take the skills you learned at Hotelschool The Hague and apply them in other more dynamic industries other than hospitality’. I think dating a Front End Developer was the first step in sparking my interest in the ever-evolving tech industry.

How does working and living in London compare to Luxembourg?

It’s definitely more convenient and fun! A lot of things that people take for granted here don’t even exist in Luxembourg. We don’t have a food delivery company like Deliveroo in Luxembourg, shops close at 6pm and it sometimes takes 2 hours to get to a place with public transport, which is only 20 minutes away by car. The amount of open job roles in London is crazy as well compared to Luxembourg. In Luxembourg, new roles are very limited and you might only get hired based on who you know.

Who is your inspiration?

This one is a niche one but I find the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, very inspiring. I listened to a podcast with her recently and she seems very down-to-earth, caring, and takes a pragmatic approach when it comes to dealing with Russia. I also like Anne Boden, the founder of Starling, because she is breaking the stereotype of the typical tech startup founder. A lot of investors didn’t take her seriously but that didn’t stop her from continuing.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

During most evenings in the week, you will find me playing Squash, Minigolf or climbing. I also like board games, going to modern art exhibitions, listening to podcasts, and reading books about different topics related to sustainability, tech, and health (Julian seems to be keen on my sleep and pollution statistics so far…). I also love adventure sports like canyoning, stand-up paddling, and rafting. As you can see in my picture, I'm also a massive dog fan so I do dog walking whenever I can.

What are your aspirations?

I want to learn about Product Management as much as I can to see where the role takes me in the future. Eventually, I would like to learn more about app accessibility for people with disabilities. And more in general, I want to keep on having fun, enjoy life, and remain a child at heart.

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