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BRUNO HUMBLET
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CEO, DECEUNINCK
Proxima
Elvira Haezendonck
NETWORK MANAGER EÉN & CANVAS, VRT
Proximus Tim Raets
“VUB SYMBOLIZES AN OPEN AND BROAD VIEW OF THE WORLD, WHERE DIVERSE OPINIONS ARE VIEWED CONSTRUCTIVELY. AS A FELLOW, I WILL ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTE BY SHARING MY EXPERIENCES AND TESTING THE PERSPECTIVES OF OTHERS. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH STUDENTS AND ACADEMICS.”
Bruno Humblet graduated as a commercial engineer from Solvay Business School in 1988 and did his military service in the air force. He worked for 17 years at Procter & Gamble in various financial functions and was heavily involved in the takeover of Gillette before moving to Bekaert. In 2022 he became CEO of Deceuninck, a Belgian window and door specialist.
He is keen to work with VUB as an ambassador and to share his network and knowledge. He will be in demand as a guest speaker on strategy and will contribute to research on circularity. Through his company, he can contribute to research groups’ R&D and innovation.
Lotte Vermeir gained her degree in communication science at VUB in 2007. After a short period as a researcher at imec-SMIT-VUB, she became a researcher/advisor at broadcaster VRT’s research department, becoming deputy network manager for the channels Eén and Canvas in 2018. Today, as the network manager of Eén and Canvas: she is responsible for the brand strategy, scheduling, and the commissioning of all local and international content, fiction and non-fiction of Eén and Canvas.
As a Fellow, Lotte will guide reflection on the future of public service broadcasting and the challenges facing VRT. She understands the needs of research into media behaviour, content production and distribution and can be an important facilitator between the research community and industry. She has already shared her vision in debates and guest lectures, and has been an inspiration for communication students.
Ruth Devenyns
CEO, PRECIRIX
Proximus Thomas Crispeels
Ruth Devenyns studied economics at Ghent University and has an impressive track record in the biotechnology and life sciences industry. She was CFO of Ogeda until its acquisition by Astellas Pharma Inc in 2017. Before that, she worked in the financial sector for more than 20 years, in healthcare investment banking and venture capital. Since 2017 she has been CEO of Precirix, a VUB spin-off, and is an independent director of two companies listed on Euronext. She is also director of FlandersBio, the umbrella organisation for the region’s biotech sector.
Ruth has already been a guest speaker in the Business Aspects of Biotechnology course. During her Fellowship, she can contribute to research on technology transfer, a project on universitybased venture capital and future initiatives relating to deep-tech entrepreneurship and innovation.
DEPUTY HEAD COHESION, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL POLICY , EUROPIAN COMMISSION
Proxima Caroline Buts
Steven Engels completed the advanced master programmes in European Integration and Social Law at VUB in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Prior to this, he obtained a PhD in Roman Languages and Literature from KU Leuven. He has worked at the European Commission since 2011 in a variety of roles. Since 2021, he coordinates economic, financial, social and cohesion policies as Deputy Head of Unit at the Secretariat-General.
Throughout his career Steven has maintained a close relationship with VUB, working with the faculty to teach and supervise master’s theses, and will aim to collaborate on future applied research. He could act as a sounding board in formulating policy-relevant research questions and giving guest lectures on European economic integration. The value for students is in his expertise and practical knowledge, as well as access to data and policy insights.
