Aalst, Flemish Region, Belgium
My work at AB Biotek, the Coca-Cola Company and AB InBev benefits from my strong analytical and interdisciplinary background as a food chemist. In the last decade, my focus has been on yeast, hops and brewing application. I am a team player within an international network and gained experience in related fields such as Sensory & Consumer Science, Craft Brewing, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Project Management, Research&Development. I worked independently on innovation and renovation projects from ideation phase to product launch with in-depth knowledge of all intermediate steps. As a Project Manager, I work proactively in order to remove obstacles at an early stage, delegate tasks to specific team members and take care of a smooth implementation according to the "first-time-right"-principle. Furthermore, as a state certified food chemist, I am familiar with the interpretation of the European food legislation. I did a lot of research at different Universities always with the focus on hops and beer as well as sensory analysis. My work was honored with 2 awards and I published many scientific papers. Before leaving the academic world, I was offered the Barry-Axcell-Fellowship of SAB Miller and University of Nottingham, a funding for 3 years to conduct my own research, which I declined.
• Global Lead - Brewing Application for AB Biotek, a business division of AB Mauri • Define Product Strategy and Portfolio Development needs for yeast, enzymes and processing aids • Align market needs with regional sales teams • Sales and application support for the European distributor network • Lead and develop AB Biotek's Global Application Center for Brewing • Product Development Projects through internal and external partners • Technology scouting through external academic and industry partners • Product quality excellence specifications and monitoring
• Product Development for the Adults, Emerging Brands, Nutrition & Experimentation Category • Project Coordination with a cross-functional team in a networking organization • Design and conduct lab trials in full autonomy • Microbiological and physical analyses of product sample performance • Contribute to R&D projects & exploration to develop knowledge on Fermentation • Creation of a dedicated Fermentation Lab (incl. Renovation/Planning) • CAPEX investments in Fermentation Equipment (Lab Scale 0.5 - 75L) • Lab Coordinator Function (SOP creation, people training, Safety guidelines, etc)
• Product Development of alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages for the Adults, Emerging Brands, Nutrition & Experimentation Category • Project Coordination with a cross-functional team in a networking organization • Design and conduct lab trials in full autonomy • Microbiological and physical analyses of product sample performance • Contribute to R&D projects & exploration to develop knowledge on Fermentation • Creation of a dedicated Fermentation Lab (incl. Renovation/Planning) • CAPEX investments in Fermentation Equipment (Lab Scale 0.5 - 75L) • Lab Renovation / Creation of dedicated Fermentation Lab
Responsible for the Juice / Juice Drink Category: - Leader of product development initiates of non-alcoholic beverages for several Business units in Europe, Middle East and Africa - Executing productivity and cost-savings initiatives - Development and production of prototypes on lab- & pilot-scale and managing expectation of internal (e.g. Quality, Regulatory, Commercial) and external stakeholders (e.g. supplier, contractors).
- Technical leader of beverage innovations for European brands like Stella Artois, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Michelob Ultra, Cubanisto, Hertog Jan, Jupiler, Diekirch - Implementation of small scale pilot innovations starting at 65 hl up to scaled innovations of 100.000 hl per year for On-Trade and Off-Trade - Lead cross-functional teams from different countries - Implementation of new processes in our AB InBev breweries - Contributor of value engineering projects - Convert consumer needs into technical needs - Run pilot trials for proof of concept and support consumer research tests - Leffe & Hertog Jan Brewmaster - 1 direct Report (Junior Product Developer) - Leader of European hop initiatives, zytology events, learning sessions - Recognized contributor for team engagement
Comprehensive profiling of the impact of the hop variety and the hopping technology on the analytical volatile profile of 20 different single-hopped worts and beers
Ph.D. Thesis: "Structure and sensorial contribution of the hard resins of hops on the bitter taste of beer as well as cell-based studies on their resorption and metabolism" Isolation (HPLC-UV), Activity-Guided-Fractionation (MPLC-UV), Quanitation (HPLC-MS-MS), Structure Elucidation (HPLC-TOF-MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR: 1H, 13C, 15N), Several Sensory Analysis technics