Philippe Vanden Bussche
Founder and Owner of GGNOOR
President, COMMON Belgium
Philippe Vanden Bussche has been a member of the Common Europe Advisory Council for 10+ years, helping to shape the future of IBM i. For his expertise in IBM i, IBM has recognized him as an IBM Champion since 2021.
Philippe started his IT career 40 years ago on System/38 and has never quit the IBM i platform since then. His focus moved from Application Development to IT Management to IT Architecture and System Management. As a GDPR trained IT professional he has given significant attention to security and privacy on IBM i.
Shrirang “Ranga” Deshpande
Ex-CIO, Jules Bordet Institute
Former President Common Europe 2016-2022
Vice-President, COMMON Belgium
“Ranga” has been using IBM i and its predecessors in his entire IT professional career at Institut Jules Bordet, the Comprehensive Cancer Centre of the University of Brussels, Belgium.
Ranga has been an IBM Champion since 2012 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award of the IT Executive Circle, Belgium. He is also recognized in Common Europe Hall of Fame 2023. He is a former President of COMMON Europe and Vice-President of COMMON Belgium. He is also Senior Advisor at the IT Executive Circle, a premier CIO think tank in Belgium. Ranga has been on the Common Europe Advisory Council (CEAC) since its launch in 1991 to 2023 helping IBM shape the future of IBM i. He is a frequent speaker at national and international events.
With a doctorate in Biology, Ranga also had a previous academic career. Constant improvement of people’s quality of life through the informatics ecosystem is Ranga’s passion.
Koen Decorte
Founder and owner of CD-Invest.
Treasurer, COMMON Belgium
Koen Decorte is owner of CD Invest, an international IBM business partner with offices in Belgium and Spain. CD-Invest is specialized in innovating and modernizing IBM i applications.
Today Koen is known worldwide for his great knowledge in the IT industry and is often asked to speak at events all over the globe. He gained worldwide recognition with innovative applications such as a web based 3D furniture configurator on IBM i. He has been recognized as an IBM Champion since 2018. Furthermore, Koen is a member of the Common Europe Advisory Council that shapes IBM i.
Marc Verbruggen
Founder and Owner of MARCit
Secretary, COMMON Belgium
Marc Verbruggen is a seasoned professional with a passion for driving IT solutions and services that empower small and mid-sized companies to reach their full potential. With a strong focus on system and data network management and an expertise in Storage solutions, Marc has established himself as a leading authority in Belgium for technological optimization and innovation.
With an unwavering commitment to delivering value, Marc specializes in crafting intelligent system architecture solutions that supercharge businesses. His approach goes beyond the conventional, as he combines strategic thinking with cutting-edge technology to architect systems that not only meet today’s demands but are also primed for the challenges of tomorrow.
With a career marked by achievements, innovation, and a customer-centric approach, Marc Verbruggen continues to be a driving force in the realm of IT solutions.
Corneel Theben Tervile
International Coordinator of Applied Computer Science
HOWEST University of Applied Sciences, Bruges, Belgium
Board Member, COMMON Belgium
After being for a long time Program Manager for IT studies, Corneel is now responsible for the mobility programs for the bachelor degree Applied Computer Science and bachelor degree Cyber Security, the associate degree Programming and the associate degree System and Network Management. The bachelor program has 3 majors: Artificial Intelligence, Security & Development Professional, Software Engineer. All programs are taught in Dutch. The program Cyber Security is also available in English.
Guy Staskowiak
Founder and Owner of Igentiq
Board Member, COMMON Belgium
Guy is an expert on IBM i software development, an IT architect and IT manager with an interest in security and compliance.
In his journey of almost three decades from AS/400 to IBM i, he has mainly worked in the transport and logistics sector for customers in industries such as pharma, chemicals and many other.
He likes to combine his knowledge of other – mainly java – ecosystems with the IBM i platform. In his role as IT manager of teams with mixed skills, he loves to coach, evangelize and even surprise others about the IBM i capabilities.
Experienced in making different technologies and platforms work together, he is a strong believer of the IBM i at the center of successful business solutions.
Toshaan Bharvani
CTO, VanTosh, Belgium
Board Member, COMMON Belgium
Toshaan Bharvani is an IT consultant, currently self-employed at VanTosh, with a interest in Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware. He started his IT interest at a very early age, when his father gave him his first own PC components. Ever since he has been interested in IT hardware and software. In business, he tends to combine higher level applications with lower level systems. Toshaan has been involved for some time now in some open source projects and communities.
Dirk Hauwaerts
Founder and Owner Arkosis, Belgium
Board Member, COMMON Belgium
Got the IT-virus in 1986 when my father’s company switched to a MAI-computer for accounting. So I started writing programs in business basic. After studying ‘Programmeur-Analist’ in Hasselt, I started working at IDP (international data processing) in 1990.
They soon switched to the AS/400 (B10) and I was given the opportunity to follow all possible education on this platform. With IDP in Genk Belgium and Lyon (France), we were able to build a complete ERP system and had customers like Sony / Union Carbide / Schlumberger / Terumo / FMC / Castolin / Isuzu. In 1997, I was promoted as Director of the Belgium office. In 2003 the main shareholder liked to retire and I took over the business together with some new co-owners. As we wanted to attract new business opportunities we went under the name of Xtendit-solutions. The IBM i would stay the main hardware but from then we would focus on new front-ends (WinDev was then chosen as way to go). In 2016, I also started my own company Arkosis, hence the change in company names. I’m proud of working as external programmer/consultant since long and have stable relations with my customers (since 17 , 22 and even 30 years).
Ingo Hesemans
Infrastructure Technical Sales Manager, IBM Belgium
IBM Liaison, COMMON Belgium
Ingo Hesemans is the IBM liaison for COMMON Belgium since more than 5 years and is as such the prime IBM contact for the User Group.
Ingo is currently the IBM Infrastructure Technical Sales Manager for Belgium and Luxembourg and is leading a team of a team of highly skilled technical specialists supporting the sales of IBM Infrastructure solutions. IBM Power and IBM i are very important brands within this portfolio.
Ingo is with IBM for more than 26 years in many different roles.