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After 15 years of Porter Novelli, my bags are packed, my boxes shipped. On Monday morning a new life starts, in a new office, as the new managing director for Universal Media Belgium. While Monday will be a great day, and every cell in this cathedral of a body of mine is longing for this new challenge, today is misty, rainy and foggy in me.

I pack more than just a container of stuff. This place was my life for fifteen years, it was so much more than work, it was a place where I happily spent my day, with amazing people, working for great clients. Saying goodbye to such a fabulous experience would rip my heart open, so I just won’t.

This place, these people will be in my heart forever. Their voices, ideas, laughs, hugs and friendly strength, together with tons of Cowboy stories,I will take all that with me. And I’m sure some vapor projection of me will roam this building for still a while to come.

Life teached me in the most kind of ways that people that really matter stick to you as Velcro, regardless of what you do, regardless of where you go. So it is with the bravest of smiles I’ll walk through today.

Thank you Porter Novelli for a fabulous ride. Go Rock On, I’ll be watching you!

Monday it is time for pastures new…

Danny Devriendt is the Managing Director of IPG/Dynamic in Brussels, and the CEO of The Eye of Horus, a global think-tank focusing on innovative technology topics. With a proven track record in leadership mentoring, C-level whispering, strategic communications and a knack for spotting meaningful trends, Danny challenges the status quo and embodies change. Attuned to the subtlest signals from the digital landscape, Danny identifies significant trends in science, economics, culture, society, and technology and assesses their potential impact on brands, organizations, and individuals. His ability for bringing creative ideas, valuable insights, and unconventional solutions to life, makes him an invaluable partner and energizing advisor for top executives. Specializing in innovation -and the corporate communications, influence, strategic positioning, exponential change, and (e)reputation that come with it-, Danny is the secret weapon that you hope your competitors never tap into. As a guest lecturer at a plethora of universities and institutions, he loves to share his expertise with future (and current) generations. Having studied Educational Sciences and Agogics, Danny's passion for people, Schrödinger's cat, quantum mechanics, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fuels his unique, outside-of-the-box thinking. He never panics. Previously a journalist in Belgium and the UK, Danny joined IPG Mediabrands in 2012 after serving as a global EVP Digital and Social for the Porter Novelli network (Omnicom). His expertise in managing global, regional, or local teams; delivering measurable business growth; navigating fierce competition; and meeting challenging deadlines makes him an seasoned leader. (He has a microwave at home.) An energetic presenter, he brought his enthusiasm, clicker and inspiring slides to over 300 global events, including SXSW, SMD, DMEXCO, Bluetooth World Congress, GSMA MWC, and Cebit. He worked with an impressive portfolio of clients like Bayer AG, 3M, Coca Cola, KPMG, Tele Atlas, Parrot, The Belgian National Lottery, McDonald's, Colruyt, Randstad, Barco, Veolia, Alten, Dow, PWC, the European Commission, Belfius, and HP. He played a pivotal role in Bluetooth's global success. Ranked 3rd most influential ad executive on Twitter by Business Insider and listed among the top 10 ad execs to follow by CEO Magazine, Danny also enjoys writing poetry and short stories, earning several literary awards in Belgium and the Netherlands. Fluent in Dutch, French, and English, Danny is an eager and versatile communicator. His BBQ skills are legendary.

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