Hi, I 'm Annick
Former Managing Director in offshore engineering.
Technical-minded, business-driven and
strong at connecting both.
For more than ten years, I worked with engineers, technical teams and clients in complex project environments.
I saw brilliant technical professionals deliver excellent work — yet struggle to get their ideas understood, their advice accepted or their expertise translated into decisions.
Not because their technical knowledge was lacking.
Because technical expertise alone does not teach you how to influence stakeholders, advise clients, lead colleagues or understand the business behind a project.
That is why I founded CTD.
Business skills should be part of engineering development
Most engineers learn the business side of their role by experience. Usually after something has already gone wrong.
A difficult client conversation. An unclear requirement. Unpaid extra work. A risk that was mentioned but never converted into a decision. More responsibility, but no practical support.
Generic communication training rarely solves this. Engineers do not need abstract advice to “be more persuasive” or “show more confidence”. They need practical ways to handle the situations they actually face:
Clarifying client expectations before technical work starts
Communicating technical risks and consequences clearly
Managing scope changes without damaging the client relationship
Translating technical choices into project and business impact
Recommending a realistic solution when the technically best option is not the most suitable one
Taking ownership without silently absorbing every problem
We believe these skills deserve the same deliberate attention as technical development.
Not because every engineer should become a manager or salesperson.
Because engineering decisions rarely stay purely technical.
Technical expertise gets you far
But as your responsibilities grow, your work becomes less technical — and more human.
You need clients to trust your advice.
Stakeholders to understand your reasoning.
Colleagues to take ownership.
Managers to support your proposal.
And decisions to move forward.
These situations require skills that are rarely taught in engineering education.
CTD helps technical professionals communicate clearly, influence decisions, advise clients and take greater ownership — without turning them into salespeople or corporate managers.
Because engineers do not need to become less technical.
They need to become more effective with everything around the technical work.
Ten years inside management of technical companies
For the past ten years, I worked as a Managing Director and Commercial Director at engineering companies in the offshore industry.
I started my career at a small offshore engineering firm, where I helped build a new wind energy division. When the parent company nearly went bankrupt, I was asked to become Managing Director at the age of 26.
It felt a little like being dropped into deep water without a life jacket. Very offshore, in hindsight.
Over the following five years, we grew the company’s revenue tenfold and expanded the team fivefold.
Later, I joined another offshore engineering company. Within a year, I became Managing Director again.
During those years, I worked closely with engineers, project managers, clients and leadership teams. I saw how technical decisions were made, challenged, delayed and sometimes misunderstood.
And I learned something important:
The strongest technical solution does not automatically create the best business outcome.
It only creates impact when people understand it, trust it and act on it.
From Public Administration to offshore engineering
Choosing one field was never easy for me because I was interested in almost everything. I studied Public Administration and completed a fulltime board year at AIESEC.
During my master’s degree, I discovered that my real interest was not government, but sustainable energy, technology and the organisations behind it.
So I arranged a technical internship at the Dutch energy regulator and followed courses at Delft University of Technology.
That combination turned out to be more useful than I could have predicted.
My background helped me connect areas that are often treated separately:
Technical expertise and business priorities
Engineers and clients
Complex analysis and clear decisions
People, processes and performance
Individual development and company results
Today, that is still what Connecting the Dots stands for.
I connect what often remains disconnected:
Engineering companies depend on people who can do more than deliver technically sound work.
They need engineers who can:
Explain complex ideas clearly
Understand what clients actually need
Translate technical value into business value
Influence stakeholders without playing politics
Make pragmatic decisions when the perfect solution is not possible
Take ownership beyond their own technical tasks
Lead projects, conversations and eventually people
Yet many engineers are expected to develop these skills through trial and error.
That is inefficient for the engineer and expensive for the employer.
Miscommunication causes delays. Strong ideas fail to gain support. Client opportunities are missed. Managers become bottlenecks. Talented engineers become frustrated or leave.
CTD turns these everyday challenges into practical learning.
No abstract management theory.
No generic soft-skills training.
Practical business skills, developed for technical minds and applied to real engineering situations.
Why CTD works with engineers and their employers
Engineers experience the challenge. Their employer usually carries the wider cost.
That is why CTD uses a B2B2E approach: companies invest in development that directly helps their engineers perform more effectively.
For engineers, this means practical skills they can use immediately in client conversations, projects, meetings and decisions.
For engineering companies, it means:
Clearer communication and faster decision-making
Stronger client relationships
More ownership within technical teams
Fewer avoidable misunderstandings and delays
Better-prepared project managers and future leaders
Greater retention and internal career development
The goal is not to change how engineers think.
It is to help them use their technical thinking more effectively across the business.
What you may want to know
before we start
“Is this just another soft-skills training?”
No.The skills may involve communication, clients and leadership, but the approach is structured, practical and grounded in technical work.
Participants practise with situations they actually encounter: explaining recommendations, managing scope, challenging a client, gaining stakeholder support and making decisions with incomplete information.
“Our engineers are already technically excellent.”
Good. That is the starting point. CTD does not replace technical development. It helps engineers turn their expertise into clearer advice, stronger collaboration and better business decisions.
“Engineers do not want to become salespeople.”
They do not have to.
Understanding a client, asking better questions and explaining value are not sales tricks. They are part of being a trusted technical professional.
“Our organisation is different.”
Every technical company has its own projects, clients and structure.
But the underlying challenges are often remarkably similar: unclear expectations, conflicting priorities, difficult stakeholder conversations and technically strong people taking on broader responsibilities.
The methods are reusable. The application is tailored to your organisation.
“How does this create measurable value?”
Business skills should improve what happens at work.
Depending on the programme, outcomes can include clearer client communication, faster decisions, better project ownership, fewer escalations, stronger collaboration and increased confidence in commercial or leadership situations.
Together, we define the relevant behaviours and business outcomes before the programme begins.
“Our engineers are too busy.”
That is exactly why the learning must be practical.
CTD focuses on small, immediately applicable tools that engineers can use during their existing work — not alongside it as another theoretical assignment.
Built for technical minds
I know the pressure of technical projects, demanding clients, commercial targets and growing teams.
I also know how uncomfortable the shift beyond technical delivery can feel — especially when someone suddenly expects you to influence, negotiate or lead without ever teaching you how.
CTD makes that shift more practical.
One conversation.
One decision.
One business skill at a time.
Your technical expertise
can create more impact
When people understand it, trust it and act on it.
Discover practical business skills for engineers and technical professionals — available through online programmes, practical tools and in-company training.
