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Serge de Gheldere (1967) is a design engineer with lots of personal energy, empathy, and intellectual curiosity.
In 2000 Serge founded Futureproofed, a sustainable design consultancy based on one central thought: mainstreaming sustainability. Futureproofed is a team of 4 engineers, change agents, who understand issues of climate change and environmental degradation, and transform it into an opportunity for today’s shareholders and for future generations. Futureproofed works with businesses, individuals, governments and professionals to help transform these issues into a movement to a more profitable, comfortable, attractive, sustainable future.
The future by choice, by design, and not as fatality.
In 2006, Serge was part of a select group of individuals personally trained by Al Gore to become a global warming presenter. In 2007 Serge has presented more than 120 times a version of the slideshow that formed the basis of “An Inconvenient truth” to a wide variety of audiences from ministers and governments to schools to board of directors and corporations such as IBM, Dexia, Fortis, HP, Picanol, Solvay MBA, Electrolux, Sony, Leaseplan, GE, Yale University; speaking at the David Liu Memorial series at Stanford University; at the CSR summit in Dubai, and as a at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Serge is also a guest professor at Group T University College. He advises a team of the Vehicle Design Summit consortium that collaborates with Tsinghua University in Beijing, TU Delft, MIT and many teams worldwide to develop a new 6-passenger, production-ready car with dramatically improved life cycle impact. He also developed and teaches a course designed on the current context in which engineers will function, by using Natural Capitalism as a thread to explore aspects of holistic engineering such as enterprising, educating, environmenting and ensembling.
Serge recently became the first alumnus director on Group T’s board.
PROJECTS
Futureproofed recently is currently calculating the carbon footprint of the European Parliament and formulating recommendations on reducing that footprint by at least 30 %. Similar projects are ongoing at Nike’s EMEA distribution center, Fortis bank’s facilities, and Ecover operations. Futureproofed performed the design engineering for first passive house, in the city of Kortrijk, a building standard that provides the lowest possible TCO while using less than 15kWh per m2 per year for cooling and heating of the building, a factor 4 improvement compared to new Belgian building codes.
BACKGROUND
Serge de Gheldere trained as an electro-mechanical engineer in Groep T Engineering School, Leuven (B) with a focus on materials technology and product design, and as a master in polymer and composites engineering at the KU Leuven (B). He wrote his masters' thesis on light, efficient thermoplastic composite structures in Professor Beukers' lab of advanced structures and materials at the faculty of Aeronautical Engineering of TU Delft (NL).
Serge then worked as a product development engineer for Baxter R&D Europe for 7 years. There he worked in a global team designing and developing the industry's first system to eliminate blood-borne pathogens in platelets. He also spent 15 months on a project assignment in Chicago and received several awards including a Baxter outstanding technical achievement award and two patents.
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Serge owes most of this to the continuous support of his wonderful wife Marie, with whom he has three fantastic kids. In real life, Serge loves to spend time with the family snowboarding, (wind/kite)surfing, traveling and mountain-biking.
EXPERIENCES
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Occupation or position held
Futureproofed, Leuven (B) since 2000: Owner/Design engineer
Main activities and responsibilities
Serge founded Futureproofed, a design consultancy based on one central thought: mainstreaming sustainability. Futureproofed is helping clients maximise their return on environment by assisting them to find the most effective, feasible, and profitable ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. Recent Futureproofed projects include workshops and lectures on integration of ecological and economic goals; consultancy in passive building design, eco-design and sustainable interior design.
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Occupation or position held
Group T, Leuven (B) since 2007: Guest Professor
Main activities and responsibilities
Serge recently also took on a position of guest professor at Group T Engineering School. He coaches a team that collaborates with Tsinghua University in Beijing, MIT and other teams worldwide to develop a new 4 to 5-passenger, production-ready car that uses up less than 1.5 litre of fuel per 100 km. He teaches a course designed to help equip future engineers with the insights and tools to take on the climate crisis and transform it into an opportunity both for today’s shareholders and for future generations.
Serge became the first alumnus to be elected to Group T’s board of directors.
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Occupation or position held
The Climate Project since 2006: Global Warming Messenger
Main activities and responsibilities
In 2006, Serge was part of a select group of individuals personally trained by Al Gore to become a global warming messenger. From January to September 2007 Serge has presented more than 120 times a version of the slideshow that formed the basis of “An Inconvenient truth” to a wide variety of audiences.
Occupation or position held
Baxter International, Chigaco (IL) 1995-1996: Associate Engineer
Main activities and responsibilities
Serge spent 15 months on a project assignment in Chicago and received several awards including a Baxter outstanding technical achievement award and two patents.
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Occupation or position held
Baxter R&D Europe, Nivelles (B) 1993-2000: Product Development Engineer
Main activities and responsibilities
Serge worked as a product development engineer for Baxter R&D Europe for 7 years, designing and developing the industry's first system to eliminate blood-borne pathogens in platelets.