That is a question I have been asked quite frequently since starting my internship at Helsing. The honest answer is that it wasn’t planned. I have no relatives or close friends working in defence. In fact, I didn’t know much about it until a couple of years ago. What I did know is that I wanted to work on solving the most important challenges faced by our society — and one of them is how we can ensure the ability to protect our liberal and democratic way of life in a world that faces severe geopolitical disruption.
In contrast to other (similarly important) questions, this challenge barely reaches outside of the defence sector. The decisions about the future of our armed forces are mostly made by people who have served or worked in the defence industry for decades. While their expertise is highly important, this closed circle can lead to a lack of diversity and, subsequently, groupthink — historically young women have been largely underrepresented.
This has to change.
Defence is an essential part of our democracy. It is the means by which we protect our democratic way of life. And — given these high stakes — the deployment of AI within this field requires us to answer some of the hardest technical as well as ethical questions. This is exactly why I work in the field of military technology. I believe we should harness the potential of AI to protect our democracies. I want the military technology we use to be compliant with our European values. I want all groups of society to be involved in the decisions about defence in the software-defined era. At Helsing, I found a place where I can work on all three dimensions.
Being a truly European company, Helsing is bringing together incredibly smart people who are some of the best experts in the fields of AI and defence. That means that not only do I believe in our mission but also that this is the team that is capable of making it a reality. The impact we will have drives my motivation, particularly since Helsing is placed at the intersection of my core interests: deep tech, public sector, and politics. In a few years from now, we will be able to look back and see what we created. Something that did not exist before, something that can make a huge contribution to keeping our democracies safe.
At the same time, the fast-paced environment is a strong accelerator of my personal learning journey. Working closely together with a leadership and management team with such a track record is an opportunity that is hard to find elsewhere, particularly as a 23-year old. Helsing provides a unique combination of learning from experienced people and simultaneously having the space to create and lead my own projects. My ideas are not only appreciated, but I’m asked to take the initiative. We are one of Europe’s fastest growing tech start-ups. This means that everyone of us plays a key role in shaping the future of Helsing.
Being given the right space to grow is also important from a different perspective: that Helsing is deeply committed to support women in leadership positions is an absolutely crucial factor for me. Since I founded my own initiative to motivate more young women for IT-related careers, I certainly know when companies only talk about diversity and when they actually live by their word. The Helsing team has created an environment in which the unique strengths of individuals are appreciated and promoted. For example, the team takes several actions to break down systemic barriers — ranging from the initiation of an industry-wide women in defence network to far-reaching commitment of the leadership team. Beside the fact that we have several women in Director positions, this is for me best reflected in our mentorship programme. That our Co-CEO takes the time to mentor me as the youngest member of the team not only shows that the Helsing team wants me to succeed in my own leadership journey but also gives me extremely valuable advice on how to get there.
The most important factor are the people behind all of this. I have worked in great teams before, but I have never experienced such a supportive, humble, and mission-driven culture. And this is not limited to the professional dimension. At Helsing, I found a team where I feel like I belong and can be myself. I can always ask for help, making me leave the office energised and not exhausted. This is why I decided to discard all my original plans and turn my internship into a full-time position instead. I am really looking forward to being a part of this team and shaping the future of software-defined defence in the years to come.