Originally from Bornem, between Brussels and Antwerp, this perfect trilingual has degrees in communication sciences (KU Leuven) and management (Ichec). “It was important for me to study in French to better master the language.” What he will do again as part of his military service which he carries out, as the only Dutch speaker, in a French-speaking unit, first in Liège, then in Germany.
Real estate: which large cities are at risk of a price explosion?
He got his first job in 1991 at the publishing house Standaard Uitgeverij. “I was in charge of production. It was perfect for a first experience.”
In 1995, he continued his professional career at KI Partners, a call center, before joining the telecommunications sector where he spent the next 25 years. First of all, at Telenet. “At the time, it was still just a project”he remembers.
Four years later, in 2003, he took care of the launch of Tele 2 in Belgium for a Swedish group. The operator will then be taken over by KPN, owner of Base. “I followed the buyers each time,” says Kristiaan Pauwels. “For Base, I had to create a team to launch digital TV. We did it in six months, which seems unthinkable today with all the new regulations.” When Base is taken over by Telenet, Kristiaan Pauwels reunites with his former employer. “But I discovered another company. When I left, there were 200 of us. And there, more than 3,000.”
Conference manager
In 2018, he decided to take a sabbatical. “I traveled a lot with my wife.” He then set up as an independent consultant. Thanks to his experience in telecoms, he carried out a first project for Voo. “They want to launch a new brand in order to attract younger customers. Once again, I had to bring together a team made up of different profiles.”
Its second mission is sponsored by Easyfairs. “The founder of this global events organizer, Eric Everard, contacted me. We had met at KI Partners where he was director. He wanted to relaunch Realty and he thought of me”says Kristiaan Pauwels, who then becomes responsible, a few months before the 2022 edition, for coordinating the conferences for Realty. “I had to start by building a network. I was not a real estate expert and I still am not. But I studied a lot to better understand the sector and know what its great challenges.”
“Currently, more than 500 job offers are available in the province of Namur for the construction sector”
For 2023, he chooses the future of cities as his theme.
Pour 2024, “Nele Verhaeren, who headed Art Brussels and Realty, asked me to take over the organization of the summit. Today I have both hats”specifies Kristiaan Pauwels who does not wish to describe Realty as a Belgian Mipim. “Mipim is an international event. Here, even if we welcome experts from all over the world, the summit is focused on the Belgian market. The different real estate stakeholders meet there, who are looking for two important things: networking and inspiration.” This is why, according to him, the content of the conferences is fundamental. “This year, we had thirty. Against around fifteen previously. We are making a considerable effort to have experts that we do not have the opportunity to see elsewhere. Many perceive Realty as a closed, exclusive summit. But our objective is to open ourselves up to all subjects (the future of cities, affordable housing, inclusive cities, sector perspectives, etc.) and to talk about issues that affect and can interest the whole of society and not just a limited number of people “underlines Kristiaan Pauwels, who is already looking towards 2025. “My mission is not limited in time. I was asked to keep in mind that I will be there for several years…”
: “We make a considerable effort to have experts that we don’t have the opportunity to see elsewhere”){kind=link}