Rob van de Coevering

Intellectual Property | Innovation | Business Development | Strategy | Consultancy | Partnerships | Creativity

Ghent Metropolitan Area

About

I thrive at the crossroads of innovation, business, and legal, where I turn complex challenges into clear, actionable strategies. With experience in R&D, Program Management, IP management, business development, and Key Account Management, I understand how ideas move from concept to commercialization and how to translate technical potential into real business value. With a sharp business mindset, I identify opportunities quickly, simplify complexity, uncover opportunities, and translate technical potential into real business value. My approach is people oriented. I build trust, align stakeholders, and create momentum in environments where clarity and effective collaboration are essential. I bring structure, direction, and connection to multidisciplinary projects, uniting teams around shared goals and unlocking their collective potential.

Experience

  • Beaulieu International Group (Full-time · 8 yrs 8 mos)
    • Global IP Director
      Apr 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 3 mos

      Creating a sustainable leadership position for B.I.G. by developing, protecting, defending, licensing and leveraging IP assets, and mitigating IP risks. Driving the transformation towards increasingly business-driven IP management. Supplementing in-house IP assets (MAKE) with outhouse IP assets (SHARE, BUY).

    • Global IP Coordinator
      Sep 2020 - Mar 2023 · 2 yrs 7 mos

      Group responsible for IP management, including patent portfolio management with budget responsibility, supporting IP licensing activities, advising IP-related contracts, IP risk assessment studies, engaging with a wide range of corporate stakeholders, a.o. innovation leaders, business management, Purchase, Tax and Legal.

    • Patent Engineer
      Nov 2017 - Aug 2020 · 2 yrs 10 mos

      Patent Attorney trainee, responsible for IP-related activities of strategic innovation projects, identifying patentable inventions and potential IP risks, strengthening of BIG´s patent portfolio by drafting new patent applications and patent prosecution, competition watch - patent landscaping, FTO studies, providing IP trainings to a broad audience increase IP awareness.

  • R&D Program Manager at ArcelorMittal
    Mar 2015 - Oct 2017 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, implementation, execution, control and completion of multiple steel product development projects for the appliances and construction markets, ensuring consistency with the corporate strategy, commitments and goals.

  • OCAS NV (Zelzate, Belgium)
    • Business Development Manager
      2011 - Oct 2017 · 6 yrs 10 mos

      OCAS (OnderzoeksCentrum voor de Aanwending van Staal) is an advanced, market-oriented research centre providing steel and metal-based products, services and solutions, to metal processing companies worldwide. I was in charge of business development of OCAS´s Technology Maturation Platform Surface Engineering catalyzing innovations in the field of surface treatment & surface engineering by providing proprietary technologies and advanced multidisciplanary R&D services to the industry.

    • Key Account Manager - R&D Partnerships
      2010 - 2011 · 1 yr

      Responsible for R&D partnerships and sales of services to metal processing companies worldwide.

  • Proviron (Hemiksem, Belgium)
    • Business Development Chemist
      2007 - 2010 · 3 yrs

      Business development chemist, responsible for worldwide technical support and extension/renewal of Proviron´s fine chemicals portfolio, including specialty monomers/polymers, polyamide plasticizers, and deicer solutions. Working closely with corporate management, business management, S&M, R&D, purchase and legal. Conducting a broad range of activities, such as comprehensive market studies, competition watch, project management, IP management, writing technical brochures, giving product trainings, and partnership management (universities, companies, and research institutes).

    • Process Development Chemist
      2005 - 2007 · 2 yrs

      Process Development Chemist at Proviron Fine Chemicals, working on the development of new products (a.a. UV curable monomers for the coating industry) and new transesterification processes.

  • Staff Scientist at Hercules
    2004 - 2005 · 1 yr

    Staff Scientist at the Hercules European Research Center in Barneveld developing new wet strength resins and dry strength resins for the paper industry.