In a Nutshell
- Based in Corvallis (Oregon) but originally from Brussels (Belgium).
- Worked in Geneva (Switzerland) for two years.
- Passionate about users, framing problems, and coming up with solutions.
- Believer in data and the scientific method.
- Intuition-driven people person.
- Explored 35+ countries. Progress is diversity.
- Surrounded by loving friends and family members.
- Married to an amazing human being.
- Frequently nerd sniped.
- How much reading is too much?
A great person fights for the dignity of those most vulnerable.
Kaamelott, Book VI
Below, you’ll find things that I know really well and have practiced extensively (deep skills), things that I have done but not full-time (broad skills), and executive competencies.
Life is a journey, and I am continuously learning, through experience, education, and discussions. Hopefully, I can share a bit of it all.
Deep Skills
Competencies practiced and developed during the majority of my career.
Data Science, Engineering, and Management | Product Management
Data Science, Engineering, and Management
After three years as a data scientist, two years managing business development and IT (and acting Data Protection Officer), two years as a product manager for an open-source semantic data management suite, and a master’s degree in mathematical engineering, I consider myself versed in all things related to data.
Details
- Data Privacy and Protection (incl. GDPR)
- Web Analytics
- Relational and (Property, RDF) Graph Databases
- Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) and Data Integration
- Data Modeling
- Linked Data
- Graph-Based Community Detection
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Text Mining
- Machine Learning and AI
- (Operational) Data and Business Analysis
- HR Analytics
- Elasticsearch, Postgres, Neo4j, SQL Server, SQLite
- Tableau, Qlik, Power BI, Shiny, Grafana
- SQL, Cypher, SPARQL, R, and Python
Product Management
Leading business development at Homeras, co-creating and launching SoSimply, managing the Blue Brain Nexus data management suite, and a Product Management Program at Vlerick Business School all show my love for problem framing and solving. I live and dream product management, and I continue to hone that competency every day.
Details
- Design Thinking
- Design Sprints
- Lean Startup
- User Research
- Focus Groups
- User Interviews
- Product Requirements
- Prototyping
- Product Launches
- Release and Project Management, Roadmaps
- Testing and Quality Assurance
- Leading without Authority
- Agile and Scrum Frameworks
Broad Skills
Competencies practiced and developed episodically during my career.
Digital Marketing | Product Design | Business Development | Software and Systems Engineering
Digital Marketing
With SoSimply, I organized the content strategy and initial online advertising through Facebook, Google, and Instagram during our pilot. On my free time, I coached acquaintances to set up their online businesses, start tracking leads, and advertise online.
Details
- SEO and SEA (Google Ads)
- Facebook and Instagram Paid Posts
- Twitter and LinkedIn Communication
- Copywriting and Content Management
- Goals Setting and A/B Testing
Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Plausible, Web Console, Hotjar, Crisp, Intercom, Hubspot, Mailchimp
Product Design
I have always had a special relationship with design. In the last four years, I have gradually taken more and more product design responsibilities. From internal products at Homeras to the Blue Brain Nexus frontend, and designing personal, professional, and scientific websites. Product Design is not limited to creating beautiful interfaces. It is a process. It is an end-to-end experience. It is caring for users and their diversity.
Details
- User Story Mapping
- Design Systems
- Accessibility
- Usability Tests
- UI and UX Design
- Branding
- Adobe XD, Figma, Webflow, Framer, Zeplin
Business Development
Before knowing what product management was, I learned more traditional but particularly useful frameworks to develop a business. I learned to get the holistic view, and find new business opportunities.
Details
- Process Mapping, Analysis, and Improvement
- Business/Lean/Startup Model Canvases
- SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces
- Market Research
- Industry Analysis
- Competition Analysis
- Creation of New Partnerships
- Customer Lifetime Value
- Return on Investment (ROI)
Software and Systems Engineering
Sometimes you need to help the team. Sometimes you have a project in mind. Sometimes it’s in your job description. I simulated tsunamis using finite elements in C++ at university. I have analyzed large datasets and designed machine learning pipelines in R and Python. Lately, I have been learning more about web development, first using Gatsby and styled-components, and now with Next.js and tailwindcss.
Details
- Web and Scientific Software Engineering
- Functional and Non-Functional Requirements
- Software Architecture
- Database Designs
- REST APIs
- Code Reviews
- Git and Code Versioning
- Yarn, NPM
- R, Python, Java, C/C++, AMPL, COBOL
- HTML, CSS, JS, MDX
- React, Next.js, Gatsby.js
- TailwindCSS, styled-components
Leadership, Management, and Strategic Skills
Executive competencies practiced at one point during my career.
People Management | IT Strategy
Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
People Management
I strive when I can help people. I like to hear people and learn more about them. I love to see them succeed. I’ve always ended up coaching and leading teams. When managing teams, I have learned the importance of clear requirements and extra-communication. We are all different and it makes us stronger together.
Details
- Objectives and Key Results (OKR)
- Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Direct Reports
IT Strategy and Management
At Homeras, I spent two years in an IT leadership position. Part of my responsibilities was to improve efficiency and reduce costs. I have learned a great deal about successfully running an IT strategy, including many operational aspects.
Details
- Service Costs and Budgeting
- Service Portfolio Management
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
- Risk Management, Stochastic Risk Modeling
- Incident and Problem Management
- Release and Deployment Management
- Knowledge Management
- Software and Hardware Lifecycles
- Data Centers and Landlines Redudancy
- Capacity Planning
Recommended Reads
Reading is a passion. I love to learn new things, and what better way to do so than read a book! Here is a small compilation of my preferred non-fiction books. You can check my Goodreads profile for the whole list.
The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.
Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings
Product
- Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love by Marty Cagan
- The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you by Rob Fitzpatrick
- Measure What Matters by John E. Doerr
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
- Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Design
- The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
Management and Leadership
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss
- The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek