THINK TANK

We are proud to introduce our THINK TANK members for the next two years:

AnnaMariaCornelia De Gersem, BekaertDeslee, Co-Creation Manager Europe & Studio AnnaMariaCornelia, System Designer for Human Innovation (for the topic circular design)

Els De Deken, CEO Think with People (For the topic matchmaking)

Gilles Vancoillie, Co-founder MoonMonster Studios (For the topic gaming)

Hakima Zoulali (For the topic care and social inclusion)

Lieven Degrauwe, Digital Product Designer (UX/UI) UXpertise (For the topic digitalisatie)

René Schepers, Medevennoot Verilin (For the topic ondernemerschap)

Stefanie Vanden Broucke, CEO CAAAP (For the topic sustainablearchitecture & development)

Tim Vannieuwenhuyse, Managing Director of Group WAAK (WAAK + de branding) (For the topic social entrepreneurship)

ANNAMARIACORNELIA DE GERSEM
BekaertDeslee, Co-Creation Manager Europe
Studio AnnaMariaCornelia, System Designer for Human Innovation

Bio
AnnaMariaCornelia, creative mind and jack-of-all-trades, combines a full-time job as Co-Creation Manager at BekaertDeslee with design projects within her own design studio.

AnnaMC's career takes off when, after her master study at the Design Academy Eindhoven (2006), she is allowed to teach at the Academy itself. In this period she is one of the initiators of the new course "Wearable Senses" at the faculty of Industrial Design, TU Eindhoven. She combines teaching the subject 'Social and Experience design' with digital research projects.
Her work gets picked up internationally, when one of her projects is used in a Korean TV spot, resulting in assignments in places like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Japan.

In 2015 she seizes the opportunity to work as Co-Creation Manager Europe at BekaertDeslee, the world player in the mattress industry. With the knowledge and experience she gained, she develops holistic concepts in which stakeholders from the same sector are connected in a digital way. The last two years have been about transparency, traceability and circularity of 'the object'.
AnnaMC wants to further specialise in coaching companies, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers who value transparency and circularity.

Your motivation to participate in the Think Tank
"Here's where the future begins; the future is circular."

Biggest ambition for the region
Designregio Kortrijk as motivator within "circular design and circular conomy".
Designregio Kortrijk as pioneer; facilitating, mediating and supporting.
Designregio Kortrijk as creative cradle and home port for designers with sustainable idea designs/concepts with the link to lifecycle and value chains of products.


ELS DE DEKEN - CEO THINK with people

Bio
Els has been an entrepreneur since 1992. Constantly looking for innovation, investing in a strong network and maintaining this network: after a lot of trial and error, these became her keys to success. First in her own retail business, later as branch manager of a large Belgian retailer in the book sector. At THINK With People, Els ensures that an entrepreneur is introduced at the right time to the expert, coach or businessperson who can help him take a step forward. This way, all energy goes to the targeted development of a company.

Your motivation for participating in the Think Tank
"I believe in transformation through innovation based on entrepreneurship. I like to share the knowledge we have built up within THINK with people on this subject, and the network."

Biggest ambition for the region
"Be proud and ambitious and look beyond the borders of your cocoon and region. Use your strengths and your network. Dare to appeal to both."


GILLES VANCOILLIE - Co-founder MoonMonster Studios

Bio
"Ever since I was young, two drives have come to me: gaming and entrepreneurship. The passion for games started when I had my first game boy and has never left since. The passion for entrepreneurship is something I inherited from home. Running a business always intrigued me, which is why I initially started studying applied economic sciences. However, when I graduated, there was still one piece missing. When I started studying Digital Arts & Entertainment, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So for me to be able to combine my two passions, entrepreneurship and gaming, is a dream come true."

Your motivation for participating in the Think Tank
"Innovating and making new creations is something that is close to our hearts and is also the driving factor for not only the gaming industry, but also the whole world. Innovation and creative thinking is something that keeps us evolving, often without us even realising it. It creates new products that people did not even know could be an option. In the words of Henry Ford: "If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses".

Biggest ambition for the region
"My ambition for the region is to contribute to the creation of a new innovation hub around gaming. With the Howest and Digital Arts & Entertainment, those first foundation stones have already been laid, the next step is new companies and a number of success stories that will make the region known worldwide for its talent in the game industry."

HAKIMA ZOULALI

Bio
Hakima was born in The Hague in the Netherlands, but has been a Kortrijk-based mother of 6 for 15 years now. She has a social pedagogical background. Last year, she was offered a job at AZ Groeninge in the sense and spirituality department. As the first Muslim in the department, this was a first for Belgium. From September onwards, she will now continue her passion for care and will start a Bachelor of Nursing programme. Hakima is also a volunteer at the mosque in Kortrijk, where she founded the women's work Nia, and also helps community centres with the organisation of activities.

Your motivation to participate in the Think Tank
"I am someone who likes to play a social role in different areas and who wants to be a bridge builder between the Kortrijk Design Region and my community. It would be nice if all Kortrijkans could share the pride of Kortrijk UNESCO Design Region. And that's where I want to play my part.

Biggest ambition for the region
"My big ambition is a Kortrijk where we have an inclusive society where everyone regardless of origin, religion, colour, orientation has a place and can live and develop together. In addition, we must encourage the youth of Kortrijk to build a bright future and commitment to our region, because with the youth lies our future."

LIEVEN DEGRAUWE - Digital Product Designer (UX/UI) UXpertise

Bio
As Digital Product Designer (UX/UI) Lieven makes technology more human by focusing on the user experience of applications, platforms, websites & online shops. He thinks about 3 questions: "What should technology be?", "How should it work?" and finally "What should it look like?". Under the name UXpertise, he has been helping both established companies and tech start-ups & scale-ups with their new or existing digital products, conversion optimisations, human-machine interfaces, growth hacks and all kinds of UX missions since 2016.

Your motivation to participate in the Think Tank
"Creativity is contagious - pass it on" (Einstein). "To exchange ideas about creative initiatives with impact... that gives me energy".

Biggest ambition for the region
"That together we succeed in providing people with structural opportunities: opportunities to grow, opportunities to learn from each other, opportunities to cooperate & opportunities to excel. Insanely clever projects are created in this region, but it is in our genes to be modest about them. I strongly believe that we can help individual creatives and companies to be proud of the leading things they do. The Kortrijk UNESCO Design Region must be put on the national map, and far beyond."


RENE SCHEPERS - Managing Director Verilin

Bio
Pragmatic approach accompanied by an inexhaustible positive drive to take on new challenges in order to motivate others.

Your motivation to participate in the Think Tank
"To proudly show who we are and what we do through authenticity."

Biggest ambition for the region
To create social added value through cooperation for the economic and social well-being of the region.


STEFANIE VANDEN BROUCKE - CEO CAAAP

Bio
Stefanie started her professional career at the intermunicipal company Leiedal. The idea of being able to contribute to the development of the region on the one hand, and being able to get to know the politics of her own region from the sidelines on the other, made her start working there in 2002 with great enthusiasm. But as a no-nonsense manager and 'doer', the call from the private sector sounded louder, which resulted in a move to Vanhaerents in 2009, where she became CEO in 2018. Under her impulse, the company underwent a real rebranding and name change in the same year. Vanhaerents became CAAAP, creators of triple A places. The name changed, but the vision remained. CAAAP stands for inner-city complex (PPP) projects that represent social added value. Witness this: 't Groen Kwartier in Antwerp, De nieuwe Dokken in Ghent, Zuidboulevard Waregem, Militair Hospitaal Oostende...and soon...Havenkaai Kortrijk.

Most beautiful West Flemish saying: 'kerremesse es 'n hjesselinge weird'.

Your motivation for participating in the Think Tank
"A powerful forum with the opportunity to create social added value, which we wish to integrate with CAAAP in each project, in our own region, in various domains and for various target groups."

Biggest ambition for the region
"The Kortrijk region has an entrepreneurial strength that is in the genes of the people of South-West Flanders. We are able to bring about things, to show a never-ending drive in developing, creating and undertaking. Experience in project development in Flanders teaches me that we are unique in this. We still have some work to do to express this. It must be our ambition to be 'proud' of our cities and towns and to display that pride more. In my opinion, the creation of a 'we-feeling' will automatically ensure that topics such as innovation, design, transformation... become topics that have a meaning for everyone, not just for the happy few. By entering into partnerships (public-private), we should be able to generate more resources in the region, each time with the same goal: to increase the image of the region and to stir up the community feeling."


TIM VANNIEUWENHUYSE - Managing Director of Group WAAK ( WAAK + the branding)

Bio
Besides his function in Groep WAAK, Tim is also chairman of VERSO, vice-chairman of Etion, director of Kortrijk In, director of Groep Maatwerk and 4werk, director of Oranjehuis, director of Rhizo, chairman of Zorgcentrum Zonnebeke. He is also a member of Rotary Kortrijk Groeninghe.

Your motivation to take part in the Think Tank
"I am looking for embedding between economy, culture and society. For connections and unexpected links. From different perspectives and backgrounds, focusing together on dreams and realisations."

Biggest ambition for the region
A warm and prosperous region, with lots of leeffun and quality of life. A sense of responsibility combined with non-negligent solidarity.