Clean Vision Summit

Dirk Fransaer is Managing Director of VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, the largest research institute in Belgium in the field of sustainability and cleantech: energy, chemistry, health and materials. VITO focuses on interdisciplinary research into cleantech and pilot installations and demonstrators to de-risk research for companies and thereby strengthen the economic and social fabric. He is author and co-author of more than 30 scientific papers published in national and international journals.

Dirk Fransaer is president of the board of directors of LIBOVITO (a 100 % daughter company in China, Beijing), of VITO Middle East (Qatar) and VITO Arabia (Dubai), member of the board of directors of VITO Asia (Hong Kong), member of the board of SOV Balmatt, member of the board of Clean Vision Invest, also member of the board of directors of the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, president of the Audit Committee and the Board of Programme Evaluation of the University of Antwerp, member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and Arts, and Honorary professor Engineering at KU Leuven.

Karolien graduated as a Master in Geography in 2009 and obtained a PhD in Sciences – Geography – in 2015 from KU Leuven (Belgium). During her PhD research she modelled urban expansion and social segregation in developing countries. In 2014 she joined the VITO spatial and dynamical environmental modelling team, first as a researcher developing GIS-based methodologies and models to support the sustainability transition in spatially related challenges. These spatial challenges reach a wide range of topics such as finding best locations for new energy production installations, finding exchange opportunities between demand and offer of water, developing a priority model for potentially polluted soils etc. Since 2018 she is the first contact point of new spatial challenges and questions that reach the team which are supporting Karolien in the exploration of new and innovative strategic research lines in the spatial modelling practices of the team.

Peter has headed the Climate Change Service at the Environment Directorate-General within the Federal Public Service Health since 2003. In that capacity he serves a dedicated team of about 25 climate policy experts, federal civil servants committed to preparing and implementing Belgian, European and international climate policy, in close dialogue with all other actors in the field.  He chairs the Belgian Coordination Working Group on Greenhouse effect of the Coordination Committee for International Environmental Policy (CCIM-CCPIE), where the federal and regional governments of Belgium prepare common positions for the international climate negotiations. 
Peter has been heading the Belgian delegations to the UNFCCC negotiations for close to 20 years and represents Belgium in the Working Party for International Environment Issues (Climate Change) of the Council of the European Union.
He regularly lectures on international, European and Belgian climate change policy at different Belgian universities.
For more information on the federal Climate Change Service: see www.climatechange.be 

Rob Fabry is VITO's financial director. Rob started his career with Ford Motor Company, where he held various positions in their Product Development and Design Center in Dearborn. Responsible for the design-to-target strategy, he incorporated the financial targets as an attribute in the early design of vehicles and engines, to ensure that both cost and performance targets were met. His main responsibilities were the Mondeo and Fiesta vehicle lines, and emission programmes for next generations of cleaner diesel engines. Additionally, he held the position of Business Operations Manager in the aftermarket business in Germany and Finance Manager of the national sales company of Sweden.

After an international career of more than 16 years, he returned to Belgium to continue a career in Finance. Firstly, as Global Controller with Federal Mogul Corporation, a company in the automotive aftermarket business, where he supported the transition of the European HQ from Geneva to Antwerp and the expansion of sales to emerging markets.  After a switch to the chemical industry in 2014 he became Finance Director for the FMC Corporation EMEA organization, a company in the crop protection market. In this role he supported the strategy transition towards more sustainable chemistry, and the research and development of biopesticides.

Rob joined VITO in 2016 and he focusses on the ongoing transformation of VITO into a transparent, best-in-class, cost effective and well respected research institution. He also serves as board member in the VITO spin-off companies, and oversees VITO’s  Clean Vision Invest participation company.

Sofie Bracke is a Flemish liberal politician and alderman for Economy, Trade, Port and Sport of the city of Ghent. She obtained a master's degree in political science at Ghent University, which she supplemented with a master's degree in European Studies at the University of Louvain-La-Neuve.

In 2009, after the resignation of Sas Van Rouveroij, she was put forward as his successor in the Ghent College of Mayor and Aldermen and was given the competences Innovation and Work. From January 2013 to December 2018 she was alderman for Civil Affairs and Protocol and in 2019, she was sworn in as alderman for Economy, Trade, Port and Sport.

As policy and project coordinator, bio-engineer Benjamin Clarysse supervises all projects and policy trajectories of Bond Beter Leefmilieu. He also coordinates advice to policymakers and consultation with stakeholders on the five major transition themes (energy, food, mobility, circular economy and spatial planning).      

Dr. Marianne Stranger holds a master in chemistry and obtained her PhD in Sciences in 2005 from the University of Antwerp in the field indoor and outdoor air quality. In 2005 she became a research coordinator at the University of Antwerp's faculty of Design Sciences (Industrial Design), where she initiated new research activities, national and international collaborations. In 2008 Marianne started working at VITO in the team Air Quality Measurement Systems of the Health Unit, going back to her initial passion: indoor air quality (IAQ). Currently, she is a senior researcher, active in regional, national, European and international research projects. Her activities and expertise are focused on prevention and remediation for good IAQ. They include the organization of (small and large-scale) IAQ assessment studies, targeted studies on source reduction and exposure reduction strategies, the development of strategies for source identification and quantification, as well as the communication of research findings to target groups. Studied indoor environments include the built environment (residences, schools, offices, daycare centers and elderly homes), as well as transport (airplanes, public transport and marine environment). Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic she has specialized more thoroughly in airborne virus transmission in indoor environments, providing expertise to policy makers and various sectors. 

Bruno Reyntjens has been VITO’s Commercial Director since 2017. His career has been versatile with jobs in business development, business and product management as well as product development. Bruno has held international positions, focussing on the functionality of gluten protein at Amylum’s R&D lab in Aalst, on fine chemistry and biofuels at Proviron in Hemiksem/Ostend and on technical polyurethane foams for different niche applications at Recticel in Wetteren. At VITO, Bruno focuses on the transformation of a strongly research driven organization towards a more valorization driven research organization that meets the innovation needs of companies and governments. Bruno also coordinates VITO’s international activities. He holds a degree in bioscience engineering from Ghent University.

Juan Carlos Alonso joined Bekaert on 1 July 2019. He began his career in 1998 with the Boston Consulting Group where he led projects in Mexico, the US and Australia. In 2006, he joined CEMEX, a global building materials company, to take up the assignment of Global Corporate Strategic Planning Manager, based in Spain. He joined the Comex Group in 2010 as Vice President of Sales & Operations for the US Western Region, before he moved to the Belgian lime and minerals company Lhoist Group where he held various business development and strategy leadership positions with increasing responsibility and scope.

In 2017, Juan Carlos moved to the Imerys Group as Head of the Americas and development regions for the Group’s Monolithic Refractories division and, in parallel, as Global Head of Strategy, Business Development and Marketing for the High Temperature Solutions business.

Juan Carlos Alonso, Mexican national, holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, US.

Frank Beckx is the Director of the Knowledge and Lobby Center of Voka, the Flemish employers’ association. He is also Board Member of the Science Center Technopolis and member of the STEM Platform advising the Flemish Government on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) issues.

Dries Van Gheluwe is Business Development Advisor at Port of Antwerp. He is responsible for the development of the NextGen District in which investors are attracted, according to a predefined scope and criteria, including sustainability and circularity. In his role, he also encourages the integration of the various companies on the NextGen District. This involves looking at synergies, cluster reinforcement and integration of the operations.