Born in Brussels, Belgium, Cedric has always been involved in action and adventure sports.

Cedric is a pioneer in basejumping and wingsuit flying and is member of the RedBull team since 2000.

“This is all about freedom, commitment and pushing your limits, it takes me to amazing places, teaches me respect for the environment and others, motivates me to improve, and keeps me humble on those high gravity days.”

“Spending time on the road, meeting new friends all over the world, being close to the elements, sharing and inspiring, this is what keeps me moving and fascinates me, this is my way to live a free, mindful and engaged lifestyle.”

Beside being an action sports athlete, Cedric is also graduated in High Performance Psychology.
For over a decade, Cedric has been helping elite athletes and major organisations worldwide grow leaders at all levels by doing things differently and showing that performance come from purpose, passion and presence

Cedric brings a advanced vision and inspirational perspective to High Performance Psychology.

In extreme environments where one is expected to deliver and assess risks, hyper-awareness has been the foundation to his consistent performance and survival, it’s flow or die!
Skills such as dealing with emotions such as fear are very transferable to any kind of environment.

“It’s all about living a comprehensive lifestyle and being in the present moment.  This includes energy management and feeding the mind with healthy insights and generating positive thoughts.”

Cedric splits his time between leading expeditions, flying, speaking, writing and consulting for elite athletes and major companies all over the world.
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"I strongly believe that the world would be a better place if we all dared to explore our talents and skills, we need more happy people!"

Paul Rulkens is an expert in high performance: the art and science of achieving big goals with the least amount of effort. 

He is an award-winning professional speaker, author of two international business books and a trusted boardroom advisor. 

His clients include companies such as McKinsey, UBER, DSM, ASML and Novartis.

Originally trained as a chemical engineer, Paul’s work is based on deep knowledge and extensive experience in the practical business applications of behavioral psychology, neuroscience and, especially, common sense. 

 His popular TED talks have been watched more than five million times on YouTube.

Airah Cadiogan joined the International Seed Federation (ISF) as the Digital Media Associate in January 2020. In this role, she supports ISF’s communications by managing ISF’s online communities and platforms, including the website and Channel World Seed, and driving ISF’s digital outreach and engagement. 

Over the last 10 years, she has worked as a communications professional specializing in public and digital engagement for international organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Oxfam, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines, Mexico and globally. 

Airah has a background in Communication Research and Development Studies. Currently based in Switzerland, she also works as a strategic communications consultant to complement her work with ISF. 

Liora Kern, Senior Director, has over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and communication. She is an expert at creating integrated digital strategies.

At ZN, she focuses on business development, marketing and client relationships. Previously, she was in charge of digital marketing and communication at KCI, a global medical technology player. Liora also implemented an online change management program at Holland Casino, the National Foundation for the Exploitation of Casino Games in the Netherlands.

Back in the year 2000 she set up an early stage social network. Clients experience includes: The EPP Group in the European Parliament, Huawei Europe, Mylan, Toyota Europe and many European associations, such as EPRA and FoodDrinkEurope.

A proud mother of two amazing children, she spends most of her weekends with family and friends.

Colm has 20 years’ experience in management services, business events and association management, including leading staff teams and facilitating strategy development for volunteer leadership groups. 

Driving change whilst building consensus is central to his work, which usually involves developing vision into organisational structures, educational content, and communications.

Curious, and at ease with complexity, Colm combines creative spark with analytical rigour. Always seeking elegant solutions which like the best guitar riffs, appear deceptively simple until we try to replicate them.

Naomi Smith is a communications expert who delivers amplified communication strategies for her clients. As a former radio and print journalist, she brings a unique pool of experience in helping her clients understand the power of connecting with their audience. She values concise writing, and also has a soft spot for well-made podcasts.

Her previous clients have included companies including the Bank for International Settlements, KPMG Hong Kong and international broadcaster Voice of America.

She is also a certified conflict negotiator, a tool she has used frequently both in the workplace… and at home with her family.

Wouter lox obtained his master’s degree in Bioscience-engineering at the University of Ghent and worked for several years in Libreville (Gabon). After his return in 1994, he joined DVI-SIA to work as Secretary-General for different European and national food associations and acted as a European regulatory expert. In this capacity, he authored several practical courses on the European regulations on functional foods and Health Claims.

He obtained an additional degree as a Packaging Manager at the VUB, Brussels University, and was co-author of a packaging manual. In 1997 he joined Yakult Europe as Manager of European Regulatory and Public Affairs. Wouter started as Manager of Public Affairs and regulatory affairs for Nuskin Enterprises/Pharmanex in 2002 and developed further his specialization of dietary supplements and cosmetic legislation.

In 2007 he became Managing Director of the European Salt Producer’s Association. Since 2019 he is the Secretary-General of the European Fruit Juices Association. In this capacity, he represents the AIJN on the Executive Board of the International Fruit Juice Association, IFU, Advisory member of the steering committee of the Sustainable Juice platform and the Fruit Juice Science Center.

For many years he is a treasurer and Council member of EFLA, The European Food Law Association, and Council member of the European Society of Association Executives ESAE. Being passionate about Public Affairs, he is co-chair of the Advocacy committee of this society.

He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the European project imPUISe, innovation in the by-product supply chain of citrus in the Mediterranean area.

Joyce has over 20 years of experience with global non-profits to build, engage and mobilise communities; from people on the ground, to chapters, members and partner organisations. She ensures cross community collaboration to work on the real-world challenges that comes with connecting people to the opportunities the Internet has to offer. In her current role as Vice-President Empowerment and Outreach she leads the Internet Society’s effort to close the skills gap in the Internet workforce and to build capacity and knowledge so more people can champion positive change for the growth of the Internet. 
She serves on the International Section Council of the American Society of Association Executives and is Past-Chair of the EQUALS global partnership for gender equality in the digital age.
She is engaged in a number of local associations in Luxembourg and is founding member of the Luxembourg Chapter of Women4Cyber Foundation and in her spare time acts as a mentor and coach for young professionals. 
She speaks regularly at international, regional and national fora to promote the importance of an open, globally-connected Internet as well as to advocate for an inclusive and diverse community approach.

20+ years’ experience in association management, events and public affairs. Liaising with professional and trade associations, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs, Michiel ensures content is relevant, supports business objectives, and facilitates connections between senior executives.

Drawing from his passion for cooking, Michiel knows matching the dish to the occasion, and gathering the right guests at the table is what makes for an optimal and memorable experience. 

Michiel serves on the International Associations Advisory Council of ASAE.

Hybrid & Digital Events Producer at IUCN, Founder of DigitalMinds.Events.

Sina is a Certified Meetings Professional (CMP) with extensive knowledge in organizing hybrid, online and in-person events. 

She is the Hybrid and Digital Events Expert at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and runs her own consultancy company, DigitalMind.events.

Additionally, she is a manager at EventProfsBreakShit, a passion project to bring event professionals together to test Event Tech.

Until 2020 she was the Events Manager at ICCA and among many in-person events, she was in charge of the organization of the ICCA Congress 2020, a global hybrid event with 8 hubs around the world that attracted 1500 delegates, featured 220 speakers and over 100 hours of content. 

Sina is a certified Digital Event Strategist (DES) and was awarded the prestigious PCMA "20 in their Twenties" Award in 2018 and was a finalist for the PCMA Visionary Award 2022 as Digital Experience Strategist of the year.

Visit her YouTube channel

15 years’ experience on dozens of events in more than 20 countries worldwide and online. Bénédicte puts her structured but caring approach, her eye for detail, and her boundless energy to work to deliver a seamless event experience for clients and participants.

From planning and site and/or virtual event platform selection, through to onsite/online production, Bénédicte ensures every organisational element is taken care of whilst never losing sight of the client’s vision or budget goals.

As a lover of nature, respecting all the components of an ecosystem, and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships are her guiding principles. A mother of 3, Bénédicte always keeps care, development and planning needs as key factors. 

Bénédicte also sits on the MPI Association Professional Advisory Board.

Sharon is a creative, accomplished and exacting event management professional whose passion is to design and deliver interactive events and training programmes that motivate and connect participants and provide platforms for genuine exchange and learning. While delivering events that advocate for better lives for persons living with a rare disease, Sharon also strengthens this community by solidifying trust and maintaining credibility. Moreover, Sharon fosters long-term and mutually beneficial relations with key strategic volunteers and wider stakeholder groups to further their respective goals.

The arc of her 20+ year career spans conferences, capacity-building workshops, symposia, weddings, award ceremonies and fundraising gala dinners of all sizes in Europe, North America and beyond. Whether as a self-employed business owner, a director, or as part of a team, Sharon is a collaborator who stays focused and poised. Her passion for detail – not only in creating an overall strategic framework for an event but also the finer intricacies of the event experience – is unrelenting. Sharon has experience delivering online, hybrid and in-person events with measurable deliverables and proven return on investment. She recently completed a certification programme in online meetings from the Meeting Design Institute.

Sharon thrives in an energetic environment of unimpeachable integrity, applying her strengths while taking on new challenges and learning fresh skills.

Sarah is an expert in non-profit law and can rely on more than 15 years of experience.

Her clients are mainly associations, international associations and foundations. She advises them on all aspects of their operations. Het advisory practice also includes the less classic corporate models that are on the frontier between the social and the regular economy.

She advises her clients on all questions related to their incorporation, articles of association, internal regulations, delegations of powers, directors’ liability, good governance, volunteers, donations, dissolution and liquidation, etc.

She also has particular expertise and experience in assisting (international) associations and foundations with restructurings and reorganizations, in Belgium and abroad. This includes mergers and demergers, contributions and transfers of a branch of activity and a universality, (cross-border) seat transfers, collaborations and setting up networks.

Process management (e.g. in the framework of governance tracks for associations and foundations), acting alone or together with other experts, is also part of her advisory practice.

She regularly gives lectures and workshops on these topics and is the author of several publications on non-profit law in leading legal journals.

She is a member of the Board of a large welfare organization in Flanders.

In the 2021 and 2020 editions, she was named as 'Next Generation Partner' in Legal 500 in the category ‘not-for-profit Belgium’. Clients’ feedback included:

“Sarah Verschaeve is attentive, quick to respond and really knowledgeable. Her advice has been consistently accurate. She stands out from competitors because of her attentiveness and client care. She inspires confidence through being able to communicate all the ins and outs of the matters provided to her. It is rare to find a firm (and a partner) with both excellent client and case management: Curia (and Ms. Verschaeve in particular) offers that.

Sarah Verschaeve is a very professional, well-informed lawyer who knows very well the context of clients’ organisations and is, therefore, an excellent adviser.”

Before co-founding Aurion, she was a partner at Curia and an attorney at the international law firms of Linklaters and Baker & McKenzie.

Contact: sarah.verschaeve@aurionlaw.be

Tomas is a public affairs, strategic communications and association management expert with 8 years of experience in supporting trade associations and blue-chip corporations. He is a Director at Logos Public Affairs, a business unit of MCI Benelux based in Brussels, Belgium. Tomas specialises in high-tech sectors such as space, aviation, and digital services. With a team of 20+ consultants, the team supports trade associations for their overall operations and ensures that they have an impactful public affairs outreach in Brussels and internationally.

Jane is passionate about the impact that meetings can have on organisations, participants and communities where the meeting is held.  This does not just happen, intention, dialogue and engagement are critical to success.  Jane brings this approach to the facilitation and consultancy work she does creating open, trusting and inclusive environments with high energy levels while being focused on the process to enable meaningful outcomes.

Mr. Gomez is Founder and CEO of Factum Global, a boutique international consulting firm dedicated to helping associations and businesses expand and operate across global markets.

As leader of the firm, his vision is to establish Factum Global as the most trusted international consulting source for associations and businesses aspiring to globally expand operations. Mr. Gomez has significant experience in international strategy and operations, and association management. He has successfully managed complex operations and helped build profitable businesses across the globe.

Prior to founding Factum Global in 2018, Mr. Gomez served as Director of Global Strategy and Market Development at the American Chemical Society (ACS), where he led a multi-function department, consisting of international operations, marketing and sales, research and product development, and member services.

He was also a member of ACS’ Global Steering Committee and was responsible for growing the association’s global reach. Prior to joining ACS, Mr. Gomez worked as a consultant for G&G Consulting, serving clients focused on strategic planning and organizational effectiveness.

He also served as District Manager at the Healthcare Services Group Inc., where he directed a multi-million-dollar operation in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. Mr. Gomez is a serial presenter and has contributed to numerous conferences and events on topics ranging from business strategy and association management to international operations and leadership.

In addition, he has instructed courses on global cultural sensitivity, international expansion, and leadership. Mr. Gomez earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management from Marshall University, and earned his MBA from the Kogod School of Business at American University.

Francisco earned an executive education certificate on Leading Global Businesses at Harvard University. A native of Colombia, Mr. Gomez is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and enjoys traveling, is an avid golfer and is a soccer enthusiast

Company info:

Factum Global is an international consulting firm that helps businesses and associations expand globally. With over 75 years of combined global experience, our team disrupts the status quo through a company model that brings you transparency, personalized executive-level service, and a proven roadmap to accelerate your organization’s growth. Whether it's launching into a new market, establishing a local office, or navigating tax laws — we will guide you every step of the way. Let us make your global journey simple, sustainable, and successful.

Visit us at FactumGlobal.com.

Flora has more than 5 years of experience in trade association management, focusing on Working Group models management, EXEC and Board level group management, and financial and membership structures. Until 2020 she was a membership manager at the European Business Aviation Association, coordinating the membership journey of more than 700 members and organising multiple in-person and digital roundtables.

At Logos Public Affairs, Flora is working on global associations, using her skills to bring together leadership boards and member groups on consolidated positions that drive their industries forward.

Kai is volunteer President of Brussels based ASSOCIATIONWORLD Foundation, taking a holistic approach towards the development of associations and association professionals, building a global association community movement. 

Kai serves as the CEO of Best Buddies EMEA region and as Head of Development of the International Sport and Cultural Association (ISCA). He drives developments at several International and European associations in the field of disability,- medical,- new technology,- sports and education and is the co-founder of the Geneva International Association Forum (GIAF), the Brussels International Association Forum (BIAF) and the Nordic International Association Forum (NIAF).

He serves as an advisor to several boards of international organisations and non-profits focusing on the areas of Resource Development, Governance and Strategy. Kai is an active member of the UN SDG platform and the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, Troll was Director of Global Partnerships with the International Diabetes Federation, the Director at Special Olympics International in Europe-Eurasia and a Senior Management Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group based in Europe, North-America and Asia. 

Troll has a BA in Science, a MBA in International Management and a PhD in Economics.