Hi, I'm Jan and welcome to my personal space on the web! My life revolves around three core pillars: my family, my health, and my passion for work. These priorities guide everything I do and shape the person I am today. Beyond my professional interests, I'm an avid reader with a thirst for knowledge. In my leisure time you often find me lost in the world of games, in my garden or enjoying fine (Italian) wine and food. I also cherish moments spent flaneuring, exploring the world at my own pace and soaking in new experiences. This blend of personal and professional interests defines me and fuels my approach to the challenges and opportunities presented to me.
Resume
Dedicated and results-driven Chief Product Officer (CPO) with a profound love for solving complex challenges in the field of Digital Identity. Thrives in dynamic, startup-like environments where freedom to innovate is valued. My first love is software, and I bring a deep technical background, but my expertise extends to strategy, business, and management. I excel in creating products that begin with a vision, and then translating this into practical solutions that provide value to customers.
- Chief Product Officer at Meeco, 2019-now
- CTO & Co-founder at Juru, 2017-2019
- CTO at One2three, 2013-2014
- CTO & Co-founder at Clubit, 2007-2019
Expert in Digital Identity
In the rapidly evolving world of digital identity, I've positioned myself as an expert in the field. Building software for companies across the globe in how we interact, transact, and establish trust online. My journey has been marked by a relentless pursuit in the application and advocacy of global standards that ensure secure, privacy preserving and seamless digital experiences.
Transforming Concepts into Reality: Leveraging foundational standards such as OAuth 2.0, JSON Web Tokens (JWT), and OpenID Connect, mastering their intricacies (which are legion) but also their practical application. Through my work I transform abstract principles into usuable digital identity solutions, empowering users and organizations alike with greater control and security.
Through Innovation: My participation in cutting-edge working groups, including the OIDF's Gain POC Community Group and Digital Credential Working Group, underscores my commitment to shaping the future of digital credentials. These collaborations across the industry have been instrumental in advancing the field.
Storytelling with Impact: Beyond the technical, my approach to digital identity is about weaving compelling narratives that resonate with stakeholders. It's about bridging the gap between the technical and the practical, ensuring that our digital future is not just secure, but also inclusive and user-centric, with a sustainable business model.
Chief Product Officer @ Meeco (2019 - now)
I joined Meeco as the Chief Product Officer (CPO), overseeing the entire product lifecycle, from envisioning to architecture and execution, within the Secure Value Exchange (SVX) platform. In this capacity, I lead and manage a diverse team of international engineers and product managers, driving the realization of our vision. Additionally, I actively contribute to shaping the business strategy and sales efforts, actively participating in presentations and bid processes.
- Spearheading the development of cutting-edge digital wallet solutions tailored for both users and organisations. My leadership in this area demystifies the complexity of implementing essential standards and key management, offering an accessible and user-friendly API to enterprises. This initiative makes it easy for organisations to integrate into their existing infrastructure, paving the way for broader adoption of secure digital identity practices.
- Led the successful delivery of the SVX platform, a complete revision of the original (secure storage) product that now includes digital credentials and a digital identity wallet as a SaaS offering. Currently running in production inside a financial institution.
- Demonstrated a proven track record of acquiring and applying extensive domain knowledge in the ever-evolving field of digital identity. Proficient in reading, interpreting, and implementing industry standards and specifications, including those from W3C, IETF, RFC, and ISO.
- Ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences & stakeholders.
- Led and mentored a dynamic team of 5 to 15 full-time employees and contractors, spanning multiple time zones, in a remote-first work environment. Adapting to the challenges and opportunities inherent to remote work, I fostered a culture of collaboration and achievement.
Chief Technology Officer @ Juru (2016 - 2019)
Co-founder and CTO in Juru a startup in Identity personal data management. This was very early on when this domain was in its infancy and only slowly gaining traction. The work involved a lot of discovery work and building prototypes to find the right product market fit. The core team was later acquired by Meeco.
- Create a product vision and narrative together with the management team. Presented to financial institutions, governemental bodies and other stakeholders.
- Built the first prototype of the product, which was part of an implementation for a consent engine in one of the major cities in Belgium.
- Architected and delivered two additional projects (of approx EUR 100K).
Chief Technology Officer @ One2three (2013 - 2015)
Co-founder and CTO in One2Three, where I architected and help build a solution for integrated ordering. Exited in 2015.
- Built the first prototype of the product, consisting of a web app (customer facing) and a mobile iOS app (merchant facing).
Previous Experiences
SAP Functional Analyst (2007 - 2019)
- Created products that aid in Master Data input, drastically improving the efficiency of the process (from days to minutes). This both resulted in financial improvements as well as customer statisfications.
Worked as a SAP (R/3) Functional Analyst in Customer Service domain in wide array of industries & companies:
- Utilities (e.g. Eandis (now Fluxys))
- Public Services (e.g. NMBS)
- Manufacturing (e.g. Atlas Copco)
- Mining (e.g. Nyrstar)
This exposure to multiple industries helped me develop my problem solving skills and ability to work in different teams. It also helps be understand how large enterprises and multinationals work and how to get something done.
Self-employed (2007(part) - 2011(full) - now)
Started working as a part-time independent building things. Started with domain and website hosting. Built some simple games and applications with the rise of mobiles. Transitioned to being self-employed full-time in 2011, something I still consider my best decision in life as it suits my personality and ambition best.
Education
- Master in (Applied) Computer Science, graduated Summa Cum Laude
2003-2006, Vrij Universiteit Brussel, Belgium - Bachelor in Informatics, graduated with Honours
1999-2003, Karel de Grote Hogeschool Antwerpen, Belgium
Books
I read mostly non-fiction. I like to explore a wide variety of topics. Below is a list of some of my favorite books that I have read and keep coming back to.
- Art of Action, by Stephen Bungay
- Escaping the Build Trap, Malissa Perri