After nearly 18 years of helping shape Abstraction from the ground up, our Chief People Officer, Kirsten Egas-Kapteijns, is officially stepping away from the company.
To mark this bittersweet moment, our CEO Ralph Egas shared a deeply personal message, and Kirsten left us with a powerful farewell letter — true to her style: honest, bold, and full of heart.
We’re incredibly grateful for everything Kirsten has contributed to Abstraction, and we wish her all the space, freedom, and wild adventures she’s ready to embrace in this new chapter.
From Ralph Egas, CEO:
Today marks a big change in our executive team, and for me personally with a bittersweet connotation.
After ~18 years of being on my side in a wild variety of capacities, Kirsten decided to retire from her CPO role and officially move out of her beloved company altogether.
I wanna thank her for everything she did for the company, for the people she supported and for me personally within the company. I consider myself lucky to have been able to work with her and for us to somehow have managed to combine marriage with a company in a very complicated and demanding industry, while raising our boys. But now it’s time for her to release the otherwise omnipresent tension, move on, reinvigorate life with us and the boys and enjoy life in whatever way she sees fit. She deserves it and I support her decision wholeheartedly.
Below Kirsten’s letter where she wrote words from the heart, in true Abstraction-style, to go out with a bang in her signature manner.
In June we’ll of course also say goodbye to Kirsten properly and raise our glasses to celebrate her many achievements.
Cheers,
Ralph Egas
Start boss
From Kirsten Egas-Kapteijns, Co-founder & former CPO:
After almost 18 years at Abstraction, I reached a boundary. Not a professional one. A personal one.
I’ve gone beyond product launches, job titles, business targets. I’ve pursued what matters with unwavering passion. I’ve grown into roles, mindsets and challenges I never thought I was ready for.
I’ve never been one to sugarcoat. I’ve spoken up—clearly, directly, and unapologetically. It didn’t always land softly, but it always came from a place of truth and drive. Not everyone liked it, but it moved things forward.
I’ve stood for integrity, no matter how inconvenient. I’ve fought for fairness, even when it cost me comfort. And I’ve led with conviction—because respect is earned, not claimed.
And now, for the first time in a long time, I’m choosing a different type of boundary to cross. One that leads inward. No new title. No strategic next step. Just space.
Space to grow in new ways. To explore who I am without structure. To rest, reset, chase laughter and stay open to whatever feels genuine and unexpected. To rediscover the questions that don’t fit on a roadmap, without losing sight of who I am in the process.
I believe growth is never optional. It’s the fuel for freedom, happiness, truth, and strength.
Growth doesn’t come from playing it safe. Fear isn’t a warning sign. Often, it's a compass. Growth lives outside the easy path; the most meaningful moves often begin where certainty ends.I’m not stepping away from what Abstraction stands for. I’m taking it with me.
To live beyond boundaries.
To keep growing.
To pursue excellence, even in stillness.
To stay kind. And always be direct.
To be unapologetically honest and deeply human.And finally, do the things I’ve put off for far too long.
Get my motorcycle license, go scuba diving, earn my boating license, jump out of a plane just to see what it feels like to fly.
Horseback rides through the forest untamed, fully present, fully alive and fully in charge.
And camp in the wild with nothing but a tent, a fire, and silence... (okay and some wine of course).Thank you, Abstraction. You gave me more than a career. You gave me principles that still move me forward.
And to those I’ve worked with: thank you for trusting me, challenging me, and showing up with heart. I carry you all with me, it was a pleasure.
I’m not disappearing. Just becoming more present than ever.
I don’t know what’s next yet, and I like it that way. But if something meaningful crosses my path, I’ll be ready...!
Signing off officially. Not goodbye—just the next chapter.