Leen Gysen

CEO/founder IPARC/ICM – master of arts & archaeology – MBA

(°B, 1971) After a period as a research assistant and after obtaining a master in archaeology and art history at KU Leuven, Leen Gysen worked with Telindus (now Proximus), where she rose from Sales Belgium to an international product marketing post and later became Corporate Marketing Communications Director.

In that period she also obtained a Masters in Industrial Business Policy at EHSAL / HUB and Vlerick Management School.

At the beginning of 2004 she started as Director of Marketing and Sales at the BOZAR Centre of Fine Arts. Amongst others, she implemented the branding of the BOZAR culture trademark.  Five years on, Leen Gysen was ready for a new challenge and started her own business providing independent management support services in the creative and fine arts field. These collaborations are ongoing and intensive with relevant partners such as museums, arts organizations, businesses, focusing on international marketing and sponsoring strategies as well as cultural retail and museum shops.

Leen is CEO/founder of IPARC & ICM and responsible for general management as well as marketing and communications, HR and business development.

At ARTPORT, the sister company of IPARC, concerned with art storage (www.artport.be) she is the managing director.

Leen Gysen is the chair of the NGO Plan International Belgium (www.planinternational.be). Leen Gysen also lectures on strategic marketing and digital communication. Since 2011 she is a European Female Entrepreneurship Ambassador, an initiative of the European Commission in collaboration with UCM and Mabizz. Recently, she has been nominated for the Womed award for female entrepreneurship in 2020