I Build Governance That Works

Through DAIG Partners, I work directly with CDOs and executive teams to design and implement governance that produces results — not governance that produces documentation. The Data Governance Sprint™ and AI Governance Sprint™ are built on 16+ years of field experience across banking, healthcare, government, manufacturing, logistics, retail, and energy. I don’t delegate delivery. I advice, I facilitate, I coach — same person, every conversation.

I Shape Global Standards

As Global Project Manager of the DAMA-DMBOK® 3.0, I coordinate Specialty Editors and hundreds of volunteers and contributors worldwide to shape the next edition of the global Data Management Body of Knowledge. As co-developer of the Applied Data Governance Practitioner (ADGP®) program at Dataversity, I authored instructional modules bridging governance theory with practitioner reality. I don’t just apply standards — I help define them.

I Shape Global Standards

As Global Project Manager of the DAMA-DMBOK® 3.0, I coordinate Specialty Editors and hundreds of volunteers and contributors worldwide to shape the next edition of the global Data Management Body of Knowledge. As co-developer of the Applied Data Governance Practitioner (ADGP®) program at Dataversity, I authored instructional modules bridging governance theory with practitioner reality. I don’t just apply standards — I help define them.

Beyond governance, I’m a father of two, based in Waasmunster, a small town in East-Flanders, Belgium. When I’m not in a meeting with a CDO or at a conference in San Diego, you’ll find me in the kitchen — I love cooking, especially when it involves anything Italian. Italy is my favorite place on earth, and I’m slowly picking up the language to prove it.

I run — with a half marathon on the target list for 2026 — and I spent several years doing CrossFit, which taught me that the hardest part of any discipline isn’t the technique, it’s showing up consistently. That applies to governance more than most people realize.

I read widely — organizational behavior, technology development, strategy — and I’m channeling that curiosity into an Executive PhD in Data Governance at Antwerp Management School, researching what the field practices daily but has barely studied empirically.

I speak Dutch natively, English at full professional proficiency, and enough French to get myself into interesting conversations — and occasionally out of them.

In 2021, I founded the Ethical Technology Institute and chaired it for four years, bringing ethics into the conversation around data and AI governance long before the EU AI Act made it fashionable. That work reinforced a conviction I carry into every engagement: technology governance isn’t just a business discipline — it’s a responsibility.

Executive PhD in Data Governance

Antwerp Management School · University of Antwerp · 2024–2029

Data governance has been practiced for decades, yet it remains one of the most under-researched disciplines in data management. Organizations invest millions in governance programs, but there is remarkably little empirical evidence about what actually drives success or failure at the organizational level. Most of what the industry treats as “best practice” is based on experience, vendor marketing, and pattern-matching — not rigorous research.

My PhD research aims to close that gap. I’m investigating the organizational, cultural, and leadership conditions that determine whether governance programs get adopted or ignored — looking beyond frameworks and maturity models to understand the human and structural factors that make the real difference. The research is grounded in real organizations, informed by 16+ years of practitioner experience, and designed to produce findings that CDOs and governance leaders can apply directly.

The field doesn’t need more frameworks. It needs evidence. That’s what this research is building.

Whether you need a Sprint engagement, ongoing advisory, a training program for your team, or a keynote for your conference — it starts with a conversation.