Merel Claes

I am committed to leave the world a better place than I found it. I help organisations and networks to engage in benign innovations, to become better at shaping a healthy planet with happy people.

I help my clients to open up meaningful opportunities in a changing word. I like to think of the bigger picture, from experiencing the dynamics and feeling the tensions in the system. I am a pragmatic (intangible) problem solver and curiosity-driven experimenter. My style is soft spoken, yet tireless idealistic and tempted to dig deep into the heart of the matter. By working with me, you will gain confidence to leave the status quo behind and will become eager to take a daring, leading role in transforming the future for the better.

My work is always tailored-made by building results focused and qualitative relationship with my client. I joined forces with shiftN to work on ‘wicked’ problems and innovations in organisations and networks. For product-related innovations, I work via the C2C Platform. I am also experimenting with setting up for-profit and non-profit transformations on a self-employed basis. Being discrete, respectful and unprejudiced are key ingredients in my work.

I am alifelong learner (and un-learner!). Besides a Master of Product Development and an MSc. in Innovation and Design for Sustainability, I followed multiple transformative courses at Schumacher College and I am regularly attending summer schools, conferences, evening classes and hackathons.

In the past ten years, I had Belgium and the UK alternatingly as home bases. I conducted assignments for SME’s, local and regional governments, intermediaries, institutes of higher education and non-profit organisations in more than ten different countries. These experiences familiarised me with a wide spectrum of (societal) challenges in a variety of sectors. On my