I learned a lot from that first experience and am for ever grateful for the opportunity that IBM was providing in 1995 to 19-year olds with no university degree, but with a deep passion for computers & the internet.

Back in those days making websites also meant being an expert in branding, marketing so for well over a decade I also worked in the role of art director, brand designer, and marketing campaign strategist in the past for several international clients, providing full service solutions all the way from strategy to development and release.

In the last decade I have focuses on how design operations integrates with product strategy and development operations, integrating design best practices and design systems in several digital platforms.

I have also focussed heavily on product strategy and product management,

Ivan Daes was born in Dendermonde,  a small Belgian city mostly famous for a medieval horse ungroup

In my teenage years I was involved in the city youth council, several youth organisations and also co-founed the first LQBTQ+ youth support organisation in my region.

I have lived in Asia for a decade managing a transport booking platform, which was a truly enriching experience, both on a personal and professional level.

Today I live in Ghent, Belgium.