Corinne Danièle Goddijn-Vigreux, commonly known as Corinne Vigreux has earned recognition as a French business executive and entrepreneur. She co-founded global navigation company TomTom 30 years ago and become the most inspirational woman in the European tech market., Corinne’s tech journey began because of a friend who inspired her to work in a tech company.
At the beginning of her career, she knew that in the near future technology will transform everything. During her time in Holland, when she started working as a marketer, she missed the buzz of technology and the speed and innovation it got. Technology gave her the impression that she was doing something that could make a difference in the world.
Her passion forced her to start making software and building computers. That was the time when the idea to put maps on computers emerged. Corinne recalled that it was the time when the first satellite navigation came on the market in 2000, and they changed it forever. Corinne explained that the company began with four individuals in 1991 and it took them ten years to establish a successful company.
Furthermore, Corinne Vigreux cofounded TomTom in 1992 and make it into a world-leading satellite navigation business with a valuation of more than $2.4 billion. She disclosed that her focus was to create something which has not been invented by anyone. After doing her MBA, Corinne had an opportunity to do marketing for several large cosmetic giants, but according to her, it would not have created an impact.
In addition, Corinne witnessed multiple economic turmoils during her career, including the 2001 downturn, when no one was paying enough attention to tech companies. Nobody could see how navigation could function at the time. You can see the product operate as a tech builder, but people can’t, she disclosed. As a result, you must establish a market for it.
She disclosed that the 2008 financial crisis arrived at her doorstep a few years later. Simultaneously, the consumer market had begun to mature. Google had started providing free navigation on phones. As a result, TomTom planned to purchase a mapping firm that would create real-time maps of the planet.
Corinne revealed that TomTom maps are currently being used by Uber, iPhone, Verizon, and Azure. The goal is to continue to innovate. TomTom is a massive map-making engine on a mission to map the entire world in real-time. The thing which is important is that in a crisis, it’s critical to keep innovating and listening to your customers.