New York, New York, United States
There's a version of US market entry that takes two years, burns through budget, and produces a pipeline deck with no real relationships behind it. I've built the other kind. As Managing Director US and Interim Head of Global Marketing at Trendtracker - a Belgian AI-native strategic intelligence platform - I was the first and only person on the ground in the US, tasked with building the entire American presence from scratch. No office. No network. No sector experience. No inherited pipeline. In nine months, the team and I built a NYC office selected for the NYCEDC International Landing Pad Network, one of ten scaleups chosen for the SOSA-operated cohort. We established institutional partnerships with Insurtech Insights, InsurtechNY, Insurtech America, SOSA, Flanders Investment & Trade, and more. We built a real enterprise pipeline across US insurance, financial services, FMCG, and pharma. We launched Sip n' Switch - a community event series hosted twice at the New York Times Building that became an official Insurtech Insights USA and InsurtechNY partner event, with 200+ industry attendees. From December 2025, I took on building the global marketing function from near-zero, recruiting and enabling the team across time zones. We signed City of Hope - one of the most prestigious cancer research institutions in the US - as our first US entity-based client. I represented the company on stage at Insurtech Insights USA, InsurtechNY, Insurance Innovators USA (Nashville), and InsurTech America (Hartford), and internationally in Hong Kong and Bangkok. Most of this was built as the only person on the ground. Before Trendtracker, I led AI @ SPACE at Arthur D. Little, trained under the ADL and Monitor Group lineage at IXL Center Boston under Ronald Jonash and Hitendra Patel. I founded Innova Flanders, convening leaders from NASA, AB InBev, SAP, and IBM. Academic foundation: MBA from Hult International Business School and Executive Leadership diploma from Cornell University. What I'm actually good at: walking into a blank page, building trust fast where relationships are currency, and making European innovation legible to American buyers. Equally comfortable closing a room of 80 or a room of one. Currently on a planned break for family. Back in the market September/October 2026 - open to conversations now about transatlantic GTM, US market entry, AI-native B2B, InsurTech, and Financial Services. Industry agnostic knowledge around foresight and strategic intelligence.
I joined Trendtracker as the sole on-the-ground US hire with a single mandate: build the American market from scratch. There was no office, no local network, no sector experience to draw on, and no inherited contacts. Just a direction and a flight to New York. On the market infrastructure side, I established the NYC office, secured full US operational setup, and led the process that resulted in Trendtracker being selected for the NYCEDC International Landing Pad Network - one of fewer than ten international scaleups chosen for the SOSA-operated cohort, backed by New York City. I built institutional partnerships with Flanders Investment & Trade New York, SOSA, Insurtech Insights USA, InsurtechNY, and more. On the commercial side, I built an enterprise pipeline across US insurance and financial services entirely from zero - no prior sector knowledge, no warm introductions. We signed City of Hope as our first US entity-based subscription client, a landmark logo that validated the platform's applicability beyond insurance. I represented Trendtracker as a speaker and panelist at Insurtech Insights USA at the Javits Center, InsurtechNY where I moderated, Insurance Innovators USA in Nashville, and InsurTech America Symposium in Hartford - as well as at Money20/20 in Bangkok and Insurtech Insights Asia in Hong Kong. In parallel, I introduced Sip n' Switch, a US insurtech and fintech community event series. We hosted it twice at the New York Times Building, grew it to 200+ industry attendees, and turned it into an official partner event of Insurtech Insights USA and InsurtechNY - built entirely from nothing in months. From December 2025, I also took on interim leadership of the global marketing function alongside the US GTM role. I recruited and enabled the team across time zones and built the strategy, event calendar, and brand infrastructure from near-zero into a fully functioning marketing operation.
DC Innovative Solutions is my consulting entity, focused on transatlantic market entry, GTM strategy, and innovation advisory for European companies expanding into the US and US companies navigating European regulated markets. The practice draws on firsthand experience building a cold-start US presence in a regulated vertical - the kind of work most advisory firms describe in frameworks but rarely execute themselves. Currently accepting a limited number of advisory mandates for Q3/Q4 2026. - Build the American market from scratch. There was no office, no local network, no sector experience to draw on, and no inherited contacts. Just a direction and a flight to New York. • Innova Flanders 2022: Founded and organized Belgium’s largest pure innovation event. Convened 50+ global experts in Ghent to redefine how organizations approach foresight and growth. • Corporate Strategy Design: Advised leadership teams on translating vision into focused portfolios, roadmaps, and operating models across the technology, health, and energy sectors. • Executive Foresight: Built repeatable innovation engines for clients, turning trend scanning and market sensing into actionable investment decisions.
Focused on driving high-impact innovation projects for global firms, with a specific mandate to modernize the consulting model through AI and Open Consulting. • Pioneered the SPACE Division: Served as one of the first joiners and managers of the SPACE division (Brussels/London). Successfully transformed SPACE from a conceptual idea into a fully functioning, revenue-generating division operating across 30+ ADL markets. • Strategic AI Integration: Identified and developed key partnerships with AI solution providers, including Trendtracker, to enhance internal capabilities and deliver future-proof strategic solutions to clients. • Leadership & Scale: Managed a cross-functional team of consultants, reporting directly to the Director of Open Networks and the Chief Bridge Officer to institutionalize data-driven foresight.
Held dual leadership and consulting roles within this global firm founded by former leaders of Arthur D. Little and Monitor. • Economic Impact: Devised market expansion and business concepts that provided projected revenue increases of +$1 Billion for Fortune 500 clients and SMEs. • Global Operations: Led the Benelux region and managed consulting projects in the US, Brazil, Dubai, and Peru, focusing on new-venture creation and innovative business models. • Innovation Olympics: Directed the strategic planning and execution of the Global Innovation Olympics, democratizing innovation for organizations and university teams worldwide.