Ask anyone in the Eindhoven office who they go to with a question, a challenge or to be heard and the answer is almost always the same: Antoinette. Since joining Shapeways in 2013, she’s worn many hats but her mission has remained consistent: to build trust, listen, empathize and to make Shapeways a place where people genuinely want to work.
International culture
Antoinette joined Shapeways with varied international experience — from France with Disney, Estée Lauder, Ralph Lauren, to a Dutch recruitment agency — this variety made her a natural fit. “I knew it was a very international company. And for me, international is super important because I grew up outside of the Netherlands.”
She joined Shapeways as Office Manager and HR Support, the perfect role to build awareness of the whole team and discover what they needed for their continued success.
A natural shift into HR
As the team grew and developed, so did Antoinette’s responsibility. “It felt natural to flow into more of an HR role. And the more I did HR, the more I loved working with people. I’m a very much a people person… and I like to think that I am very empathetic. And I think that’s something that people need a lot of.”
Antoinette’s transition from managing the office to leading HR with a growing team also meant bigger challenges. In this role she could help shape the experience of everyone around her. “I think HR should be a very easy step for people to go to… I don’t like that version of HR where it’s disconnected or deemed to be negative, ‘my goodness, I have to go to HR!’ I don’t think that that’s a good reflection of the role. I want our team to know I am available or will make myself available for them so that HR is integrated day-to-day in the business”
Homecoming crowd
“More than 90% of our current employees were with us before 2024 which is a great statement in itself. With such good retention we are now growing with new team members who are helping us build on our stable foundations.”
Antoinette was one of the many who returned after Shapeways’ bankruptcy and helped bring others back too. “People were pretty much waiting, ‘can we come back and work for Shapeways?’ Every single person that we’ve called back pretty much came home and are still really happy to be here.” So what is it that people were returning to? “I think the international aspect of the culture… the way people communicate… Everybody’s respectful to each other. And people are allowed to be themselves. We thrive on the variety of experiences and outlooks that our team members bring.”
Two-way communication
Antoinette was able to ‘bridge the gap’ between the pre- and post-bankruptcy Shapeways, bringing learnings forward to improve the business. “It’s important to know that you will be heard when you share your ideas.” She is driven by commitment to connect and value everyone’s contribution.
Antoinette stresses the importance of defining and maintaining transparency in communication: “If somebody goes to their manager and says ‘I have a really great idea to set up this system’, and the manager’s like, ‘Yeah, good idea’ that is only half of the communication needed to drive transparency. I encourage our team to ask what happens next? Who takes the next step? What else do I need to know? And what real transparency means is that if the lead thinks it sounds like a good idea, but doesn’t think we’re ready yet, that is communicated back and that the employee knows where they stand. Being on the same page is crucial to our shared success.”
“Everybody’s using English pretty much as a second language and people can be misunderstood”. I see this as a great opportunity to master great communication skills as a team. Things like clarification, recapping meetings, checking in on everyone’s expectations at the start to keep projects and teams on track. These are the skills we use to ensure great communication is at the heart of the business.”
Supporting growth from within
Antoinette takes a proactive, personal approach to helping colleagues grow. “I like to take the time to understand our team members and their goals, beyond just an ‘I’m fine!’ response. We make sure that most of the time, people are self-directed and can use their initiative, but if they need it, the support is always there.”
For Antoinette the success Shapeways has experienced in retaining team members starts with understanding each person in the team. “It’s really important to identify the people who need a pat on their shoulder, … I encourage the managers to recognize individuals, have they looked into who’s done a really good job? Have they expressed the fact that they noticed? I love making these connections and helping the team grow stronger.”
What does it take?
“We like to have people who are passionate, who haven’t applied just to apply to ‘a job’, but have applied because they really want to come and work for us.” Experience matters, but it’s not everything. “If we’re looking for somebody to work in the factory, if that person is enthusiastic and says, ‘I think 3D printing is amazing and I would love to be part of it!’ I’m already interested in this person because of their energy.”
She also values curiosity and openness. “If somebody doesn’t ask me any questions about the company or hasn’t done their research… It shows that they’re not really interested. We have a team of skilled people, great personalities and we are all curious and engaged, this is the kind of thing that stands out at an interview.”
Working together in the Eindhoven facility as a team is another part of what works so well in driving a happy culture. “We need to be here, we need to be close to each other, we need to act quickly, so we can move forward and provide great service and products.”
Looking ahead
“What excites me is the fact that we are focusing on what we’re best at, 3D printing. And I can’t wait to continue our growth and attract more and more clients. I’m excited also to have new employees, new people that we can get to know, and to grow.”
Antoinette is helping shape the company’s values for the next phase of growth. “As we bring new talent into the team it is important that we have good onboarding structures so we can promote our values, how we want them to be interpreted and set examples of the values in action.”
Keeping things practical is part of the formula that Antoinette promotes for sharing Shapeways values. “People need to understand what the value is and how it fits their role. Our values can’t just be written in a handbook, they have to be lived from top to bottom.”