Piet Opstaele

Innovation Lead at Port of Antwerp

As innovation ‘enablement’ manager for the Port Authority, Piet is one of the drivers of the digital transition in the Port of Antwerp. Based on a founded strategy with a pragmatic approach in executing concrete innovation projects, he makes the ‘Port of the Future’ tangible and leads the development of innovation platforms (e.g. smart shipping, drones) to a smart Port - on which startups, companies, knowledge institutions and other authorities create new value for the Antwerp port ecosystem.

In the 90’s, Piet started at one of the most successful startups in the Benelux – Tele Atlas, a producer of digital geographic data – acquired by TomTom in 2008. Between 2011 and 2014 he managed a consultancy firm and was closely involved in the start-ups in the energy sector. Piet holds 2 masters, in History and Spatial and Urban Planning, post-graduates in energy and environmental management and an MBA International management.