Vrije Universiteit Brussel has appointed Niels Famaey as its new Director of Marketing, Communication, and Engagement. He succeeds Ann Van Driessche, who is retiring after 11 years of building up the team and marketing strategy. As a communications sciences alumnus, Niels Famaey is delighted to be returning to the VUB. “Life is a circle. I am starting again where ‘serious’ life once began for me. This time, not on the auditorium benches, but as an employee in Renaat Braem's imposing and iconic building.”
Niels Famaey brings extensive experience from the media, communications, and publishing sectors. During his career, he has held management positions at Microsoft, Proximus, Uitgeverij Lannoo, and Roularta Media Group, among others, and has worked as a marketing strategist. He combines extensive expertise in strategic communication, brand building, and organizational change.
Proud
With his return to the VUB, Famaey wants to contribute to the further development of the VUB's reputation as a critical and committed university with an international focus. “The VUB shaped me as a student, and I am proud to now have the opportunity to help write its future story,” says Niels Famaey. "Ann has freed the VUB from its Calimero complex. It is now up to the experienced team and myself to further build on her legacy and guide it into an increasingly complex society. Combined with a logic of austerity, this will not be an easy task, but I am confident that together we will have a bright and exciting future ahead of us. More than ever, the world needs free and critical thinking, free from all dogma. What could be better than working towards that?"