The automotive world is being forced to evolve to growing customer demands and increasing societal pressures. Drivers want true mobile app integration, not systems that piggyback the car’s IVI; they want richer in-vehicle experiences and high-level automated driver aids (ADAS). Alongside this, society is pushing the transition to electric power and for improvements in vehicle safety.

Big ambitions call for clear actions. But making the right decision is easier said than done. Where do you start? How do you develop an idea? What’s the best way of collaborating to reach shared goals and grow together along the way? TomTom has defined basic principles of leadership that everyone can follow to answer these questions, helping TomTom’ers make a greater impact in work and life.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve interviewed TomTom’ers who are working on the future of mapping and location tech. We’ve spoken with the technically minded, the future oriented and the community focused. Most recently, we talked to one of TomTom’s EV experts. It might surprise you to find out that TomTom is so invested in the world of EV, but, as we learned, location data and digital maps are going to play a central role in the transition to cleaner transport.

It’s easy to get nostalgic about the past or look ahead to the future. But then there’s the present. While TomTom has a keen eye on building the future of mapmaking, it is also providing TomTom’ers with the tools and environment they need now to make their future (and TomTom’s) a reality. I spoke to Arne-Christian van der Tang, Chief Human Resources Officer at TomTom, to learn more about how the location tech company is doing this by focusing on flexibility, impact and leadership for all TomTom’ers.

On March 12, 2023, in Austin, Texas, mapping experts from the likes of Meta, Lyft and TomTom, working at the heart of this industry, gathered on the Industries Expo – Next Stage at SXSW to discuss the future of mapmaking and location-powered tech. If there’s anything we need to take away from this talk it’s that working with maps and location data is hard, whatever part of the industry you operate in. But it doesn’t need to be, if we work together.

This year’s International Women's Day highlighted the importance of innovative tech in promoting gender equality and empowering women. To celebrate the day and learn more, we sat down with Iwona Blecharczyk, TomTom ambassador and truck driver, to understand how tech innovation is making the trucking industry more appealing and accessible to women.

It’s been a few months since TomTom announced its new mapping platform and data ecosystem. Since then, the company has also announced its involvement in the Overture Foundation, an open map data project. The wider open mapping community is an important part of the future of location tech, so in this week’s Q&A we talk to someone working close to the world of open mapping and community-built maps.

Who doesn’t love a home makeover? The behind-the-scenes look at the construction. The build-up to the unveiling. The big reveal and the joy of getting to enjoy the new home. The same is happening at TomTom right now. The company is redesigning its offices. Some have been completed. Others are still on the way. But the excitement is the same. TomTom’ers are ready for a refreshed workspace that supports them on their quest to engineer the first real-time map.