Lisa Groothuis

From nurse to a career in IT: Lisa Groothuis found the space at NN to both explore and grow. Since starting in 2020, she has developed at lightning speed, gaining extensive experience in IT through various roles—and making great strides outside of IT as well. Together with three colleagues, she helped found the NN Women in IT Network. “That’s the great thing about NN,” Lisa says. “I’m not only given many opportunities to switch roles, departments, or business units, but also to start initiatives, pursue studies, and take part in special projects. Here, I can create my own growth path.”

Doubts overcome: IT was the right choice after all
As a child, Lisa already enjoyed spending time at the computer. “I especially liked the puzzle-solving and figuring things out, like working out how to remove a virus.” Still, after secondary school, she chose to study nursing at university of applied sciences, which she completed. “I worked for a year as a research nurse, but soon realised: this isn’t for me. I considered switching to IT, but kept doubting myself. What if I chose something again that didn’t quite suit me? An extensive career test confirmed that IT really was the right path. That gave me the confidence to take the plunge.”

From rejection to a new job
So Lisa set her sights on IT. She completed a traineeship as a DevOps Engineer and worked for a while as a Software Developer at a small company with three colleagues. “I wanted to develop more broadly in IT, so I looked for a large organisation with plenty of opportunities to progress. I found NN through Google. I only knew NN by name at the time, but it seemed like an interesting step, so I sent an open application.” She was initially rejected, but that didn’t last long: “Product Owner Jan Zegers was looking for someone who wasn’t necessarily experienced, but above all motivated. He came across my application in the rejection pile. So, on the same day, I got another call from NN, asking if I’d still like to come for an interview!”

Making things discussable
Lisa accepted the offer, had a positive interview, and started as a junior Incident, Problem, and Change Manager within the IT Service Management team. This proved to be the start of a great career at NN Group. She progressed to Process Owner Monitoring & Event Management, and then, as SaaS Security Analyst and Domain Security Lead, delved into the fascinating field of security. “When it comes to personal development, everything is open for discussion. You just have to make it discussable. I was able to become Process Owner because I told my manager I was interested in a vacancy in my team. And when I realised after two years as a SaaS Security Analyst that I was ready for a new challenge, they helped me look for one. It’s fantastic to have that kind of support.”

Working with people and diving into the content
Since April 2025, Lisa has been IT Service Manager within the Schade & Inkomen business unit. “It was a forced move due to a reorganisation, but I now realise that service management is really where my heart lies,” she says. “It’s great to be the link between the business and IT, contributing to optimally functioning applications that, for example, help detect fraud quickly. The combination of working with people and delving into the content really suits me.” Laughing: “I must have picked that up from my time as a nurse!”

Studying alongside work
Changing roles, moving to a new team or business unit—it’s all possible at NN. “But that’s not all,” Lisa says. “You also get plenty of space to take courses or take on other roles.” Lisa has made good use of this over the years. She completed a post-graduate degree in Informatics Business & IT at Hogeschool Utrecht and will soon finish her master’s. She also took several short courses, for example on personal leadership and Power BI, and will soon start a Product Owner course. “It can be quite tough to do all that alongside work. Luckily, there’s a lot of support. For example, I was able to attend some of my course lessons during working hours.”

Quick green light for new ideas
Lisa also appreciates that NN is open to new ideas. “Again, if you make things discussable, a lot is possible. I was given the space to research a cost-saving AI system to predict incidents. This came out of the post-graduate course I was taking. Such a system seemed relevant for the organisation, and I quickly got the green light to get started.” The same applied to the founding of the NN Women in IT Network in 2023—a place for women to share experiences, ask for advice, and help each other grow. “What started as an idea is now a permanent fixture at NN. I’m really proud of that.”