Carine Van Hove - Manager

As Applied Economics Scientist, and following a career at the Brussels Stock Exchange and at British Petroleum for 14 years in functions varying from ICT to financial and business analyst in consumer&industry and pan-European business&financials harmonisation projects, i got attracted to concentrate on scouting, screening and developping business start-up potential within the non-core activities of global organisations: so called industrial spin-offs. By doing so, i became passionate about SMEs, and the way they can enforce an eco-system around large enterprises. At VITO (Flemish strategic institute on technology), i worked with a team of business developpers and researchers to promote and demonstrate sustainable technologies to SMEs, and to guide them when implementing these technologies in their industrial processes, buildings or new concepts. Themes were sustainable industry/chemistry, energy, materials and upcycling, sustainable landuse and preventive health issues related to environmental factors. This experience provided the necessary basis for my next and current position: to build further on the work done already for the Flanders Cleantech Association (FCA), an initiative of VITO. FCA gathers industry and stakeholders around clean technologies in Flanders in order to gain exposure to influential networks, new markets, potential investors, innovative technologies and best practices.

E-mail: Carine.Vanhove@fca.be 

Sonja Van den Bergh – Management Assistant 

Sonja Van den Bergh obtained  a bachelor degree in Office management, option languages at the Karel de Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp. After her studies she started her career as a commercial assistant at Aral Belgium. Soon she decided to switch over to Vlamco, a company exploiting one of the biggest local radio stations in Flanders. During a period of five years she was the right hand of the Promotion, Marketing and Sales Manager. A healthy dose of assertiveness and an enterprising, commercial and open mind were particularly essential here.
With the experience gathered in these various jobs she started working for VITO in 2003 as an administrative assistant for the Verification Office Benchmarking. So she certainly isn't a stranger in the business. Sonja is ready for a new challenge and joins the FCA-team as from October 1st. Some of her new tasks will be web content, event support and management assistance.

E-mail: Sonja.VandenBergh@fca.be