A mathematical engineer by training (class of 2010), David began his career at BASF as a data scientist and soon took on the role of European lead for industrial cybersecurity. In Antwerp he launched the site’s first Industry 4.0 projects, later heading the company-wide program across Europe. By the end of his tenure, he oversaw all industrial-digitization teams at BASF’s Antwerp complex.

In 2022 David became the Manager of Analytics for Industry, an Industrial DataOps specialist. A year later he teamed up with Willem Van Lammeren to found The IT/OT Insider, now followed by more than 10 000 readers and listeners each month. In 2025 the duo expanded their mission with The IT/OT Academy, aiming to set the global standard for IT/OT learning.

Willem holds a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from KU Leuven. He began his career in 2006 at Barry Callebaut, where he built a green-field frozen-pastry plant in the heat of southern Spain. A move to AB InBev followed, coordinating the roll-out of its Management Excellence Program across Western Europe. At BASF he deepened his cross-disciplinary expertise, ranging from OT in logistics, labs, and production to IT infrastructure, ERP, and middleware—discovering that real transformation hinges on people and the ways they work together.

Today Willem serves as Delivery Manager at Syensqo (formerly Solvay), guiding the creation of the company’s operational data lake while still finding every excuse to “geek out” on the production floor.

In 2023 he joined forces with David Ariens to found The IT/OT Insider, now followed by more than 10 000 readers and listeners each month. In 2025 the duo expanded their mission with The IT/OT Academy, aiming to set the global standard for IT/OT learning.

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