Meet Mike: the multi-talented Director of Product Management who’s taking a fresh approach to powering TomTom Maps. As a programmer, a pilot, an author and a speaker with decades of experience leading geospatial projects across Microsoft, Mike is now excited to harness AI and large language models to change the world of mapping.

Innovation is easier said than done. Yet so many companies are talking about it that the word has been reduced to a meaningless buzzword. It’s hard to tell who’s just saying it and who’s acting on it. So, we looked beyond the term to find out how TomTom’s innovation program, TomTom Lab, is taking action to create an impact.

As a new VP of Engineering and Applied Science at TomTom, Bahram Zonooz is ready to put the map “at the forefront of a new tech revolution.” We sat down with the AI expert to find out more about his journey, what brought him to TomTom and what excites him in the world of mapping.

In the world of tech, many companies have been striving to make engineering more gender balanced. Efforts have been strong, yet the numbers are slow to change. Deloitte’s analysis of 20 large tech companies showed signs that a renewed commitment and greater efforts are likely needed for progress to continue post-pandemic. We spoke to an experienced engineer to get her first-hand insights on being a woman in tech.

A company is more than a place to work. It’s a place to grow and develop, as you continually gain new skills and experience to achieve your personal and professional goals. But what does that look like in practice? How does a company not only have a positive impact on the world, but also on its employees? To find out, we asked three software engineers at TomTom, who started out years ago in the company’s internship program.

Being a student comes with a lot of responsibilities: a library of books or articles to read, long hours studying for exams and one too many takeouts, probably. It also brings hands-on opportunities that can feed into future careers: internships, work placements and, not to be missed, the student hackathon TomTom NEXT.

School, college, university – they all stop at some point. However, that doesn’t mean you have to stop sharpening your skills or gaining new ones. This growth mindset is built into life at TomTom. All TomTom’ers are encouraged to figure out where they want to go and take the steps to get there. Like any journey, once you know the destination, all you need is the right guidance and resources to get you there.

Companies around the world are talking more about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). But do they walk their talk, and what does effective action in DEI actually look like? TomTom has taken concrete steps by enabling an employee resource group, called the LGBTQIA+ Committee. The LGBTQIA+ Committee is motivated to make a difference and is given the support it needs to do so. How’s it going so far? We spoke to members of the Committee to find out.

Technology continues to shape how people live around the world. But who gets to work in tech, and who doesn’t? Without fair access to quality tech education, many people may never have the chance to contribute to building our shared future. That’s why we’re opening up tech ed opportunities at and beyond TomTom.

TomTom has made an announcement: it’s launched a new set of benefits. And these benefits fall under two principles. These are Grow and develop and Support for your whole self.

Pride month is all about celebration. Celebrating all identities, no matter who anyone is and whoever they love. Celebrating the progress we’ve made for equality, even if there’s still a long way to go. Indeed, Pride is also a time to recognize the journey we face and the steps we all need to take for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The news of the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria shocked everyone. It devastated both families and cities. Due to its scale, it’s still taking huge efforts from both countries to recover and rebuild. Though soon after it happened, one group of TomTom’ers saw an opportunity to use their skills to help those in need. I spoke to them about how they used OpenStreetMap to give search and rescue teams visual guidance within impacted areas.

Internships can make a big difference in helping students figure out the direction they want to go in their careers. They can also provide invaluable experience in a working environment. However, internships don’t last forever. How do you make sure interns get the most value out of this short period?

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.

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.

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.