Carl Craen was born in Belgium and raised in Switzerland, where he completed his secondary and undergraduate education while playing basketball semi-professionally.

He then moved to Barcelona, where he completed his graduate studies.
He is the Vice President and Managing Director of EU Business School, as well as the co-founder of the Club of Young Entrepreneurs of Switzerland and the founder of Xblue Digital School.

Carl lives in Barcelona with his spouse and two children.

Carlos Galcerán was born in Barcelona, in November 1952.

After his studies at La Salle Bonanova, he got a Degree as Telecommunications Engineer at I.T.T. La Salle University. Later, he obtained the PADE-certification (Programa de Alta Dirección de Empresas) at IESE Business School.

Carlos has known his vocation from a very young age. When he was 16, he started working at COGESA, the insurance broker firm founded by his father in 1917. Since then, he has always been active as an Insurance Broker, both on the national and international market.

Carlos is Vocal of the CCBLB Board of Directors, Head of the Intl. Business of Cogesa and Vice President of “Colegio de Mediadores de Seguros de Barcelona”.

I’m Florence Vandaele, 44 years old and living in Barcelona for 8 years. I’ve grown up in a village at the Belgian Coast (Koksijde) and then went to study Psychology at the University of Leuven. During my last year, I did a 4 months exchange program in Valencia where my love for the Spanish culture and lifestyle got triggered.

After studying an extra year in Austria, I moved to London to start my first 2 years long job in the financial services industry.

Next, I initiated a sales career at Procter&Gamble in Brussels: a great experience and learning school. For ten years I’ve enjoyed working around products for everyday life – e.g., the integration of Gillette in different categories or our society -,  always dealing with big supermarket chains up to small hairdressers.

Moving abroad has always been a burning desire, so I didn’t hesitate a single moment when I got the opportunity to start working in Barcelona for the Belgian lingerie company Van de Velde, a family business that has been around for 100 years with 3 beautiful brands: Prima Donna, Marie Jo and the Barcelona based brand Andres Sarda. I’m very proud to represent them in the Southern countries of Europe and help empower women by wearing beautiful lingerie, no matter their shape and silhouette.

In my personal life, I’m a proud single mum of a ten years old boy & girl twins with whom I live in Barcelona’s Eixample. They’ve turned into little polyglots and enjoy the Spanish culture without forgetting their Belgian roots.

I’m honoured to be part of the CCBLB board and look forward to bringing the networking of Belgians in the (probably most) beautiful city of Europe to the next level.

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated working history in the non-profit organization management industry. Skilled in Strategic Planning, Marketing Strategy, Business Strategy, Event Management and Change Management. Strong business development professional, graduated from TIAS School for Business and Society.

Previously

– Stanford University, Executive Program in Leadership

– Harvard Business School, Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management
– Vlerick Business School, VUB Master in Economic Sciences.

Raf Jacobs is a long-term Barcelona resident. While originally from Belgium, he started his
professional life working in the start-up world in Munich in the year 2000. In 2001 he relocated to
Barcelona, where -before taking the entrepreneurial path- he first developed his career at different
tier-1 international management consulting firms, Ariba and Accenture.
Raf is the founder and CEO of INSPIRE Property Experts, a real estate buyer agent and investment
advisory firm that helps you navigate the Spanish property jungle. Opposite to Belgium or
Luxembourg, the Spanish real estate sector is very poorly regulated, which can have severe
consequences for international buyers and sellers. Raf´s team of property finders, lawyers, architects,
deal makers, mortgage specialists and even builders, helps to prevent mistakes and to get you better
deals.
Raf runs his own YouTube real estate channel. He is also a lecturer at the Real Estate
Executive Program at the University of Barcelona and is Board Member of the Spanish association
of real estate Buyer Agents. He is frequently consulted by the media and in Belgium he contributes to
the Trends-Tendance magazine for their annual special on properties in Spain. The Barcelona City
Council has appointed Raf as the go-to-property-expert for the international community in and around
Barcelona.
In his free time you will find Raf enjoying a glass of good Spanish wine, or behind his piano – or both
combined.

With a taste for adventure and a KUL degree in Romance Philology in my pocket, in my early 20s I decided to take my car and leave beautiful Belgium behind me, determined to find my calling in Barcelona. It soon turned out that Multilingual Communication would become my path.

Today, as a polyglot freelancer, I provide services on a global and local scale:

• Voice Artist: Broadcast, Corporate & Web
• Host – Presenter: Talk-Shows & Events
• Event Producer: TV & Corporate
• Copywriter – Translator – Interpreter

My voice carries messages around the globe for the United Nations, Spotify, Oceana and many other renowned institutions and organisations. As a cherry on the top, I’m the leading dubbing actress in Broken Poet, a movie with Bruce Springsteen on Apple TV.

On camera, I have worked for several years in the world of the beautiful game. As such, I’ve been the first international host on the official website Football Club Barcelona. Today, you can find me on the internet hosting Global Trends, an unparalleled digital talk-show about the biggest trends in Agriculture, with millions of impressions on social media.

In a few words, my vocation has always been about creating a bridge between people from different cultures, whether it be at an event, in a studio or working from my home office. I do what I love… and I love what I do. It is my pleasure to be there for you at CCBLB!

Contact: ccblb@ccblb.com

Paul is the official ‘historian’ of our Chamber. He is the author of the chapters of the series ‘Road to the Centenary’ published on social media. Paul is collaborating with CCBLB on a voluntary basis.

Tanya was born and raised in Antwerp, Belgium. Though fond of her beautiful home country, traveling and exploring different cultures has been on her mind as from an early age.

After her language studies at KVH, Tanya first explored the financial sector, working for KBC, Van Lanschot Bankiers and Citibank. A career-switch made her dream come true: she entered the world of ‘Travel and Luxury Destinations’ at XO Private. 

After 5 years roaming the globe, Tanya became Event Manager at Touring. Together with her husband, she moved to Toulouse and then Barcelona.

A decade ago, they settled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she gave birth to their son. Representing several organisations over the years, Tanya has been working with Charities as well as the Belgian Embassy. Recently, the family returned from Continental Asia… to Barcelona!

Tanya thrives when she can connect people. She enjoys making you feel welcome and at-ease, especially in international contexts. If you’d ask Tanya where she feels at home, this quote says it all:

“Our homes are not defined by geography or one particular location but by memories, events, people and places that span the globe.”

Contact: events@ccblb.com