Mijn dochter Joosfien is negen jaar. Onderweg tussen Hakendover en Leuven vraagt ze me altijd historische verhalen te vertellen. Fijn is dat. In kindertaal zit vaak wijsheid zegt men. “Waarom doet men niets om al die oude gebouwen te bewaren en vervangt men ze door zoveel nieuwe lelijke dingen”. Je kan niet alles bewaren natuurlijk, maar als er niet veel rest, loont het dan niet de moeite om die restjes te conserveren? We hebben ons voorgenomen om samen een boek te schrijven, een boek over grootse, maar vergeten dingen. Over kleine mensen die grootse dingen doen. En we reizen daarvoor niet verder dan plaatsen binnen een “bereikbare” afstand. Vandaag stonden we in Tienen in de Gasthuismolenstraat en de vraag was er weer.
Furieus
In 2015 schreef ik aan de KULeuven een paper met als titel “De functie en betekenis van dierensymboliek in de berichtgeving rond de Tiense Furie (1635) “. Op zich een vreemde titel voor wie niet zo veel af weet van het verleden van de “zoete” stad. Het behandelt de berichtgeving rond de Tiense Furie, waarin zo goed als de hele stad werd vernield in de blinde oorlog tussen Nederland en Frankrijk aan de ene kant, Spanje aan de andere kant. Godsdienst werd ook toen “gebruikt” om politieke belangen te dienen, een visie die vaak omgedraaid wordt en dan heet het godsdienstoorlog.
De vernietigende brand van de Furie had niet alleen de stad in puin gelegd, maar ook de binnen de muren opgeslagen voorraad graan was in de vlammen opgegaan, waardoor Frederik-Hendrik zijn leger niet meer van het benodigde voedsel kon voorzien. De Tiense Furie en het nieuws over de plunderingen en baldadigheden hadden een afschrikkend effect op de wijde omgeving. Een aantal Franse soldaten deserteerden door het uitblijven van soldij en het gebrek aan voedsel. Een poging om nog snel Leuven te bezetten, mislukte hierdoor. De hoop van de Republiek om de katholieken in het zuiden voor zich te winnen, ging door de berichtgeving over de verkrachtingen, de martelingen en de verwoestende brand voorgoed verloren.
Beestige verbeelding
In prenten uit die tijd vertolkten tekenaars de gevoelens van de strijdende partijen en van Tienen zelf. Eén van de prenten toont een zicht op de stad Tienen. Op een rots, symbool voor onverzettelijkheid, staat een haan die de waakzaamheid uitbeeldt. Uit de rots steken twee armen. Een slang slingert rond de rechterarm die een spiegel vasthoudt. De spiegel symboliseert zelfkennis. De slang verpersoonlijkt hier niet het kwaad uit het boek Genesis, maar de voorzichtigheid. Het schaap op het wapenschild van Tienen dook op na de Tiense Furie en stond bijna letterlijk voor de vermoorde (geofferde) onschuld. Het beeld van de schapen maakt nog steeds deel uit van de symboliek van de stad Tienen.
Het verleden wegvagen?
In vergelijking met andere Brabantse steden kent Tienen zo goed als geen gebouwen meer die dateren van voor de zeventiende eeuw. Het Burgerhuis Ark van Noë in de gelijknamige Ark van Noëstraat zou één van de enige huizen zijn die de brand van 1635 zou hebben overleefd. Hieraan zou het gebouw ook zijn naam te danken hebben. Plaatsnaamkundige Paul Kempeneers toonde echter aan dat hiervoor geen historisch bewijs te vinden is.Een ander gebouw van voor de Furie zou het verkommerde
Sint-Jansgasthuisin de Gasthuismolenstraat zijn.
Het mag dan ook vreemd heten dat de Tiense politici tot op heden,
ondanks talloze beloftes, en aangekondigde verbouwingen (de stellingen voor het gebouw zijn ondertussen zelf reeds aan restauratie toe) niets ondernemen om dit stuk van het stedelijk verleden te conserveren. De berichten over “I love Tienen” die de sociale media sinds een paar weken opvrolijken, getuigen wel van een hernieuwd voornemen om de verkommerde stad te herleven… iets wat we vaker horen bij het begin van een nieuw jaar. Simultaan duiken echter persberichten op over het aanpakken van de leegstand en verkrotting.
Het oude vergeten Sint-Jansgasthuis dient daarbij opnieuw als coverbeeld. Boetes op leegstand zullen verhoogd worden om dit probleem aan te pakken.
Was dit gebouw niet eigendom van de gemeente zelf? Hoe zit dat dan met die boete?Het verleden mag geld opleveren, maar geen kosten? Het voelt vreemd dat politici in al die jaren van goede voornemens hun beloftes niet nakomen en echt werk maken van een degelijke conservatie. Ook hier lijkt, jammer genoeg, het
kortetermijndenkente primeren. Het lijkt een kroniek van een aangekondigde dood. In “The History Manifesto” schreven de historici Jo Guldi en David Armitage:
“A spectre is haunting our time: the spectre of the short term.
We live in a moment of accelerating crisis
that is characterised by the shortage of long-term thinking.”
Hart voor steen
Voor wie echt een hart heeft voor Tienen en dit letterlijk zichtbaar maakt door een sticker op de jas te plakken, laat dit dan ook wat dieper gaan. Kijk in het hart van uw eigen stad, naar het verleden dat er achter ligt. Kijk als waakzame hanen in de
spieghel historiael, voorbij de oppervlakkigheid van een opgeplakt hart, vooraleer de Furie van het kortetermijndenken uw laatste resten verleden ontneemt. Aan de dames en heren politici die blaken van goede voornemens: schep duidelijkheid, toon daadkracht. Laat het niet bij denken alleen, maar durf nu eindelijk te doen.
Je kan de eigenschappen van 3D-objecten in een VR-scene animeren met het attribuut "animation". Het animatie-attribuut verwacht een aantal parameters. In eerste instantie welke eigenschap van het object je wil animeren(bijvoorbeeld "rotation") en vervolgens de specificaties van die animatie.
animation="property: rotation; to: 0 360 0; loop: true; dur: 10000"
Je merkt dat aan <a-scene/> een onderdeel <a-assets></a-assets> is toegevoegd. Daar kan je gewoon links naar afbeeldingen (of 3D-objecten) in opnemen. Belangrijk is dat elke "asset" een uniek ID krijgt. In ons geval krijgt de afbeelding melkweg.jpg uit de map "images" de id="space".
Vervolgens verwijder je de kleur van de "sky" en vervang je die door src="#space". Die #space verwijst naar de id van de afbeelding in <a-assets/>
De markering <a-sphere></a-sphere> voegt een 3D-bol toe aan je 3D-scene. Het attribuut "color" geeft de bol elke gewenste kleur. Het attribuut "radius" bepaald de "straal" van de bol.
Je zal nu merken dat de bol buiten beeld valt. Dat komt omdat we niet hebben ingesteld waar de bol moet verschijnen. Immers: je bevindt je in een 3D-ruimte en elk positie in zo'n ruimte telt 3 coördinaten: x, y en z.
De x-positie geeft aan waar het object zich bevindt horizontaal (van links naar rechts). De y-positie duidt de positie aan vanaf de bovenkant van je scherm. Het z-coördinaat toont aan hoe "diep" een object zich bevindt als je het in "perspectief" zou bekijken.
Je kan de positie van de sphere nu aanpassen door hem het attribuut position="0 0 -10" te geven (resp. x y z). Test maar eens uit.
OEFENING 1: plaats nu meerdere bollen op diverse locaties.
OEFENING 2: vervang de kleur door een "src" (zoals bij <a-sky/>) en geef de bol een afbeeldingsvulling.
Groots verleden
30
jan
I
(historisch) Tienen
Mijn dochter Joosfien is negen jaar. Onderweg tussen Hakendover en Leuven vraagt ze me altijd historische verhalen te vertellen. Fijn is dat. In kindertaal zit vaak wijsheid zegt men. “Waarom doet men niets om al die oude gebouwen te bewaren en vervangt men ze door zoveel nieuwe lelijke dingen”. Je kan niet alles bewaren natuurlijk, maar als er niet veel rest, loont het dan niet de moeite om die restjes te conserveren? We hebben ons voorgenomen om samen een boek te schrijven, een boek over grootse, maar vergeten dingen. Over kleine mensen die grootse dingen doen. En we reizen daarvoor niet verder dan plaatsen binnen een “bereikbare” afstand. Vandaag stonden we in Tienen in de Gasthuismolenstraat en de vraag was er weer.
Furieus
In 2015 schreef ik aan de KULeuven een paper met als titel “De functie en betekenis van dierensymboliek in de berichtgeving rond de Tiense Furie (1635) “. Op zich een vreemde titel voor wie niet zo veel af weet van het verleden van de “zoete” stad. Het behandelt de berichtgeving rond de Tiense Furie, waarin zo goed als de hele stad werd vernield in de blinde oorlog tussen Nederland en Frankrijk aan de ene kant, Spanje aan de andere kant. Godsdienst werd ook toen “gebruikt” om politieke belangen te dienen, een visie die vaak omgedraaid wordt en dan heet het godsdienstoorlog.
De vernietigende brand van de Furie had niet alleen de stad in puin gelegd, maar ook de binnen de muren opgeslagen voorraad graan was in de vlammen opgegaan, waardoor Frederik-Hendrik zijn leger niet meer van het benodigde voedsel kon voorzien. De Tiense Furie en het nieuws over de plunderingen en baldadigheden hadden een afschrikkend effect op de wijde omgeving. Een aantal Franse soldaten deserteerden door het uitblijven van soldij en het gebrek aan voedsel. Een poging om nog snel Leuven te bezetten, mislukte hierdoor. De hoop van de Republiek om de katholieken in het zuiden voor zich te winnen, ging door de berichtgeving over de verkrachtingen, de martelingen en de verwoestende brand voorgoed verloren.
Beestige verbeelding
In prenten uit die tijd vertolkten tekenaars de gevoelens van de strijdende partijen en van Tienen zelf. Eén van de prenten toont een zicht op de stad Tienen. Op een rots, symbool voor onverzettelijkheid, staat een haan die de waakzaamheid uitbeeldt. Uit de rots steken twee armen. Een slang slingert rond de rechterarm die een spiegel vasthoudt. De spiegel symboliseert zelfkennis. De slang verpersoonlijkt hier niet het kwaad uit het boek Genesis, maar de voorzichtigheid. Het schaap op het wapenschild van Tienen dook op na de Tiense Furie en stond bijna letterlijk voor de vermoorde (geofferde) onschuld. Het beeld van de schapen maakt nog steeds deel uit van de symboliek van de stad Tienen.
Het verleden wegvagen?
In vergelijking met andere Brabantse steden kent Tienen zo goed als geen gebouwen meer die dateren van voor de zeventiende eeuw. Het Burgerhuis Ark van Noë in de gelijknamige Ark van Noëstraat zou één van de enige huizen zijn die de brand van 1635 zou hebben overleefd. Hieraan zou het gebouw ook zijn naam te danken hebben. Plaatsnaamkundige Paul Kempeneers toonde echter aan dat hiervoor geen historisch bewijs te vinden is.Een ander gebouw van voor de Furie zou het verkommerde
Sint-Jansgasthuisin de Gasthuismolenstraat zijn.
Het mag dan ook vreemd heten dat de Tiense politici tot op heden,
ondanks talloze beloftes, en aangekondigde verbouwingen (de stellingen voor het gebouw zijn ondertussen zelf reeds aan restauratie toe) niets ondernemen om dit stuk van het stedelijk verleden te conserveren. De berichten over “I love Tienen” die de sociale media sinds een paar weken opvrolijken, getuigen wel van een hernieuwd voornemen om de verkommerde stad te herleven… iets wat we vaker horen bij het begin van een nieuw jaar. Simultaan duiken echter persberichten op over het aanpakken van de leegstand en verkrotting.
Het oude vergeten Sint-Jansgasthuis dient daarbij opnieuw als coverbeeld. Boetes op leegstand zullen verhoogd worden om dit probleem aan te pakken.
Was dit gebouw niet eigendom van de gemeente zelf? Hoe zit dat dan met die boete?Het verleden mag geld opleveren, maar geen kosten? Het voelt vreemd dat politici in al die jaren van goede voornemens hun beloftes niet nakomen en echt werk maken van een degelijke conservatie. Ook hier lijkt, jammer genoeg, het
kortetermijndenkente primeren. Het lijkt een kroniek van een aangekondigde dood. In “The History Manifesto” schreven de historici Jo Guldi en David Armitage:
“A spectre is haunting our time: the spectre of the short term.
We live in a moment of accelerating crisis
that is characterised by the shortage of long-term thinking.”
Hart voor steen
Voor wie echt een hart heeft voor Tienen en dit letterlijk zichtbaar maakt door een sticker op de jas te plakken, laat dit dan ook wat dieper gaan. Kijk in het hart van uw eigen stad, naar het verleden dat er achter ligt. Kijk als waakzame hanen in de
spieghel historiael, voorbij de oppervlakkigheid van een opgeplakt hart, vooraleer de Furie van het kortetermijndenken uw laatste resten verleden ontneemt. Aan de dames en heren politici die blaken van goede voornemens: schep duidelijkheid, toon daadkracht. Laat het niet bij denken alleen, maar durf nu eindelijk te doen.
Met de opmaaktaal CSS (cascading stylesheet) kan je de opmaak en het uitzicht van je webpagina's instellen. Dit moet je niet afzonderlijk in elk HTML-bestand doen. Je doet het één keer in één afzonderlijk CSS-document. Dat CSS-document bewaar je in de map assets/css. Je "linkt" het vervolgens aan al je webpagina's. Door die "link" toe te voegen, krijgen al je webpagina's in één slag het uitzicht en de opmaak die jij in het het CSS-document hebt gedefinieerd.
Met CSS bepaal je onder meer:
Typografie: lettertype, lettergrootte(s), interlinie, uitzicht van het lettertype, tekstschaduw...
Blokken: breedte, hoogte, rand, marges (binnen- en buitenmarges) van alle onderdelen op je webpagina's..
Interactie-effecten: bijvoorbeeld het uitzicht als je met je muis ergens overheen beweegt
Animaties
Uitzicht op andere media: print, mobiele toestellen, computers, laptops...
...
Animaties en filters
Animeren met CSS
Met @keyframes kan je in CSS 2D-animaties maken.
Kant-en-klare animaties
Met CSS kan je onderdelen van je pagina animeren. We leren je niet hoe je die animaties in CSS zelf bouwt. Maar via de
Leerschool-animatietoolkan je snel een animatie toevoegen aan een bepaald element op een webpagina.
Voeg de onderstaande regel toe bovenaan in je CSS-document:
CSS-filters kan je inzetten voor onder meer afbeeldingen. Je kan hierdoor bepaalde effecten toevoegen aan foto's zonder dat je de afbeeldingen hiervoor moet aanpassen in een beeldbewerkingsprogramma. Je kan een stijlklasse definiëren voor het gebruik van bepaalde filters.
.zwartwit{
filter: grayscale(100%);
}
Filter
Parameters
blur(px)
Tussen de haakjes voer je een pixelwaarde in. Hoe hoger die waarde, hoe sterker de vervaging. Voorbeeld: blur(5px)
brightness(%)
De helderheid instellen. Voorbeeld: brightness(200%)
Afbeelding naar grijswaarden. 100% zet de afbeelding geheel om in grijswaarden.
hue-rotate(graden)
"Tinten roteren". De waarde geef je in in graden. Voorbeeld: hue-rotate(90deg)
invert(%)
Kleuren inverteren (wit wordt zwart en omgekeerd). Waarde invoeren in percentage.
opacity(%)
Doorzichtigheid instellen.
saturate(%)
Verzadiging
sepia(%)
Naar sepiatinten omzetten.
Stijlen die je af en toe nodig hebt
Stijlklassen
In een aantal gevallen kan je een stijl meer dan één keer, maar daarom niet altijd nodig hebben.
Neem bijvoorbeeld afbeeldingen.Het kan zijn dat je een afbeelding de ene keer links wil uitlijnen in een tekst (met tekstomloop), de andere keer rechts en meestal gewoon over de volledige breedte wil weergeven. Het is een beetje zoals in een klaslokaal. Op een school zitten meerdere studenten. Het zijn allemaal studenten van dezelfde school, maar elke student hoort ook bij een bepaalde klas. Ze hebben dus wel allemaal gemeenschappelijke kenmerken (ze horen bij dezelfde school = lees website), maar ook bij een bepaalde klas. Studenten zitten ook in een bepaald "jaar". In dit voorbeeld komt de school overeen met de "website/webpagina's", de klas en het jaar met een CSS-klasse. "Student" is in dit geval gewoon het HTML-element dat we selecteren. Stel dat er een HTML-element met de naam "student" zou bestaan, dan kan het resultaat er als volgt uitzien:
<student class="jaar1 klas2B">
...
</student>
Een HTML-element heeft een bepaalde naam (<article>, <p>... enz), kan ook een id hebben, maar ook één of meerdere klassen:
Vervolgens kan je zowel de specifieke klassen als de id's stijlkenmerken toekennen:
#albert_einstein{
/*specifieke kenmerken voor dit ene element*/
}
#max_planck{
/*specifieke kenmerken voor dit ene element*/
}
.news{
/*specifieke kenmerken voor alle elementen met de klasse news*/
}
.topten{
/*specifieke kenmerken voor alle elementen met de klasse topten*/
}
BELANGRIJK OM TE ONTHOUDEN: eenzelfde ID mag je maar één keer op één pagina gebruiken. Een bepaalde klasse mag je op dezelfde pagina meerdere keren gebruiken.
Een voorbeeld: afbeeldingen uitlijnen in een tekst
Je weet ondertussen hoe je afbeeldingen in html plaatst. Je kan in CSS klassen definiëren om die afbeeldingen, indien je dat wenst rechts of links uit te lijnen in je tekst. In ons CSS-bestand vond je voor de afbeeldingen al de volgende regel::
img{
max-width:100%;
}
Die stijlregel zorgt ervoor dat alle afbeeldingen die je in een HTML-pagina plaatst, nooit breder zullen worden dan 100% breedte van het element waar ze inzitten.
Stel dat je in een artikel bepaalde afbeeldingen nu links wil uitlijnen met tekstomloop, andere rechts en nog andere de volledige breedte wil geven. Standaard willen we alle afbeeldingen de volledige breedte geven van het artikel, ook als het om heel "smalle" afbeeldingen gaat (afbeeldingen met weinig pixels bijvoorbeeld) Voor de links en rechts uit te lijnen afbeeldingen definiëren we 2 klassen:
De bovenstaande code kan wat vreemd lijken, maar doet helemaal wat we willen. We stellen dat alle afbeeldingen die in een artikel staan een breedte van 100% krijgen, maar toch nog een boven- en ondermarge van 13 pixels. Hierdoor plakt de tekst niet tegen de foto aan langs onder en langs boven.
Als we aan een afbeelding ook de klasse "
left" toekennen, dan krijgt de afbeelding 50% van de breedte van het artikel en is ze
links uitgelijnd, maar ook nog een
marge langs rechts, zodat de tekst aan de rechterkant niet tegen de afbeelding aan plakt.
Als we aan een afbeelding ook de klasse "
right" toekennen, dan krijgt de afbeelding 50% van de breedte van het artikel en is ze
rechts uitgelijnd, maar ook nog een
marge langs links, zodat de tekst aan de linkerkant niet tegen de afbeelding aan plakt.
Het leuke is dat dit nu niet enkel werkt voor afbeeldingen. Stel dat je een citaat links of rechts zou willen uitlijnen dan kan je dezelfde klasse gebruiken:
In plaats van alle afbeeldingen een klasse te geven om ze links of rechts uit te lijnen, kan je ook gebruik maken van stijlregels voor even en oneven elementen. Wat dit precies betekent, zie je in het voorbeeld hieronder. Het <section>-element bevat hier 4 <article>-elementen. Het eerste en derde <article> zijn de oneven elementen, het tweede en vierde de even elementen. Elk <article> bevat een afbeelding en een onderliggende <section> met daarin een titel en een afbeelding.
De onderstaande stijlregel zorgt ervoor dat alle article-elementen een flexibele indeling krigjen, waardoor de afbeelding en de onderliggende <section> naast elkaar gaan staan. Door voor elk "even" element de richting van (flex-direction) aan te passen, zal bij de "even" article-elementen de foto aan de rechterkant gaan staan.
Met zogenaamde pseudoklassen (klassen waarvan je de naam niet zelf mag bedenken, kan je heel fijne effecten bereiken... De stijlregels van een pseudoklasse zijn niet standaar zichtbaar. Ze worden zichtbaar wanneer de gebruiker iets "doet", bijvoorbeeld ergens met zijn muis over beweegt of een stuk tekst selecteert.
De pseudoklasse :hover wordt op die manier actief als de websitebezoeker met de muis over een bepaald element beweegt. In het onderstaande voorbeeld moet je "kleur2" natuurlijk vervangen door een kleurnaam uit je eigen CSS-bestand.
nav a:hover{
color:var(--kleur2);
}
Pseudo-elementen
Pseudo-elementen zijn inhouden die je via CSS toevoegt aan je HTML-inhoud. M.a.w. de inhouden staat niet rechtstreeks in je HTML-code, maar voeg je toe via CSS. In het onderstaande voorbeeld voegen we met
::beforevoor elk <h1>-element met CSS de inhoud "Hoofdstuk " toe.
h1::before{
content: "Hoofdstuk: ";
}
Naast het pseudo-element ::before, bestaat eveneens ::after.
Tellers
Met CSS kan je elementen ook "tellen" en vervolgens een teller toevoegen via een pseudo-element. Hiervoor moet je eerst, bovenaan in je CSS-code de teller op 0 zetten en de teller ook een naam geven. Bij elke <h1>-titel die in je document voorkomt, verhoog je de teller met "1". Vervolgens kan je de teller toevoegen met een pesudo-element.
Je geeft de teller de naam "hoofdstuk".
Je zet de teller op "0" met counter-reset:hoofdstuk
Je verhoogt de teller met 1 bij elke nieuwe titel: counter-increment: hoofdstuk.
Vervolgens voeg je de teller toe bij het stijlkenmerk "content" in het pseudo-element "before".
OPGELET:
Gebruik enkel liggende foto's (landschapsfoto's) geen portretten.
Best zorg je ervoor dat alle foto's exact dezelfde pixelverhoudingen hebben.
Op internet vind je tientallen technieken om een slideshow te bouwen met CSS en javascript. Hieronder vind je een voorbeeld van hoe je relatief snel een slideshow aan je pagina toevoegt. We gebruiken een combinatie van HTML, CSS en javascript.
De eigenlijke slideshow voeg je toe via een <section>-element dat je de stijlklasse "slideshow" geeft. Zo'n section geven we nog 2 extra attributen mee...
data-seconds: daarin bepaal je hoe lang een schuifbeweging (slide) duurt.
data-height: daarin bepaal je hoe hoog de slideshow is. Je kan zowel een hoogte in pixels als een hoogte in "vh" invoeren.
Als je de inhoud van "figcaption" wil vormgeven, dan kan je dat eenvoudig door in je CSS-bestand de volgende regels toe te voegen. De onderstaande code zorgt ervoor dat een <h3>-titelelement in figcaption een witte tekstkleur krijgt en een zachte shaduw. Uiteraard kan je nog je eigen stijlregels toevoegen.
Opgelet: Aframe werkt enkel online. Je moet het dus eerst uploaden om het te kunnen uittesten.
Maak een lege HTML-pagina en voeg aan de HEAD van het document de link toe naar het AFRAME-framework van Mozilla. Die regel zorgt ervoor dat je met een soort van (niet-gestandaardiseerde) HTML-code VR-programma's kan bouwen die zowel op je computer als mobiel en met of zonder VR-bril functioneren.
In de body van je document voeg je een 3D-scene toe met de markering <a-scene></a-scene>. Om een achtergrondkleur te geven aan je VR-programma, voeg je de markering <a-sky></a-sky> toe.
De achtergrond wijzigen
Je kan ook een afbeelding toevoegen aan de achtergrond. Het is mogelijk om een "equirectangular" 360°-beeld te gebruiken.
Je merkt dat aan <a-scene/> een onderdeel <a-assets></a-assets> is toegevoegd. Daar kan je gewoon links naar afbeeldingen (of 3D-objecten) in opnemen. Belangrijk is dat elke "asset" een uniek ID krijgt. In ons geval krijgt de afbeelding melkweg.jpg uit de map "images" de id="space".
Vervolgens verwijder je de kleur van de "sky" en vervang je die door src="#space". Die #space verwijst naar de id van de afbeelding in <a-assets/>
De markering <a-sphere></a-sphere> voegt een 3D-bol toe aan je 3D-scene. Het attribuut "color" geeft de bol elke gewenste kleur. Het attribuut "radius" bepaald de "straal" van de bol.
Je zal nu merken dat de bol buiten beeld valt. Dat komt omdat we niet hebben ingesteld waar de bol moet verschijnen. Immers: je bevindt je in een 3D-ruimte en elk positie in zo'n ruimte telt 3 coördinaten: x, y en z.
De x-positie geeft aan waar het object zich bevindt horizontaal (van links naar rechts). De y-positie duidt de positie aan vanaf de bovenkant van je scherm. Het z-coördinaat toont aan hoe "diep" een object zich bevindt als je het in "perspectief" zou bekijken.
Je kan de positie van de sphere nu aanpassen door hem het attribuut position="0 0 -10" te geven (resp. x y z). Test maar eens uit.
Op een computer kan je door de VR-ruimte navigeren met je muis of met de pijltjestoetsen. Rechts onderaan vind je een VR-knop om over te schakelen naar volledig scherm.
In principe ben jij het centrum van de "ruimte".
Jij (de kijker) bevindt je op positie x=0, y=0, z=0. Het horizontale vlak geeft de X-waarde weer, het verticale vlak de Y-positie. Evenwijdig met de kijkrichting bevindt zich het Z-vlak.
Virtuele camera
Virtuele camera
In VR kijk je in theorie door een virtuele camera. Standaard komt de positie van de camera overeen met de kijkrichting van de gebruiker. Je kan de camera net zoals een echte camera ook "roteren" over zijn 3 assen.
Wanneer de gebruiker een VR-bril draagt, komt de kijkrichting overeen met die van de VR-bril. Je kan de positie van de camera wijzigen door aan de scene een camera toe te voegen.
<a-camera position="0 3 -13"></a-camera>
Roteren van objecten en camera
Je kan om het even welk 3D-object of elke camera "roteren" rond zijn x-, y- of z-as.
Opgelet: Aframe werkt enkel online. Je moet het dus eerst uploaden om het te kunnen uittesten.
Je kan de eigenschappen van 3D-objecten in een VR-scene animeren met het attribuut "animation". Het animatie-attribuut verwacht een aantal parameters. In eerste instantie welke eigenschap van het object je wil animeren(bijvoorbeeld "rotation") en vervolgens de specificaties van die animatie.
animation="property: rotation; to: 0 360 0; loop: true; dur: 10000"
Webpagina's bouw je met HTML. Dat is geen programmeertaal, maar enkel een gestructureerde manier van "schrijven".
Je markeert nauwkeurig alle onderdelen van de pagina.Alle webpagina's die je op internet bezoekt, maar ook heel wat apps (sociale media-apps bijvoorbeeld) zijn gebouwd met de taal HTML. Daarom is HTML een bijzonder belangrijke taal!
Met de markeertaal
HTML bouw je webpagina's en kan je ze eveneens aan elkaar koppelen (linken). Een webpagina bouw je niet met een tekstverwerker. Je schrijft hem best in code. Een browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari...) leest die code en zet die om in een weergave voor de mens. Je moet in je HTML-code precies aangeven waar een titel, alinea, link, afbeelding... of wat dan ook staat, want een browser is een stuk software en die software weet anders niet wat voor jou een titel of een alinea is.
Je kan in HTML ook media zoals foto's, films en kaarten "linken", maar die media staan, anders dan in een presentatiebestand zoals PowerPoint, niet in het bestand. Ze zijn eraan gelinkt. De webbrowser waarin je de HTML-pagina bekijkt, weet dankzij een HTML-instructie waar hij de media moet plaatsen.
<element>
De inhoud van het element
</element>
Natuurlijk moet je niet "element" invoeren, maar de afgesproken benamingen, meestal afkortingen: zo staat "p" voor "alinea" en "h1" voor een grote "kop". In een webpagina zitten een aantal HTML-elementen. Je hoeft heus niet alles te kennen. Met een beperkt aantal basisonderdelen bouw je zo goed als alle mogelijke webpagina's.
Stel dat je een tekst wil schrijven met een grote kop en daaronder een alinea met een foto, dan ziet de HTML-code er uit als volgt:
<h1>Hoofdstuk 1: HTML en semi-gestructureerde gegevens</h1>
<p>HTML is geen programmeertaal...</p>
<img src="assets/images/foto.jpg"/>
Alles is een link, ook foto's en films
Daarom moet je elk onderdeel "selecteren" en aan de browser zeggen: "Kijk, dit is een titel!" Het lijkt een beetje op het studeren van een tekst: je duidt de belangrijkste onderdelen met een markeerstift aan. We kunnen natuurlijk niets met een markeerstift beginnen als we een webpagina bouwen. In HTML (hypertext markup language) markeren we een element door aan te duiden waar het element begint en waar het eindigt. Dit doe je op de volgende manier:
<img src="assets/images/foto.jpg"/>
Semi-gestructureerde gegevens
Waarom zeggen we dat HTML semi-gestructureerde informatie bevat? Anders dan bij XML of JSON, kan je aan de HTML-structuur niet "zien" waarover de data of informatie gaat. Een <h1>-markering duidt aan dat het om een titel gaat, maar je weet niet of het gaat om de titel van een nieuwsbericht of de naam van een paar schoenen in de webshop. Uiteraard kan je dat als menselijke "bezoeker" van een website wel zien en weten, maar een zoekmachine zoals de Googlebot moet heel wat meer inspanning doen om de "semantiek" te ontdekken.
Semantiek betekent dat het document zelf "vertelt" waarover de inhoud gaat. Vergelijk de onderstaande voorbeelden in XML en HTML.
XML
<book>
<title>Uit het hoofd</title>
<author>Kris Merckx</author>
<description>Welk voordeel biedt het ons evolutionair gezien om informatie te kunnen onthouden? Waarom verzamelen grote techbedrijven zoals Google en Facebook massa’s data? Hoe komt het dat 90% van alle data die de mens doorheen de geschiedenis produceerde, stamt uit het laatste decennium?</description>
</book>
HTML
<article>
<h1>Uit het hoofd</h1>
<p>Kris Merckx</p>
<p>Welk voordeel biedt het ons evolutionair gezien om informatie te kunnen onthouden? Waarom verzamelen grote techbedrijven zoals Google en Facebook massa’s data? Hoe komt het dat 90% van alle data die de mens doorheen de geschiedenis produceerde, stamt uit het laatste decennium?</p>
</article>
In het XML-bestand vertellen de structuur en de markeringen ons dat het gaat om een "boek". In het HTML-document kom je dat wel te weten als je als mens het bestand leest, maar een stuk software kan de structuur wel herkennen als een "artikel" met een titel en twee alinea's, maar komt weinig te weten over het type inhoud.
Semi-structured and semantic data
HTML: an incredibly important, but semi-structured language
Web pages are built with HTML. That's not a programming language, just a structured way of "writing." You carefully mark all parts of the page.
All web pages you visit on the Internet, as well as a lot of apps (social media apps, for example) are built with the language HTML. That's why HTML is a particularly important language!
With the markup language
HTMLyou build Web pages and can also link them together (linking). You don't build a web page with a word processor. It is best to write it in code. A browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari...) reads that code and converts it into a human-readable display. You have to specify in your HTML code exactly where a title, paragraph, link, image or whatever is, because a browser is a piece of software and that software otherwise doesn't know what a title or a paragraph is for you.
Therefore, you have to select each part and say to the browser, "Look, this is a title!" It's a bit like studying a text: you indicate the most important parts with a highlighter. Of course, we can't start anything with a highlighter when building a Web page. In HTML (hypertext markup language), we
markan element by indicating where the element begins and where it ends. You do this in the following way:
<element>
The content of the element
</element>
Of course, you should not enter "element," but the agreed-upon designations, usually abbreviations: for example, "p" stands for "paragraph" and "h1" stands for a large "headline." There are a number of HTML elements in a web page. You really don't need to know everything. With a limited number of basic elements, you can build just about any web page.
Suppose you want to write a text with a large headline and below it a paragraph with a picture, the HTML code would look like this:
<h1>Chapter 1: HTML is a semi-structured language</h1>
<p>HTML is not a programming language...</p>
<img src="assets/images/picture.jpg"/>
Everything is a link, including photos and movies
You can also "link"
mediasuch as pictures, movies and maps in HTML, but those media, unlike in a presentation file such as PowerPoint, are not in the file. They are linked to it. The Web browser in which you view the HTML page knows where to place the media, thanks to an HTML instruction.
<img src="assets/images/picture.jpg"/>
Semi-structured data
Why do we say HTML contains semi-structured information? Unlike XML or JSON, you can't "tell" from the HTML structure what the data or information is about. A
h1-tag indicates a title, but you don't know if it's the title of a news story or the name of a pair of shoes in the web shop. Of course, as a human "visitor" to a website, you can see and know that, but a search engine like the Googlebot has to put a lot more effort into discovering the "semantics."
Semanticsmeans that the document itself "tells" what the content is about. Compare the examples below in XML and HTML.
XML
<book>
<title>Uit het hoofd</title>
<author>Kris Merckx</author>
<description>Welk voordeel biedt het ons evolutionair gezien om informatie te kunnen onthouden? Waarom verzamelen grote techbedrijven zoals Google en Facebook massa’s data? Hoe komt het dat 90% van alle data die de mens doorheen de geschiedenis produceerde, stamt uit het laatste decennium?</description>
</book>
HTML
<article>
<h1>Uit het hoofd</h1>
<p>Kris Merckx</p>
<p>Welk voordeel biedt het ons evolutionair gezien om informatie te kunnen onthouden? Waarom verzamelen grote techbedrijven zoals Google en Facebook massa’s data? Hoe komt het dat 90% van alle data die de mens doorheen de geschiedenis produceerde, stamt uit het laatste decennium?</p>
</article>
In the XML file, the structure and markings tell us that the content is about a "book." In the HTML document, you find that out as a human reading the file, but a piece of software can only recognize the structure as an "article" with a title and two paragraphs, but finds out little about the type of content.
"New technologies are tools, not enemies" - Martine George, Professor of Management Practice at Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management
Martine George, Professor of Management Practice at Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management
"New technologies are tools, not enemies"
With almost 20 years of corporate experience on her professional odometer, Martine George felt she could create more impact and “pursue a more fulfilling professional path” by returning to the academic world. “I sought to contribute by offering a practitioner's perspective on data analytics, in a broader sense, to the upcoming generation of students.” Martine George now not only teaches young students as Professor of Management Practice at Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management, she also coaches executives and professionals (software engineers, experts in analytics…) who are going through significant transitions. “For me, the biggest challenge in the analytics value chain is transversality.”
If lifelong learning applies to anyone, it certainly does to Martine George, her LinkedIn-profile amply reveals. “I completed a PhD in Physics in the late 90s, focusing on machine learning at a time when it was less prevalent than it is today. Back then machine learning was considered more exotic than the hype it is nowadays.”
Yet, as a PhD you stepped away from an academic career to follow a corporate path.
Martine George: “When I entered the corporate world, I brought with me a strong scientific background, particularly in the field of machine learning, and was well-equipped with technical and quantitative skills that were suitable for a career in data mining. Throughout my corporate journey, I discovered a passion for data and cultivating a more data-driven perspective within companies. I aimed to assist them in making important decisions based on factual and evidence-based insights. Additionally, I developed a passion for nurturing and fostering talent, particularly in assembling teams of experts from scratch. At the time, this type of job was not well-established, requiring extensive efforts to search for the right individuals possessing the appropriate skills and competencies to form effective teams. It was a challenging endeavor that demanded a diverse range of qualities, ones that could not be acquired solely through a traditional curriculum.”
"By paying attention to the available data from customer service, coverage, usage, billing, and marketing, I could construct a comprehensive view of an organization"
Your journey from company to company was quite diverse.
“I transitioned into different industries, such as telecom and banking. You may wonder why I made these changes and choices. I initially worked in the energy industry, specifically in practical energy research as part of the R&D activities. The goal was to apply the knowledge and insights I gained during my PhD to an industrial context. This involved utilizing neural networks and other technologies to support decision-making processes in the energy industry. During this period, my curiosity to learn more was sparked, and it was then that I discovered the field of data mining. I sought to understand its essence, recognizing that it encompassed both technical aspects and a realm that I was less familiar with — business.”
“To illustrate my lack of knowledge, I will provide you with an anecdote: at that time, I wasn't entirely satisfied with my job in the energy sector. Therefore, I decided to explore new opportunities. In 2000, I joined Belgacom Mobile (currently known as Proximus), where I discovered that they had an excellent data warehouse due to the nature of their business, which generated a vast amount of data. With enthusiasm, I proposed the idea of establishing a data mining activity from scratch to the company. They were intrigued and interested in my proposition, and they agreed to pursue this initiative. When they offered me the opportunity to develop the idea further, I realized I lacked a deep understanding of running a business. However, I saw this as an opportunity to learn and understand business through the lens of data. By paying attention to the available data from customer service, coverage, usage, billing, and marketing, I could construct a comprehensive view of an organization.”
Perhaps, by viewing through the lens of data, you provided the company with a brand new perspective on its own strategy and operations?
“Around that time, text messaging was booming, with a volume underestimated by a factor of more than 10. Additionally, data mining started to play a crucial role in customer retention, particularly due to the government's consideration of number portability. Prior to this, there were clear distinctions between operators, especially in the B2B sector, making it difficult for businesses to switch operators and retain their client base. However, the telecom policies in Belgium shifted towards opening up portability, prompting a benchmarking analysis of similar policies in other countries. In some of them, there was a rotational rate of over 70%, indicating that companies risked losing their historical databases due to not anticipating this change. The historical operators, who held the largest share of the market, understandably became concerned. They realized the need to develop tools to anticipate churn behavior, and this became my initial responsibility in the project. The goal was to identify high-value clients with a high propensity to switch operators, despite being extremely profitable for their current provider.”
"I sought to contribute by offering a practitioner's perspective on data analytics to the upcoming generation of students"
Then you switched jobs again?
“I indeed was also attracted to other industries as well. I also ventured into the financial services industry, where access to data was abundant. It was an industry with a pressing need for digital transformation. I was fortunate to be at ING during a period when they spearheaded a significant digital transformation, challenging the established oligopoly in Belgium. This transformation began around 2005, as they recognized the importance of changing their business model. They aimed to shift away from a branch-based model and embrace digital technology to streamline operations and offer simple products—things that we now take for granted. Through these experiences, I encountered diverse contexts of companies, industries, and varying levels of data accessibility, all of which enriched my understanding.”
What were the biggest challenges you encountered throughout your journey?
“One of the most significant challenges I faced at every company I worked for, was the concept of transversality, where interdisciplinary collaboration and integration were essential. It was in light of this challenge that I decided to return to academia, as it provided a platform to pursue endeavors that held greater personal meaning for me in the latter part of my career. I sought to contribute by offering a practitioner's perspective on data analytics, in a broader sense, to the upcoming generation of students.”
You returned to the academic world where you had to contribute to a new field of expertise?
“A new field may be an exaggeration, but yes, some ten years ago there was only one optional course for business intelligence in the curriculum of the Master of Business Engineering program. I was tasked with creating a mandatory course on the topic in the master in Management Science. The notion was to acknowledge that this subject would become a valuable asset for any business student in the future.”
"I think that the biggest challenge in the analytics value chain is transversality"
Are students aware of the importance of data in their future jobs?
“Students nowadays are becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of data. By the time they arrive in class, they have already learned some Python programming and other related topics, which is different from the curriculum in the past. My goal is to guide them towards a pragmatic understanding of how data can benefit them as future business professionals. It's crucial to expose them to the topic of data as multidisciplinary, encompassing technical aspects like programming, analytical tools, data quality, and database modeling. Additionally, the quantitative aspect is significant, drawing on the strong quantitative foundation at Solvay. We introduce them to concepts in machine learning, experimental design, and measurement. In addition to the quantitative aspect, we connect their background in business to analytics. We explore the types of problems that can be tackled with analytics, both strategically and tactically, and highlight the specificities that can arise across industries. It's essential not to overlook ethics, privacy considerations, and the integration of project management within the analytics context. Moreover, based on my field experience, I emphasize that the success of analytics depends not only on the technical aspects but also on effective communication of results and the capability to adjust the message to the audience (technical professionals, senior managers…).”
Can you elaborate on communication as a succes factor?
“The ability to bridge the gap between technical expertise and effective communication is paramount. This challenge arises because analytics is akin to a relay race where you need to pass the baton to different individuals, each with their own background, expertise and language, to ensure successful implementation and impact. I think that the biggest challenge in the analytics value chain is transversality. There are IT experts, quantitative analysts, statisticians, and business professionals involved, and ultimately, it is the decision-maker who determines whether the insights will be used or not. This moment of truth is crucial because if the decision-maker doesn't trust the analytics or the experts behind them, all the efforts may go to waste. It's a matter of trust and effective communication, speaking the same language at the same time. While other aspects are important, they are necessary but not sufficient conditions for success.”
"It's important to be clear about how technology can support progress and innovation in the future while being mindful of its limitations"
Do you consider yourself a role model for women in tech?
“From a university perspective, the gender balance in business-related fields is quite good. While there are some differences, I wouldn't say there are particular barriers, except for the lack of interest among some women. However, it's important not to generalize. More young women are genuinely interested and involved in these topics.”
“As for being a role model, well, I do not like this type of labeling. Anybody with interest in this topic will find his or her own way to contribute in this amazing multidisciplinary domain. I am passionate about the field of analytics, which I discovered 25 years ago, and I'm still incredibly excited about it. But for me, it's more about transmitting knowledge and ensuring that this topic is considered important for future generations. I also believe in being critical about how technology can bring both good and bad outcomes. It's important to be clear about how technology can support progress and innovation in the future while being mindful of its limitations.”
Do companies have a clear vision of what to expect from data analysis?
“Some companies invest a significant amount of time, space, and resources in purchasing infrastructure for modern data platforms without truly understanding why or having a clear, compelling, and articulated connection between their strategic objectives and vision. This leads to investments being made without a strong rationale. It's not necessarily difficult for smaller companies to have a strategy and vision regarding data. It often depends on who is leading the company.”
What skill sets do students need when they enter the corporate world, especially in data-related fields?
"In general, they need curiosity, adaptability, resilience, critical thinking, active listening and co-creation abilities. These are key aspects, particularly in data-related domains. They should also have sufficient training in data to approach it as a natural way of looking at things. With data being everywhere and easy access to the internet, new technologies like ChatGPT should be integrated into education as additional tools rather than seen as enemies of learning.”
"There are missed opportunities for organizations that fail to invest in data teams and provide adequate edcuation and training to bridge this divide"
Do you think companies that don't invest in data teams and education like this are missing out on significant opportunities?
“Many companies now recognize the need for data teams and good IT infrastructure, including data analysts, data engineering, analytics translators and many others. However, there sometimes exists a significant divide between these experts and the rest of the organization, as many employees struggle to understand how data can be effectively exploited to create tangible assets. This gap hampers the full utilization of data's potential within companies. Therefore, there are indeed missed opportunities for organizations that fail to invest in data teams and provide adequate education and training to bridge this divide. Senior management, including the CEO, plays a crucial role in shaping the culture and understanding the importance of data.”
“Creating a startup provides an opportunity to incorporate data as a core element based on the nature of the business. If data is crucial to the business model, it is essential to establish data collection practices from day one. Neglecting the attention to data systems, even if they are basic, can become a nightmare for a simple operation, especially for small businesses. Many companies with limited revenue struggle to allocate resources for organizing their data. They are not specialists in the field and require a user-friendly system that can be implemented quickly. This is a common need and can determine their success or failure.”
How does data shape success?
“For me, the key factor in determining the success of an initiative is its actionability and utilization. Generating insightful information from raw data is insufficient if the insights are not used by anyone. Some data scientists are very interested in the intellectual challenge rather than the practical application of their results. However, the true value lies in how insights support decision-making processes and influence outcomes. In marketing campaigns, for example, it is crucial to develop experimental designs beforehand to assess the impact of analytics-driven targeting compared to doing nothing or using random targeting. This allows for conclusive insights on the effectiveness of the campaign. The process of scaling up and improving analytics involves an iterative approach of learning by doing, experimenting, and drawing conclusions from well-designed experiments. It is a continuous improvement journey that requires never resting on analytical laurels. Fostering such a culture involves strong leadership and alignment across the organization. Today, I believe most companies in the financial and insurance industry is aligned with the importance of data and analytics.”
Martine's data
25 / 25 years of passion for analytics.
30 / As a lifelong-learner, I spend about 30 days per year on average to continue to train and learn in analytics, story-telling with data, coaching, positive psychology, coaching supervision, sustainability, teaching innovation, corporate governance, and many other topics of interest.
300 / Minimum number of students per year since 2016 that I try to open awareness to the topics of analytics and all of their facets.
31 / The demand for composite data analytics professionals will grow by 31% by 2030 (Forbes).
“Data science will play a significant role in our growth” - Matthias Meul, Head of Customer Insight Analytics at AG Insurance
Matthias Meul, Head of Customer Insight Analytics at AG Insurance
"Data science will play a significant role in our growth"
Taking a deep dive into technological innovations is quite some fun in se, but Matthias Meul, Head of Customer Insight Analytics at AG Insurance, looks beyond the science fiction dimension of the metaverse or artificial intelligence (AI). When we consider the megatrends likely to impact the insurance industry in the long term, we always have the customer in mind. Ultimately, our goal is to meet the customer's needs and preferences in order to ensure that they evaluate AG positively.
Looking beyond what most consider as a given, is not just the second nature of Matthias Meul - it's ingrained in his very being. While studying Economics with a major in marketing, he encountered a slight deficiency in marketing practices, feeling the need to substantiate his conclusions with concrete data. "Luckily, there was a program called 'Master of Marketing Analysis' that offered the opportunity to obtain a degree in what is now called data science. This program focused on predictive modeling and machine learning. I was so passionate about the subject that when I was offered a PhD opportunity, I thought it was wonderful to be paid to study further. However, I soon realized that the academic world in that field wasn't for me. I was more interested in applying data science techniques to real business problems."
And so you decided to leave academia in order to start a career in the financial sector?
Matthias Meul: "Quite so. At the time, my colleagues at university were primarily focused on researching whether one model had statistically better performance than another, up to a very minimal threshold. However, in the business world, the success or failure of a data science project isn't solely determined by statistical significance. It's about making practical changes, solving business problems, and improving processes' efficiency. Instead of pursuing an academic career, I started at ING and then with Deutsche Bank. Later on, I made a slight sidestep outside of the financial sector and worked for the National Lottery for four years. During that time, I was the only data professional behind e-lotto.be, an online gambling platform. It was fascinating because any analysis I conducted directly influenced our customers, and we could establish direct communication with them. In 2018 I transitioned to my current position as the head of a team of data scientists in AG Insurance's Corporate Marketing department."
What does your job entail exactly?
"We serve as a transversal support service for the three business units at AG Insurance: life, non-life, and employee benefits, as well as healthcare and other support services. We are there to assist the business units when they encounter a data science issue or when there's a need for insights that requires data crunching."
"On the one hand, we act as internal data science consultants, and on the other hand, we focus on piloting our end customers' insights: sharing the knowledge and deep insights about our customers across the organization. It's important to note that we typically don't have a direct sales model. We sell our products through a bank channel or brokers."
What attracts you in the insurance sector?
"The sector offers a wide range of financial services products and services. Almost everyone has one or more of these products. They play an integral part in people's lives and can make a significant difference. Insurance products, for example, help protect assets and plan for the future. The level of planning may differ depending on a person's age. Older individuals may focus more on succession planning, such as inheritance matters, while younger individuals may look into building assets and investment products. That variety and the overall impact on people's lives makes working in this domain fascinating."
"We strive to make it easy for our customers, which involves leveraging data to ensure our processes are as efficient as possible"
"At least as attractive is that the potential for utilizing data is virtually limitless. For example, we use data to continuously assess how we can improve care for our insured individuals. We also deal with car insurance, home insurance, and fire insurance, focusing on prevention. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of product-related initiatives. Additionally, customer satisfaction is of great importance to us. We strive to make it easy for our customers, which involves leveraging data to ensure our processes are as efficient as possible. We aim to provide relevant contacts and products that align with the customer's perspective. Ultimately, our goal is to meet the customer's needs and preferences. Data analysis is conducted with the customer in mind, rather than simply for the sake of data science. As a support unit, our primary focus is serving our internal customers and assisting them in achieving their goals. We also collaborate extensively with distribution partners. Using data, we aim to facilitate highly relevant interactions with these partners. The objective is to personalize the services provided by AG, tailoring them to individual customer needs and preferences."
What are the challenges in the sector?
"The most significant challenges are related to perception. While many people are insured, it's crucial to ensure they understand the products they have and the benefits they offer. We strive to prevent customers from perceiving insurance as something they merely pay for without receiving anything in return. It's important to gauge how aware our customers are of the products and increase their understanding through various applications."
What's the added value of Customer Insight Analytics? Would AG Insurance be a different company without you and your team?
"The team is relatively new, having been established around seven to eight years ago. We play a distinct role, since we operate at the transversal level. Our primary focus is providing data science consultancy. If a 'simple' report needs to be generated, it would be more efficient for a reporting team or a data person within the business unit to handle it. However, when specific data science expertise like building algorithms or delving deeper into existing data is required, we provide assistance. This often involves classification models, predicting future events, anomaly detection, fraud detection, and similar applications."
"Another key differentiating factor is our customer-centric perspective. We assist the business units in serving their customers even better by offering transversal customer insights. Together with the BU's, we strive to consider the entire customer experience, transcending individual contracts and distribution channels. By taking this approach, we identify opportunities and risks that may otherwise go unnoticed. Moreover, we focus on obtaining a comprehensive understanding of AG's customer base, including the number of customers, their distribution channels, multi-product relationships, age demographics, geographical locations, and other relevant factors. While we have made significant progress in this area, there is ongoing work to refine and enhance our understanding."
"Our insights are also utilized in our brand campaigns and supporting brand activations, such as sponsoring initiatives. To achieve an optimal return on investment for our marketing expenditures, it's crucial to understand our customers' demographics, interests, and residence."
After 5 years at AG as the Head of Customer Insight Analytics, do you see specific differences in customer behavior in insurance as compared to other industries?
"The differences in customer behavior in the insurance industry is influenced by the nature of the product. In our analyses, for example, car insurance tends to have lower customer loyalty compared to pension savings or products associated with employers. Compared to other sectors, it is not uncommon for customers to remain with us for decades, which is quite rare elsewhere. However, this presents challenges in terms of effectively communicating the added value, the importance of coverage, long-term planning, and selecting appropriate products. That, in my view, is the main difference."
Here we find ourselves at the intersection of behavior and data?
"The influence of non-exact sciences and data evaluation is something I consider important. In our analyses, we mainly focus on contractual data - information that people provide when they subscribe to our insurance contracts - such as age, location, and financial details. This data represents the core transactional truth. We see, for example, that people between the ages of 20 and 30 typically have motor insurance as a first pension product. Analyzing this data in various ways and gaining insights from it can significantly impact decision-making processes. However, it only tells part of the story. It doesn't provide insights into the reasons and factors driving customers' decisions. To uncover these motivations, it's necessary to conduct market research, which involves asking the right questions to a more limited group. So, in my interpretation, these two aspects complement each other. In my team, we strive to combine insights from different sources to ensure we draw accurate conclusions and take appropriate actions together with the BU's."
"When it comes to customer data and what is exposed to them, there is no compromise"
"While we have a vast amount of data, we are also mindful of data collection, quality, and governance. At the company level, there are dedicated teams and individuals involved in data governance and management to ensure awareness of the importance and to maintain adequate data quality. We have implemented a comprehensive program and specialized tools to ensure data quality is checked at the appropriate levels."
Are there any ethical standards or considerations you need to take into account when gathering customer insights?
"We have dedicated teams in cybersecurity and place great emphasis on data protection and privacy. We comply with legislation such as the European GDPR and strive to go above and beyond its principles. For instance, we hold regular meetings with the team to evaluate data retention, determining which data is still relevant and what is no longer needed. These principles are also applied within the business units to ensure compliance with data retention policies. Customer satisfaction and respect for their data are top priorities for us."
How do you see the role of Data Analytics evolving in insurance in the next few years? Do you see any role for new technologies?
"While artificial intelligence is currently a hype, it will move into a phase where practical applications become more prominent. In my team, we see the application of AI as a sort of co-pilot, where it enhances the work of data scientists and individuals. AI will increase the output and productivity of those using it. It can be used as a tool to identify errors in code or expedite project development, starting from a white paper and generating initial Python code. This has the potential to greatly enhance productivity by outsourcing tasks that can be automated and seeking efficiencies wherever possible."
"It is however crucial to exercise caution and be mindful of the information we provide to systems like ChatGPT. We should refrain from sharing confidential or sensitive information. While exploring the possibilities of AI, my team is encouraged to proceed with the necessary warnings and guidelines in mind, such as not sharing confidential data and carefully reviewing the output, considering the echo chamber effect."
"At AG Insurance, we focus on developing narrow AI models for specific goals like fraud detection and anomaly detection. Narrow AI, in my opinion, involves applying mathematical principles to a larger dataset with increased automation, leading to broader AI applications. As a team, we work on developing concrete AI applications, both internally within AG and for our customers. For instance, colleagues implemented chatbots and leverage AI to automate processes such as handling paperwork and hospital bills, ensuring efficiency and improved customer service. Through the development of a specific model, we contribute to achieve a higher automation rate."
"Data science should be seen as a tool to solve specific problems, and not as a universal solution"
"These advancements are not only aimed at enhancing internal efficiency but also have the potential to transform the insurance sector. Within AG Insurance, we consider the megatrends that are likely to impact the insurance industry in the long term. As we witness the rise of smart devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), automation possibilities increase. While exploring these trends, we must assess their relevance to the insurance sector and determine the appropriate stance to adopt. The IoT, for example, offers potential benefits in terms of prevention and personalized pricing. However, it is crucial to ensure data accuracy and compliance with regulations. Currently, there aren't many insurance products directly linked to IoT in the market, but there is potential for societal impact. For instance, IoT could assist elderly individuals in living at home longer or facilitate preventative maintenance for vehicles. One example within AG is our health partner, which takes care of organization's wellbeing needs from A to Z. This work aligns with the broader trends and discussions happening in AG's Think 2030, where we identify major trends like AI, the Metaverse, and blockchain."
The concept may still seem like science fiction, but do you explore the metaverse at AG?
"We aim to gain a thorough understanding of it by selecting a group of people to dive into it and explore its concrete applications. We don't want to limit ourselves to philosophical discussions without experiencing it firsthand."
How important is collaboration between insurtech companies and traditional insurance companies in driving innovation in the industry?
"Collaboration between traditional insurance companies like AG and insurtech firms is indeed a driver of innovation. However, it's not just about insurtech companies. It also involves partnerships with universities and leveraging their research and techniques efficiently."
What insights have you gained those past five years as Head of Customer Insight Analytics?
"That a crucial aspect of successful data science projects is having the right people involved. This includes a knowledgeable business owner who identifies the business problem, a data owner who manages the data needed to address it and a data scientist to determine the relevant data science techniques. It's also vital to have a deep understanding of the environment, strategy, and the customer-first approach. Data science should be seen as a tool to solve specific problems, and not as a universal solution. We act as gatekeepers, determining when an advanced data science model is necessary and when a simpler approach suffices."
"We strive to reach as many people as possible, even those who are not directly involved in data science"
"Ensuring the importance of data science and data-driven decision making is recognized throughout the entire organization is essential. We strive to reach as many people as possible, even those who are not directly involved in data science. We organize regular data science community meetups where we share successful and unsuccessful use cases, learnings, and best practices. This helps inspire and engage a broad range of data professionals within the organization. Our goal is to encourage everyone to think about how they can contribute to value-added work and identify opportunities for simplification and automation."
How do you see the role of data analytics evolving in insurance in the next few years?
"Data science will play a significant role in AG's growth. With millions of customers and contracts, understanding the business and extracting valuable insights from data is crucial. While it's impossible to have individual interactions with every customer, data enables us to uncover motivations and behaviors through sampling and analysis. Mastering data and gaining insights from it are key factors in comprehending and serving our customer base efficiently."
How will customers perceive the difference in your operations?
"The key aspects for me are relevancy and efficiency. Happy customers are those who experience correct and easily accessible services. They can experience quickly and accurately handled claims, and the communication they receive is relevant and personalized."
Matthias' data
2 / My 2 sons, the future generation.
2:43:19 /
My personal record for a marathon that I set after a lot of hard work and planning.
68 / The distance (in kilometers) I was able to go in my most recent race of running as far as possible in 6 hours.
2.700.000
/ The individual policyholders we serve every day.
“Our APIs make us agile and more resilient for an unpredictable future” - Johan Dekens (Managing Director) and Steve Goossens (Chief Digital & Data Officer) at P&V Verzekeringen
Johan Dekens (Managing Director) and Steve Goossens (Chief Digital & Data Officer) at P&V Verzekeringen
"Our APIs make us agile and more resilient for an unpredictable future"
"Thanks to our APIs, it's surprisingly easy to offer our products quickly and reliably, tailored to different channels. The high complexity of our back office is no concern for our brokers or end customers. While that technological innovation is in itself already remarkable, what truly matters to us is that these APIs provide us with the opportunity to strengthen and complement the personal relationship with 24/7 available touchpoints," say Johan Dekens and Steve Goossens, respectively Managing Director and Chief Digital & Data Officer at P&V Verzekeringen. "Moreover, the development process has fundamentally made our insurance company more agile and thus more resilient for an unpredictable future."
The rapport between Johan Dekens and Steve Goossens is so strong that one would assume they have been professionally collaborating intensively within P&V Verzekeringen for a long time. Looks can be deceiving. "Our paths only crossed at the beginning of last year."
Can you tell us more about your track record and current responsibilities?
Johan Dekens: "IT dominated the first 27 years of my career, including a role as Director of Informatics in this organization. For the past six years, I have been a member of the executive committee at P&V Verzekeringen, focusing on transformation. This transformation starts with digital and data, but also encompasses HR and company culture, and ultimately IT. Three seemingly unrelated domains, but what binds them is transformation. What we do is not an end in itself but lays the foundations for transforming our business."
Steve Goossens: "I joined the P&V Group five years ago. It's easy to remember because it coincided with the birth of my daughter. Prior to that, I worked in management consulting for 15 years at McKinsey and Accenture, leading projects in various industries such as energy, automotive, and banking. P&V crossed my path more than ten years ago, and it has always been a company I enjoyed working with. The trust has only grown stronger over time. As Chief Digital & Data Officer, I oversee two domains (digitization and data) that we want to keep relevant in the Belgian market. It's quite a significant challenge that extends far beyond the internal workings of our organization. What we do has an impact on brokers, agents, and all distribution channels we work with."
What is appealing about the insurance industry?
Steve Goossens: "Insurance protects you as an individual, as a family, or as a business and is a lifeline for both our economy and our society. With our activities, we find ourselves at the intersection of economic and societal challenges. Whether it's ESG, artificial intelligence (AI), or social cohesion, the world around us is constantly evolving, making the insurance sector one of the most exciting workplaces right now. We're right in the midst of the action. It's quite thrilling."
Johan Dekens: "I would like to add another dimension to that. We place a strong emphasis on societal relevance. P&V Verzekeringen is different from all our competitors because we are a cooperative company and not a publicly traded group. In our employer branding communication, we talk about being 'a tad different.' That translates into many facets. While a traditional company aims for profit maximization for shareholders, a cooperative takes into account a balance between all stakeholders: we create value for the shareholders, yes, but also for society, customers, and employees. That is a fundamental perspective."
"We test every web technology for inclusivity"
How does that 'being different' translate into the company's strategy?
Johan Dekens: "Among other things, it's reflected in remuneration. We pay a maximum of 6 percent dividend on the nominal value of the capital that shareholders invest. It can't be compared to publicly traded companies where annual dividends can be higher, just as the value of the investment can increase with the stock price. In other words, if you become a shareholder of P&V Verzekeringen, you know that profit maximization is not the driving force behind what you do."
What is the driving force then?
Johan Dekens: "Societal relevance. We use the additional resources we free up through our remuneration method to achieve our societal goals. With 20 billion euros in assets, we contribute to shaping the world through our choices. For example, we don't invest in the war industry. To have even more impact, we are part of Euresa, the European consortium of cooperative enterprises."
"To jump to our focus of this conversation, digitalization and innovations: we don't see technology as an end in itself, but as a means, a lever to do better tomorrow than today. To serve our customers, brokers, and employees better. To optimize and connect our operational systems with the outside world, think of our APIs."
How do customers experience the difference?
Steve Goossens: "Based on our mission, we attach great importance to accessibility. For example, we are part of finance&invest.brussels, where we help startups access venture capital. We also closely monitor the proper pricing of our products and study how to ensure that certain segments - such as young people, people with disabilities - are not excluded from fair insurance. Accessibility is not only about pricing but also in the digital realm. There are still people today who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide."
"We test every web technology for inclusivity. People with motor or visual impairments should be able to use our site just as well. We assist visually impaired individuals by providing vibrations and audio for hyperlinks. If you have shaky hands, you can leave the mouse aside and navigate with your keyboard. These are just a few examples. The idea is that everyone should have the opportunity to hop on the digital train. Moreover, the digital train is not the only one running; there is always a traditional channel: the agent, the broker. Even though we have a digital-first mindset, we ensure that the physical network remains intact to include everyone."
"We want to enhance and complement the personal relationship with digital 24/7 touchpoints
Can APIs play a role in that inclusivity mission?
Johan Dekens: "Absolutely. That's exactly what we expect from our APIs. For us, it's not just about technology; it's about technology that helps strengthen human connections. We want to be present wherever our customers are. We want to enhance and complement the personal relationship with digital 24/7 touchpoints. Only then do you combine the power of humans with the power of digitalization."
Steve Goossens: "The fact that insurance is embedded in the economy and society is not a mere slogan. But of course, we must also put that into practice. Our philosophy leads to embedded insurance. It is the answer to the question: how can we offer our insurance where customers want to be served? Typically, embedded insurance is defined as being able to purchase an insurance product alongside another product (a car, an expensive smartphone...). Actually, that's a weak definition of a 1.0 embedded insurance. We have been doing that with web technology for many years. Nothing new under the sun. What we are looking at is a 2.0 version of embedded insurance where we see it as a flow: from human to human, supported by technology. A customer wants to be served on any platform: website, at the garage, with the broker... Every distribution channel is a platform, and we want to provide digital support. With the added assurance that there will always be an agent or broker to follow up so that there is always a human-to-human connection, as Johan rightly emphasizes."
Doesn't serving different channels with numerous insurance products become too complex?
Steve Goossens: "We have chosen to be a multi-channel, multi-brand, multi-product insurance company. If each of those channels requires its own product or process, it cannot be sustained in a sustainable manner. That's why we opt for one process and one product, while taking into account the specificities of each channel we want to serve."
Johan Dekens: "That's exactly what we do with our APIs, our Application Programming Interfaces that form an intermediary layer between the internal complexity and the simplicity of presentation expected by intermediaries and customers."
Steve Goossens: "That's right, our APIs ensure that all processes always run in the same way, but the practical implementation - the flow and customer experience - differs. The broker wants to enter all risk aspects of a case first? That's possible. The garage owner wants to enter all customer information first and then the risk? No problem. In the end, everyone arrives at the same end result: a binding contract."
"You need to have the internal operations fully in order to guarantee that flexible APIs function externally in real-time and reliably - compliant, true, and tested"
Could you provide some concrete examples of how you are using APIs and how APIs benefit both you and your customers?
Johan Dekens: "One of our banking partners wanted to offer our products, provided that everything would be fully integrated into their systems, so their employees wouldn't have to enter data twice or switch screens. We ensured that our API is available in their way of working, their flow, for their employees, allowing them to provide a consistent user experience to both employees and customers."
"This way of working also benefits our customers in terms of maintenance - that responsibility lies with us. They mainly deal with the facade because the complexity lies mostly in the API and the systems behind it. Everyone can focus on their core tasks. Without that intermediary layer, you would have to set up such development separately for each customer, tailor-made. That's not practical, it's practically unfeasible."
Do APIs increase the risks around data security?
Steve Goossens: "It would be easy if we only had to build the API and everything would then run smoothly. It's a myth that having APIs is enough to work with APIs. What our customers and their customers see is just the tip of the iceberg. It's beneath the surface where the real work lies. For the development, we worked from our back-office outwards. You first need to have the internal operations fully in order to guarantee that flexible APIs function externally in real-time and reliably - compliant, true, and tested."
Johan Dekens: "And do not underestimate the work in that internal domain. We started the digital transformation of our back-office systems almost ten years ago; that is the foundation for implementing this kind of technology, to facilitate flexibility towards the outside world. We have taken it step by step with that transformation (starting with 'claims', followed by 'non-life auto', and 'life') to make our systems future-proof. We are still in the midst of that transformation - it's truly fundamental work. As Steve says, any company can install an API, but that is not the most complex or significant investment. The greatest complexity lies in the back-office systems. Preparing them to integrate smoothly requires significant efforts in terms of time and budget. I'm talking about many years."
"There are many untapped opportunities, and we are fully committed to pursuing them"
What were the pitfalls during such a lengthy process?
Johan Dekens: "To manage such projects, an organization needs to have sufficient maturity. When we started ten years ago, we didn't have that yet. That was a huge risk because it involved significant investments. Precisely because there was no maturity, you become somewhat dependent on external parties that you engage to achieve your goals. That's fine during the initial phase, but you also need to evolve if you don't want to be a hundred percent reliant on those external parties. It comes down to finding a balance between hiring consultants and developing the organization to eventually be able to handle things independently. It's a challenging and demanding journey for which there is no magic bullet, and it requires impact and change at all levels of the organization: IT, HR, call centers, brokers... Good leadership is crucial during such a cultural change to continue coaching and advancing everyone. The beautiful side of this is that if there is success, you can celebrate it together."
What obstacles are there currently?
Steve Goossens: "The transformation of the back-office systems is still ongoing, and we will be occupied with it for a number of years. But in addition to that, we also need to continue working on that intermediary layer, on those APIs, to optimize the customer experience across all channels. Data itself is nothing new to us; after all, we are an actuarial company. However, we can still take steps to further differentiate ourselves in the market with that data. There are many untapped opportunities, and we are fully committed to pursuing them."
"We are also further developing various measures related to security, monitoring, usage guidelines, available contracts, governance, GDPR, and privacy... The goal is to build a well-oiled organization around the potential of our APIs. It's quite cutting edge."
"Everyone loves our APIs and wants to get started with them, but of course, implementation goes beyond the fun factor. Using them involves certain responsibilities. In practice, it's a perfect fit for slightly larger, professionalized parties such as banks, brokers, and even insurtechs. For us, the latter is an excellent way to connect to an ecosystem that is well-versed in using technology to provide an outstanding user experience. Real-time, straight-through processing, seamless integration - that's what we're looking for. We have truly found a match made in heaven with that population. I hope that the insurance sector as a whole will take this step because customer expectations are evolving: look at banking, automotive, retail, energy... everyone is setting the standard for customers who say, 'I want to know now - I want to place my order now, I want to cancel my order now.' Those needs are entering our sector, and we need to take the leap."
"APIs are an essential puzzle piece for tomorrow's success"
AI is all over the place, with ChatGPT coming. How do you see it as a lever for providing even better service?
Johan Dekens: "AI will have a significant impact, not only in externalizing the business but also in how we operate in general."
Steve Goossens: "We are closely examining the new possibilities with a sense of awe and wonder. It's truly impressive, an incredible leap. The considerations we have revolve around protecting our intellectual property. For example, code that we want to verify in ChatGPT is not completely fail-proof protected, so we have aligned closely with the Security Information Officer: our team can use the tool but with restrictions. Every user has an obligation to be cautious with intellectual property; nobody just dumps our code there."
"As mentioned before, we highly value inclusivity and believe in a philosophy of inclusivity by design. Whenever we look at new technology, we always ask the question: does this open up possibilities for new segments? ChatGPT helps us identify which segments we have unintentionally overlooked, the forgotten ones in the insurance industry."
How do you see APIs contributing to achieving business goals, both in terms of cost reduction and business growth?
Steve Goossens: "If APIs didn't play a role in that, it would be very foolish of us. APIs make our highly complex business model sustainable. Without APIs, we would have to duplicate the same investment for every channel and every product. Here, we invest once and then make minimal investments per channel. APIs also drive us to build a smart architecture for our organization and the applications behind it, an architecture that allows us to be flexible and modularize things in a different way, making it easier to reassemble them."
Johan Dekens: "Will there be business growth? Only the future will reveal. APIs enable us to enter into experiments, embrace new channels, and not exclude new platforms with minimal investment - it doesn't cost much, so we might as well give it a try. Our APIs are not primarily designed for growth but rather for quick adaptability. This is where Darwin comes into play: if you don't have it, you're not flexible, and you won't exist in ten years. APIs help us respond to market changes in an agile and efficient manner. Changes that are often impossible to predict now. In this way, APIs indirectly support growth because they allow us to do things that were previously unimaginable. They are an essential puzzle piece for tomorrow's success."
Johan's data
10,000 / Number of steps I try to make every day. Sounds easier than it is.
4 / I have two children and two grandchildren. And also: together with Steve, An and Rudy, we are a team of four.
Steve's data
7 / 7 grams of coffee in a perfect espresso. I'm a coffee geek.
2017 / Birth year of my daughter and the year I started at P&V Verzekeringen.
In this relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, of something new and exciting
Dorsan van Hecke (left) (Athora Belgium) And Koen Depaemelaere (right) (Monument Assurance Belgium)
In this relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, of something new and exciting
Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium have been bringing a fresh breeze to the insurance sector for several years now. “Compared to other players, we are indeed growing much faster. Our enthusiasm attracts young talent, and our passionate employees are in a winning mood.” Where does this exceptional dynamism come from? During a breakfast session with Ensur, CEOs Dorsan van Hecke (Athora Belgium) and Koen Depaemelaere (Monument Assurance Belgium) provide insights into the workings of their organizations.
Your insurance companies are gaining attention due to their rapid growth. What are the main focuses of Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium?
Dorsan van Hecke: “Athora Belgium is a life insurance company that aims for both organic and inorganic growth. We achieve organic growth by offering new products, and inorganic growth through acquiring companies or portfolios from other insurers. What sets us apart from typical insurers is our hybrid growth approach and our partnership with Apollo Asset Management, one of the group’s shareholders, which guides us in our asset management strategy where we provide a slightly different twist than the rest of the market.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “Monument Assurance Belgium is exclusively focused on life insurance. Unlike Athora Belgium, we do not grow organically. Instead, we grow through acquisitions, involving a share deal where we take over another life insurance company. This growth can also happen through portfolio transfers, where an existing player wishes to sell a block of life insurance policies, or through the reinsurance of life insurance portfolios. We have three ways to grow, often initiated by an insurer making a decision based on strategic insights or pressure from their own results to sell (part of) their portfolio or the entire company. Like Athora Belgium, we bid on these portfolios, but we are not the only players in that specific market.”
“The major distinction between Monument Assurance Belgium and other insurers is that we do not introduce new products to the market and do not maintain an active distribution network; though we do maintain relationships with brokers because the policies we acquire have customers associated with them, whom we continue to reach through these brokers. In other words, we are a closed book consolidator.”
Why did you transform your model to a consolidator?
Dorsan van Hecke: “We do more than just consolidating, you know. Athora Belgium originated from Generali, a company that focused on both life and non-life insurance. We continue to aim for additional growth through new customers: we actively market life products, with a clear focus. This approach keeps us sharp. It also makes our relationship
with brokers unique, as we focus on both the existing books and our new products. So, we follow a different strategy than Monument Assurance Belgium, as we still focus on underwriting new products. We can do this because, since the acquisition, we have built
upon the existing apparatus of Generali.”
“We do, however, have a sharp focus on the profitability of our products. This means we don’t bring all possible products to the market. Profitable products are the best guarantee for the customer that we will be there when they need us.”
The strategic choice of some insurers is to sell activities that are no longer part of their core business, whereas our core business is precisely to acquire those activities
Dorsan van Hecke
Koen Depaemelaere: “The founding of Monument Assurance Belgium is linked to opportunities that arose from market evolutions. In 2016, Solvency II regulations came into effect in Belgium, at a time when interest rates were low, and it was expected they would remain low for an extended period. The combination of transitioning from Solvency I to Solvency II and a low-interest rate environment posed several challenges for existing life insurers (this was less applicable to non-life insurers). It brought them into a new world where the capital requirements to continue their life insurance activities had significantly changed. Some insurers had not prepared their asset mix well for this new reality. A significant part of our current portfolio comes from acquiring the portfolio of a life insurer that did not handle this situation as well: Integrale in Liège, which was under the control of the National Bank of Belgium in 2021 due to inadequate solvency ratios.” “There are many reasons why life insurers offer parts of their portfolios for sale, but the fact is that the transition from Solvency I to Solvency II made many of them rethink their strategies. Often, it concerned Branch 21 products with higher interest rates, which posed several risks in that period of lower interest rates.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “As Koen rightly points out, it’s a matter of the strategic allocation of your capital. It’s about making choices. The introduction of Solvency II means that you need to hold a significant portion of your capital for business that is already underwritten. Add to that the money required to run your business on all your platforms, for your operational processes, for building knowledge among employees, for technological innovations, and so on, and it becomes clear that retaining capital for an activity that is no longer considered core can be costly. It is therefore logical that insurers make choices about where they want to allocate their capital, for example, going for capital light products in life that require less capital (like Branch 23) or developing new markets.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “Their strategic choice is to sell certain activities because they are no longer part of their core business, whereas our core business is precisely to acquire those activities. We can do this because our focus is on integrating various books. Again, we can only do this because it is our sole focus. If we had to spread our management’s attention and also aim to gain new market shares in, then it would become a challenging situation.”
Koen Depaemelaere
Are fewer portfolios up for sale now that interest rates have risen?
Koen Depaemelaere: “It's not just the interest rate that drives strategic decisions for existing insurers. Technology is certainly another factor, as Dorsan mentioned, but it’s true that interest rates are a significant driver. However, we must also mention that although interest rates have risen, they are not dramatically high yet.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “Every insurer, after ten years of low-interest rates, has acquired certain assets with a yield that now, with rising interest rates, are in a latent depreciation. That in itself is not a problem, as you need to keep them until the end date of the policy. If you were to transfer them now to higherinterest products, only then would you have to take a loss. The assumption that you could switch your entire book to a 3 percent interest rate today is not correct in our long-term business. It is also true that over the past ten years, when interest rates were close to zero, we were still able to pay out profits because we had older assets that still yielded returns. There is a latency in reversing the performance, which is logical because we operate in a long-term business.”
Are you playing in a new field within the insurance industry?
Koen Depaemelaere: “In Belgium, our way of working has certainly emerged since the arrival of Solvency II in a low-interest environment. Closed book consolidations have existed in the non-life market, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, for about fifteen years.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “Consolidating books has indeed become a bigger trend in Europe since the implementation of Solvency II, but I wouldn’t call it an entirely different field. However, we do operate from a different perspective.”
We are attractive employers and attract some younger profiles because they want to be part of our growth momentum
Koen Depaemelaere
Koen Depaemelaere: “For our own teams that we are building through our growth, it is definitely a new playground. Compared to a traditional insurer, we grow much faster through acquisitions. We started five years ago in Belgium, and today we have 200 employees. For them, there is at least one significant change: previously, they were often somewhat isolated within the existing insurer, which is related to the nature of closed books within one insurance company. These closed books tend to get smaller over time and often still run on old systems. When you migrate closed books to a specialist like us, it’s a different story. It becomes a growth story with a completely different dynamic. Previously, they were in a sort of run-off mindset (“Who will be the last one to turn off the lights on this portfolio?”), but now they find themselves in an environment where their task is not on the sidelines but is our core activity. They are clearly in a winning mood.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “I totally agree. Often, these teams have not received much operational investment and feel like they are not considered core. And then someone like us comes in, who sees the value of their portfolio, their knowledge and skills and is willing to invest in it. A new owner who also works on processes and makes life easier for the policy handlers by focusing on more automation and backup.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “In other words, we are attractive employers. In a relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, something new and exciting. That attracts some younger profiles because they want to be part of that growth momentum.”
Just because closed books are your core business doesn’t mean things just tick alongas they are: administration is continuously optimized, and you are constantly looking forimprovements.
Dorsan van Hecke: “Exactly. When we acquire portfolios, they often come with outdated technologies and old programming languages. We transfer them to new platforms to ensure proper administration in the long term. It’s a necessity since fewer employees are skilled in those old technologies, and many of them are close to retirement. So, time is ticking to smoothly transition everything to systems we have control over.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “We invest millions of euros in migrating those closed portfolios from the old mainframe platform to modern software packages. By doing so, we make it possible for the seller to decommission old technology. In that sense, we are contributing to the modernization of the insurance sector.”
Does that also reflect in the service provided to the end customer?
Koen Depaemelaere: “Our ambition is to keep two parties extremely satisfied. First and foremost, there are the policyholder and the broker. We want the customers to feel that the service is not inferior to what they had with the company they initially signed a contract with. We aim to guarantee at least the same level of service the policyholder was used to with the selling party. The same goes for the broker. It must be even better than before. If not, the brokers would quickly know, and the enthusiasm for our migrations wouldn’t be as high.”
“We also want to work closely with the regulator. Ultimately, it’s the regulator who decides whether a transaction is approved or not. We may have an agreement with the selling party, but that agreement is not executable until approved by the National Bank. We cannot grow without the required approval of the National Bank.”
This is core for us: the guarantee to the customer that we will fulfill the promises stated in the policies Dorsan van Hecke
Dorsan van Hecke: “Our story differs slightly because we are also still an open book insurer, offering new contracts. This means we have a complete commercial apparatus and an IT solution for the front-end. Customers from a portfolio of an acquired closed book are transferred to our platform, and they benefit from all the solutions we have. An important aspect is that we often take over portfolios with high guarantees that we want to honor until the policy term. It is core for us: the guarantee to the customer that we will fulfill the obligations stated in the policies. We ensure that all parties have confidence in it: the customer, the regulator overseeing it, our internal employees, and the brokers.”
You both have had a successful track record with ‘traditional’ insurers. To what extent is the experience at Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium different?
Koen Depaemelaere: “I was responsible for the life insurance activities of a large insurer in Belgium. In that capacity, I experienced the strategic reflections when it became increasingly difficult to generate returns on individual life insurances, Branch 21. As mentioned before, the reasons were low interest rates and Solvency II. Step by step, that activity was scaled down, and eventually, after six or seven years of restructuring, we sought a buyer – just like we are now.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “What has also fundamentally changed the past years, are the efforts we have to make to comply with legislation, taxation, and human resources policies. The ratio between the people who actually serve customers on a daily basis and the organizational structure overseeing our compliance has completely flipped. The number of control functions has increased enormously, just to keep up with existing and new regulations. At the same time, we are facing significant investments. This means that we do encounter quite a few limitations. If you are also ambitious and see your company’s role as more than just guaranteeing the pension aspect for many people, but also putting capital to work in favor of sustainability...
Today, we spend a lot of time and energy on following up on regulations and reporting on them. More time and energy than we can devote to actually getting things done.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “If I may add to that? The world is indeed becoming increasingly challenging for small players. That complexity also leads to portfolio transfers. The consolidation is a result of insurers no longer being able to handle certain aspects, whereas we can still develop them because we are creating scale.”
Dorsan van Hecke
Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium close the most deals. By far. Is there room for competition or is it a too difficult market to enter?
Koen Depaemelaere: “It’s not that difficult. Every interested buyer gets a fair chance. Closed books go through bidding processes, and for most transactions, there are more than ten bidders. It’s a highly competitive market. The fact that many of those transactions end up with Athora Belgium or Monument Assurance Belgium is just a coincidence.”
Are there international competitors? Is it possible to manage a Belgian portfolio from abroad?
Dorsan van Hecke: “Theoretically, yes. But, of course, you also need approval from the regulator. A player that doesn’t have a local license here and wants to acquire a portfolio and manage it from somewhere else under free provision of services, in theory, it’s possible, but it becomes a more challenging process to get approval.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “There’s also the aspect of service quality: you need to speak the language, you need to understand the products.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “In addition to the legal aspect, you also have the consumer aspect of such a deal, the customers. The FSMA (Financial Services and Markets Authority) also scrutinizes that. For a foreign party, in practice, it’s not very straightforward.”
The cooperation with the seller can make or break our good reputation in the market Dorsan van Hecke
You both take the lion’s share of the number of acquisitions. Who is the number three in Belgium?
Koen Depaemelaere: “Again, for each case, there are different candidates. Depending on the portfolio, different players come forward each time, but I’m not going to list all the competitors now. Actually, the process is driven by the seller’s advisor, who naturally aims for the best possible price. So, the advisor has a vested interest in having as many candidates as possible. Besides the price, deal certainty also plays a crucial role. We have already proven that we can deliver. Putting a signature between two parties for a price is not difficult. But getting the deal approved and then successfully carrying out the migration... You must consider that between the signature and the approval of the National Bank, a year can quickly pass. Until their approval the portfolio still belongs to the seller. So, the assets and liabilities shift only at the moment of closing. Only then can we dive into those databases and think about the migration from the seller’s source system to ours. That’s another year to a year and a half. Before you can manage that portfolio with your own people, on your own platforms, you are 2.5 years ahead. You don’t want such a time-consuming process to derail, of course.”
So, your reputation is crucial for the seller.
Koen Depaemelaere: “Absolutely. But also, how we view the cooperation. In the period following the deal’s closing we work with a service agreement where the seller effectively continues to operate under our logo. That naturally requires enormous collaboration and trust. You have to examine whether the teams of both parties will be able to work together for such a long time, whether the IT experts can make the migration work... In a deal, the price is just one element.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “I completely agree. Such good cooperation can make or break our good reputation in the market. Thanks to the credibility we have built with the regulator, the seller has a high level of certainty that the deal will actually happen.”
Kopie - “In this relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, of something new and exciting”
“In this relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, of something new and exciting”
Dorsan van Hecke (left) (Athora Belgium)
And Koen Depaemelaere (right)(Monument Assurance Belgium)
Athora Belgium and Monument
Assurance Belgium have been
bringing a fresh breeze to the insurance sector for several
years now. “Compared to other
players, we are indeed growing much faster. Our enthusiasm
attracts young talent, and our
passionate employees are in a winning mood.” Where does
this exceptional dynamism
come from? During a breakfast session with Ensur, CEOs Dorsan
van Hecke (Athora Belgium) and
Koen Depaemelaere (Monument
Assurance Belgium) provide
insights into the workings of
their organizations.
Your insurance companies are gaining attention due to their rapid growth. What
are the main focuses of Athora Belgium and
Monument Assurance Belgium?
Dorsan van Hecke: “Athora Belgium is a
life insurance company that aims for both
organic and inorganic growth. We achieve
organic growth by offering new products,
and inorganic growth through acquiring
companies or portfolios from other insurers.
What sets us apart from typical insurers is our
hybrid growth approach and our partnership
with Apollo Asset Management, one of the
group’s shareholders, which guides us in our
asset management strategy where we provide
a slightly different twist than the rest of the
market.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “Monument Assurance
Belgium is exclusively focused on life
insurance. Unlike Athora Belgium, we do not
grow organically. Instead, we grow through
acquisitions, involving a share deal where we
take over another life insurance company.
This growth can also happen through portfolio
transfers, where an existing player wishes
to sell a block of life insurance policies, or
through the reinsurance of life insurance
portfolios. We have three ways to grow, often
initiated by an insurer making a decision
based on strategic insights or pressure from
their own results to sell (part of) their portfolio
or the entire company. Like Athora Belgium,
we bid on these portfolios, but we are not the
only players in that specific market.”
“The major distinction between Monument Assurance Belgium and other insurers is that we do not introduce new products to the market and do not maintain an active distribution network; though we do maintain relationships with brokers because the policies we acquire have customers associated with them, whom we continue to reach through these brokers. In other words, we are a closed book consolidator.”
Why did you transform your model to a consolidator?
Dorsan van Hecke: “We do more than just consolidating, you know. Athora Belgium originated from Generali, a company that focused on both life and non-life insurance. We continue to aim for additional growth through new customers: we actively market life products, with a clear focus. This approach keeps us sharp. It also makes our relationship with brokers unique, as we focus on both the existing books and our new products. So, we follow a different strategy than Monument Assurance Belgium, as we still focus on underwriting new products. We can do this because, since the acquisition, we have built upon the existing apparatus of Generali.”
“We do, however, have a sharp focus on the profitability of our products. This means we don’t bring all possible products to the market. Profitable products are the best guarantee for the customer that we will be there when they need us.”
The strategic choice of some insurers is to sell activities that are no longer part of their core business, whereas our core business is precisely to acquire those activities
Dorsan van Hecke
Koen Depaemelaere: “The founding of Monument Assurance Belgium is linked to opportunities that arose from market evolutions. In 2016, Solvency II regulations came into effect in Belgium, at a time when interest rates were low, and it was expected they would remain low for an extended period. The combination of transitioning from Solvency I to Solvency II and a low-interest rate environment posed several challenges for existing life insurers (this was less applicable to non-life insurers). It brought them into a new world where the capital requirements to continue their life insurance activities had significantly changed. Some insurers had not prepared their asset mix well for this new reality. A significant part of our current portfolio comes from acquiring the portfolio of a life insurer that did not handle this situation as well: Integrale in Liège, which was under the control of the National Bank of Belgium in 2021 due to inadequate solvency ratios.” “There are many reasons why life insurers offer parts of their portfolios for sale, but the fact is that the transition from Solvency I to Solvency II made many of them rethink their strategies. Often, it concerned Branch 21 products with higher interest rates, which posed several risks in that period of lower interest rates.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “As Koen rightly points out, it’s a matter of the strategic allocation of your capital. It’s about making choices. The introduction of Solvency II means that you need to hold a significant portion of your capital for business that is already underwritten. Add to that the money required to run your business on all your platforms, for your operational processes, for building knowledge among employees, for technological innovations, and so on, and it becomes clear that retaining capital for an activity that is no longer considered core can be costly. It is therefore logical that insurers make choices about where they want to allocate their capital, for example, going for capital light products in life that require less capital (like Branch 23) or developing new markets.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “Their strategic choice is to sell certain activities because they are no longer part of their core business, whereas our core business is precisely to acquire those activities. We can do this because our focus is on integrating various books. Again, we can only do this because it is our sole focus. If we had to spread our management’s attention and also aim to gain new market shares in, then it would become a challenging situation.”
Are fewer portfolios up for sale now that interest rates have risen?
Koen Depaemelaere: “It’s not just the interest rate that drives strategic decisions for existing insurers. Technology is certainly another factor, as Dorsan mentioned, but it’s true that interest rates are a significant driver. However, we must also mention that although interest rates have risen, they are not dramatically high yet.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “Every insurer, after ten years of low-interest rates, has acquired certain assets with a yield that now, with rising interest rates, are in a latent depreciation. That in itself is not a problem, as you need to keep them until the end date of the policy. If you were to transfer them now to higherinterest products, only then would you have to take a loss. The assumption that you could switch your entire book to a 3 percent interest rate today is not correct in our long-term business. It is also true that over the past ten years, when interest rates were close to zero, we were still able to pay out profits because we had older assets that still yielded returns. There is a latency in reversing the performance, which is logical because we operate in a long-term business.”
Are you playing in a new field within the insurance industry?
Koen Depaemelaere: “In Belgium, our way of working has certainly emerged since the arrival of Solvency II in a low-interest environment. Closed book consolidations have existed in the non-life market, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, for about fifteen years.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “Consolidating books has indeed become a bigger trend in Europe since the implementation of Solvency II, but I wouldn’t call it an entirely different field. However, we do operate from a different perspective.”
We are attractive employers and attract some younger profiles because they want to be part of our growth momentum
Koen Depaemelaere
Koen Depaemelaere: “For our own teams that we are building through our growth, it is definitely a new playground. Compared to a traditional insurer, we grow much faster through acquisitions. We started five years ago in Belgium, and today we have 200 employees. For them, there is at least one significant change: previously, they were often somewhat isolated within the existing insurer, which is related to the nature of closed books within one insurance company. These closed books tend to get smaller over time and often still run on old systems. When you migrate closed books to a specialist like us, it’s a different story. It becomes a growth story with a completely different dynamic. Previously, they were in a sort of run-off mindset (“Who will be the last one to turn off the lights on this portfolio?”), but now they find themselves in an environment where their task is not on the sidelines but is our core activity. They are clearly in a winning mood.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “I totally agree. Often, these teams have not received much operational investment and feel like they are not considered core. And then someone like us comes in, who sees the value of their portfolio, their knowledge and skills and is willing to invest in it. A new owner who also works on processes and makes life easier for the policy handlers by focusing on more automation and backup.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “In other words, we are attractive employers. In a relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, something new and exciting. That attracts some younger profiles because they want to be part of that growth momentum.”
Just because closed books are your core business doesn’t mean things just tick along as they are: administration is continuously optimized, and you are constantly looking for improvements.
Dorsan van Hecke: “Exactly. When we acquire portfolios, they often come with outdated technologies and old programming languages. We transfer them to new platforms to ensure proper administration in the long term. It’s a necessity since fewer employees are skilled in those old technologies, and many of them are close to retirement. So, time is ticking to smoothly transition everything to systems we have control over.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “We invest millions of euros in migrating those closed portfolios from the old mainframe platform to modern software packages. By doing so, we make it possible for the seller to decommission old technology. In that sense, we are contributing to the modernization of the insurance sector.”
Does that also reflect in the service provided to the end customer?
Koen Depaemelaere: “Our ambition is to keep two parties extremely satisfied. First and foremost, there are the policyholder and the broker. We want the customers to feel that the service is not inferior to what they had with the company they initially signed a contract with. We aim to guarantee at least the same level of service the policyholder was used to with the selling party. The same goes for the broker. It must be even better than before. If not, the brokers would quickly know, and the enthusiasm for our migrations wouldn’t be as high.”
“We also want to work closely with the regulator. Ultimately, it’s the regulator who decides whether a transaction is approved or not. We may have an agreement with the selling party, but that agreement is not executable until approved by the National Bank. We cannot grow without the required approval of the National Bank.”
This is core for us: the guarantee to the customer that we will fulfill the promises stated in the policies
Dorsan van Hecke
Dorsan van Hecke: “Our story differs slightly because we are also still an open book insurer, offering new contracts. This means we have a complete commercial apparatus and an IT solution for the front-end. Customers from a portfolio of an acquired closed book are transferred to our platform, and they benefit from all the solutions we have. An important aspect is that we often take over portfolios with high guarantees that we want to honor until the policy term. It is core for us: the guarantee to the customer that we will fulfill the obligations stated in the policies. We ensure that all parties have confidence in it: the customer, the regulator overseeing it, our internal employees, and the brokers.”
You both have had a successful track record with ‘traditional’ insurers. To what extent is the experience at Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium different?
Koen Depaemelaere: “I was responsible for the life insurance activities of a large insurer in Belgium. In that capacity, I experienced the strategic reflections when it became increasingly difficult to generate returns on individual life insurances, Branch 21. As mentioned before, the reasons were low interest rates and Solvency II. Step by step, that activity was scaled down, and eventually, after six or seven years of restructuring, we sought a buyer – just like we are now.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “What has also fundamentally changed the past years, are the efforts we have to make to comply with legislation, taxation, and human resources policies. The ratio between the people who actually serve customers on a daily basis and the organizational structure overseeing our compliance has completely flipped. The number of control functions has increased enormously, just to keep up with existing and new regulations. At the same time, we are facing significant investments. This means that we do encounter quite a few limitations. If you are also ambitious and see your company’s role as more than just guaranteeing the pension aspect for many people, but also putting capital to work in favor of sustainability...
Today, we spend a lot of time and energy on following up on regulations and reporting on them. More time and energy than we can devote to actually getting things done.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “If I may add to that? The world is indeed becoming increasingly challenging for small players. That complexity also leads to portfolio transfers. The consolidation is a result of insurers no longer being able to handle certain aspects, whereas we can still develop them because we are creating scale.”
Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium close the most deals. By far. Is there room for competition or is it a too difficult market to enter?
Koen Depaemelaere: “It’s not that difficult. Every interested buyer gets a fair chance. Closed books go through bidding processes, and for most transactions, there are more than ten bidders. It’s a highly competitive market. The fact that many of those transactions end up with Athora Belgium or Monument Assurance Belgium is just a coincidence.”
Are there international competitors? Is it possible to manage a Belgian portfolio from abroad?
Dorsan van Hecke: “Theoretically, yes. But, of course, you also need approval from the regulator. A player that doesn’t have a local license here and wants to acquire a portfolio and manage it from somewhere else under free provision of services, in theory, it’s possible, but it becomes a more challenging process to get approval.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “There’s also the aspect of service quality: you need to speak the language, you need to understand the products.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “In addition to the legal aspect, you also have the consumer aspect of such a deal, the customers. The FSMA (Financial Services and Markets Authority) also scrutinizes that. For a foreign party, in practice, it’s not very straightforward.”
The cooperation with the seller can make or break our good reputation in the market
Dorsan van Hecke
You both take the lion’s share of the number of acquisitions. Who is the number three in Belgium?
Koen Depaemelaere: “Again, for each case, there are different candidates. Depending on the portfolio, different players come forward each time, but I’m not going to list all the
competitors now. Actually, the process is driven by the seller’s advisor, who naturally aims for the best possible price. So, the advisor has a vested interest in having as many candidates as possible. Besides the price, deal certainty also plays a crucial role. We have already proven that we can deliver. Putting a signature between two parties for a price is not difficult. But getting the deal approved and then successfully carrying out the migration... You must consider that between the signature and the approval of the National Bank, a year can quickly pass. Until their approval the portfolio still belongs to the seller. So, the assets and liabilities shift only at the moment of closing. Only then can we dive into those databases and think about the migration from the seller’s source system to ours. That’s another year to a year and a half. Before you can manage that portfolio with your own people, on your own platforms, you are 2.5 years ahead. You don’t want such a time-consuming process to derail, of course.”
So, your reputation is crucial for the seller.
Koen Depaemelaere: “Absolutely. But also, how we view the cooperation. In the period following the deal’s closing we work with a service agreement where the seller effectively continues to operate under our logo. That naturally requires enormous collaboration and trust. You have to examine whether the teams of both parties will be able to work together for such a long time, whether the IT experts can make the migration work... In a deal, the price is just one element.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “I completely agree. Such good cooperation can make or break our good reputation in the market. Thanks to the credibility we have built with the regulator, the seller has a high level of certainty that the deal will actually happen.”
test nieuwe versie
“In this relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, of something new and exciting”
Dorsan van Hecke (left) (Athora Belgium)
And Koen Depaemelaere (right)(Monument Assurance Belgium)
Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium have been bringing a fresh breeze to the
insurance sector for several years now. “Compared to other players, we are indeed growing
much faster. Our enthusiasm attracts young talent, and our passionate employees are in
a winning mood.” Where does this exceptional dynamism come from? During a breakfast
Onderschrift
session with Ensur, CEOs Dorsan van Hecke (Athora Belgium) and Koen Depaemelaere (Monument Assurance Belgium) provide insights into the workings of their organizations.
Your insurance companies are gaining attention due to their rapid growth. What are the main focuses of Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium?
Dorsan van Hecke: “Athora Belgium is a life insurance company that aims for both organic and inorganic growth. We achieve organic growth by offering new products, and inorganic growth through acquiring companies or portfolios from other insurers. What sets us apart from typical insurers is our hybrid growth approach and our partnership with Apollo Asset Management, one of the group’s shareholders, which guides us in our asset management strategy where we provide a slightly different twist than the rest of the market.”
Onderschrift
Koen Depaemelaere: “Monument Assurance Belgium is exclusively focused on life insurance. Unlike Athora Belgium, we do not grow organically. Instead, we grow through acquisitions, involving a share deal where we take over another life insurance company. This growth can also happen through portfolio transfers, where an existing player wishes to sell a block of life insurance policies, or through the reinsurance of life insurance portfolios. We have three ways to grow, often initiated by an insurer making a decision based on strategic insights or pressure from their own results to sell (part of) their portfolio or the entire company. Like Athora Belgium, we bid on these portfolios, but we are not the only players in that specific market.”
“The major distinction between Monument Assurance Belgium and other insurers is that we do not introduce new products to the market and do not maintain an active distribution network; though we do maintain relationships with brokers because the policies we acquire have customers associated with them, whom we continue to reach through these brokers. In other words, we are a closed book consolidator.”
Why did you transform your model to a consolidator?
Dorsan van Hecke: “We do more than just consolidating, you know. Athora Belgium originated from Generali, a company that focused on both life and non-life insurance. We continue to aim for additional growth through new customers: we actively market life products, with a clear focus. This approach keeps us sharp. It also makes our relationship
with brokers unique, as we focus on both the existing books and our new products. So, we
follow a different strategy than Monument Assurance Belgium, as we still focus on underwriting new products. We can do this because, since the acquisition, we have built
upon the existing apparatus of Generali.”
“We do, however, have a sharp focus on the profitability of our products. This means we don’t bring all possible products to the market. Profitable products are the best guarantee for the customer that we will be there when they need us.”
The strategic choice of some insurers is to sell activities that are no longer part of their core business, whereas our core business is precisely to acquire those activities
Dorsan van Hecke
Koen Depaemelaere: “The founding of Monument Assurance Belgium is linked to opportunities that arose from market evolutions. In 2016, Solvency II regulations came into effect in Belgium, at a time when interest rates were low, and it was expected they would remain low for an extended period. The combination of transitioning from Solvency I to Solvency II and a low-interest rate environment posed several challenges for existing life insurers (this was less applicable to non-life insurers). It brought them into a new world where the capital requirements to continue their life insurance activities had significantly changed. Some insurers had not prepared their asset mix well for this new reality. A significant part of our current portfolio comes from acquiring the portfolio of a life insurer that did not handle this situation as well: Integrale in Liège, which was under the control of the National Bank of Belgium in 2021 due to inadequate solvency ratios.” “There are many reasons why life insurers offer parts of their portfolios for sale, but the fact is that the transition from Solvency I to Solvency II made many of them rethink their strategies. Often, it concerned Branch 21 products with higher interest rates, which posed several risks in that period of lower interest rates.”
Onderschrift
Dorsan van Hecke: “As Koen rightly points out, it’s a matter of the strategic allocation of your capital. It’s about making choices. The introduction of Solvency II means that you need to hold a significant portion of your capital for business that is already underwritten. Add to that the money required to run your business on all your platforms, for your operational processes, for building knowledge among employees, for technological innovations, and so on, and it becomes clear that retaining capital for an activity that is no longer considered core can be costly. It is therefore logical that insurers make choices about where they want to
allocate their capital, for example, going for capital light products in life that require less capital (like Branch 23) or developing new markets.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “Their strategic choice is to sell certain activities because they are no longer part of their core business, whereas our core business is precisely to acquire those activities. We can do this because our focus is on integrating various books. Again, we can only do this because it is our sole focus. If we had to spread our management’s attention
and also aim to gain new market shares in, then it would become a challenging situation.”
Are fewer portfolios up for sale now that interest rates have risen?
Koen Depaemelaere: “It’s not just the interest rate that drives strategic decisions for existing insurers. Technology is certainly another factor, as Dorsan mentioned, but it’s true that interest rates are a significant driver. However, we must also mention that although interest rates have risen, they are not dramatically high yet.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “Every insurer, after ten years of low-interest rates, has acquired certain assets with a yield that now, with rising interest rates, are in a latent depreciation. That in itself is not a problem, as you need to keep them until the end date of the policy. If you were to transfer them now to higherinterest products, only then would you have to take a loss. The assumption that you could switch your entire book to a 3 percent interest rate today is not correct in our long-term business. It is also true that over the past ten years, when interest rates were close to zero, we were still able to pay out profits because we had older assets that still yielded returns. There is a latency in reversing the performance, which is logical because we operate in a long-term business.”
Are you playing in a new field within the insurance industry?
Koen Depaemelaere: “In Belgium, our way of working has certainly emerged since the arrival of Solvency II in a low-interest environment. Closed book consolidations have existed in the non-life market, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, for about fifteen years.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “Consolidating books has indeed become a bigger trend in Europe since the implementation of Solvency II, but I wouldn’t call it an entirely different field. However, we do operate from a different perspective.”
We are attractive employers and attract some younger profiles because they want to be part of our growth momentum
Koen Depaemelaere
Koen Depaemelaere: “For our own teams that we are building through our growth, it is definitely a new playground. Compared to a traditional insurer, we grow much faster through acquisitions. We started five years ago in Belgium, and today we have 200 employees. For them, there is at least one significant change: previously, they were often somewhat isolated within the existing insurer, which is related to the nature of closed books within one insurance company. These closed books tend to get smaller over time and often still run on old systems. When you migrate closed books to a specialist like us, it’s a different story. It becomes a growth story with a completely different dynamic. Previously, they were in a sort of run-off mindset (“Who will be the last one to turn off the lights on this portfolio?”), but now they find themselves in an environment where their task is not on the sidelines but is our core activity. They are clearly in a winning mood.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “I totally agree. Often, these teams have not received much operational investment and feel like they are not considered core. And then someone like us comes in, who sees the value of their portfolio, their knowledge and skills and is willing to invest in it. A new owner who also works on processes and makes life easier for the policy handlers by focusing on more automation and backup.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “In other words, we are attractive employers. In a relatively stable sector, we bring the flair of a start-up, something new and exciting. That attracts some younger profiles because they want to be part of that growth momentum.”
Just because closed books are your core business doesn’t mean things just tick along
as they are: administration is continuously optimized, and you are constantly looking for
improvements.
Dorsan van Hecke: “Exactly. When we acquire portfolios, they often come with outdated technologies and old programming languages. We transfer them to new platforms to ensure proper administration in the long term. It’s a necessity since fewer employees are skilled in those old technologies, and many of them are close to retirement. So, time is ticking to smoothly transition everything to systems we have control over.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “We invest millions of euros in migrating those closed portfolios from the old mainframe platform to modern software packages. By doing so, we make it possible for the seller to decommission old technology. In that sense, we are contributing to the modernization of the insurance sector.”
Does that also reflect in the service provided to the end customer?
Koen Depaemelaere: “Our ambition is to keep two parties extremely satisfied. First and
foremost, there are the policyholder and the broker. We want the customers to feel that the service is not inferior to what they had with the company they initially signed a contract with. We aim to guarantee at least the same level of service the policyholder was used to with the selling party. The same goes for the broker. It must be even better than before. If not, the brokers would quickly know, and the enthusiasm for our migrations wouldn’t be as high.”
“We also want to work closely with the regulator. Ultimately, it’s the regulator who decides whether a transaction is approved or not. We may have an agreement with the selling party, but that agreement is not executable until approved by the National Bank. We cannot grow without the required approval of the National Bank.”
This is core for us: the guarantee to the customer that we will fulfill the promises
stated in the policies
Dorsan van Hecke
Dorsan van Hecke: “Our story differs slightly because we are also still an open book insurer,
offering new contracts. This means we have a complete commercial apparatus and an IT solution for the front-end. Customers from a portfolio of an acquired closed book are transferred to our platform, and they benefit from all the solutions we have. An important aspect is that we often take over portfolios with high guarantees that we want to honor
until the policy term. It is core for us: the guarantee to the customer that we will fulfill the obligations stated in the policies. We ensure that all parties have confidence in it:
the customer, the regulator overseeing it, our internal employees, and the brokers.”
You both have had a successful track record with ‘traditional’ insurers. To what extent is the experience at Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium different?
Koen Depaemelaere: “I was responsible for the life insurance activities of a large insurer in Belgium. In that capacity, I experienced the strategic reflections when it became increasingly difficult to generate returns on individual life insurances, Branch 21. As mentioned before, the reasons were low interest rates and Solvency II. Step by step, that activity was scaled down, and eventually, after six or seven years of restructuring, we sought a buyer – just like we are now.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “What has also fundamentally changed the past years, are the efforts we have to make to comply with legislation, taxation, and human resources policies. The ratio between the people who actually serve customers on a daily basis and the organizational structure overseeing our compliance has completely flipped. The number of control functions has increased enormously, just to keep up with existing and new regulations. At the same time, we are facing significant investments. This means that we do encounter quite a few limitations. If you are also ambitious and see your company’s role as more than just guaranteeing the pension aspect for many people, but also putting capital to work in favor of sustainability...
Today, we spend a lot of time and energy on following up on regulations and reporting on them. More time and energy than we can devote to actually getting things done.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “If I may add to that? The world is indeed becoming increasingly challenging for small players. That complexity also leads to portfolio transfers. The consolidation is a result of insurers no longer being able to handle certain aspects, whereas we can still develop them because we are creating scale.”
Athora Belgium and Monument Assurance Belgium close the most deals. By far. Is there room for competition or is it a too difficult market to enter?
Koen Depaemelaere: “It’s not that difficult. Every interested buyer gets a fair chance. Closed books go through bidding processes, and for most transactions, there are more than ten bidders. It’s a highly competitive market. The fact that many of those transactions end up with Athora Belgium or Monument Assurance Belgium is just a coincidence.”
Are there international competitors? Is it possible to manage a Belgian portfolio from abroad?
Dorsan van Hecke: “Theoretically, yes. But, of course, you also need approval from the regulator. A player that doesn’t have a local license here and wants to acquire a portfolio and manage it from somewhere else under free provision of services, in theory, it’s possible, but it becomes a more challenging process to get approval.”
Koen Depaemelaere: “There’s also the aspect of service quality: you need to speak the language, you need to understand the products.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “In addition to the legal aspect, you also have the consumer aspect of such a deal, the customers. The FSMA (Financial Services and Markets Authority) also scrutinizes that. For a foreign party, in practice, it’s not very straightforward.”
The cooperation with the seller can make or break our good reputation in the market
Dorsan van Hecke
You both take the lion’s share of the number of acquisitions. Who is the number three in Belgium?
Koen Depaemelaere: “Again, for each case, there are different candidates. Depending on
the portfolio, different players come forward each time, but I’m not going to list all the
competitors now. Actually, the process is driven by the seller’s advisor, who naturally aims for the best possible price. So, the advisor has a vested interest in having as many candidates as possible. Besides the price, deal certainty also plays a crucial role. We have already proven that we can deliver. Putting a signature between two parties for a price is not difficult. But getting the deal approved and then successfully carrying out the migration... You must consider that between the signature and the approval of the National Bank, a year can quickly pass. Until their approval the portfolio still belongs to the seller. So, the assets and liabilities shift only at the moment of closing. Only then can we dive into those databases and think about the migration from the seller’s source system to ours. That’s another year to a year and a half. Before you can manage that portfolio with your own people, on your own platforms, you are 2.5 years ahead. You don’t want such a time-consuming process to derail, of course.”
So, your reputation is crucial for the seller.
Koen Depaemelaere: “Absolutely. But also, how we view the cooperation. In the period following the deal’s closing we work with a service agreement where the seller effectively continues to operate under our logo. That naturally requires enormous collaboration and trust. You have to examine whether the teams of both parties will be able to work together for such a long time, whether the IT experts can make the migration work... In a deal, the price is just one element.”
Dorsan van Hecke: “I completely agree. Such good cooperation can make or break our good reputation in the market. Thanks to the credibility we have built with the regulator, the seller has a high level of certainty that the deal will actually happen.”
Liesbeth en Kris zijn innovatief in hun creaties en prettig-empathisch-volhoudend in de aanpak van hun projecten. Ze verstaan de kunst om op maat en met een vakkundig meesterschap, enthousiast kennis over te dragen.
David T.
Een overvloed aan kennis, die met passie en een ongebreidelde liefde voor het vak samengebracht wordt tot een kwalitatief product, om daarna nog eens extra overgoten te worden met een warme "Limburgse" gezelligheid. En dat laatste is iets waar ik als geboren en getogen Limburger toch recht-van-oordeel over heb, me dunkt ?
Voila, ik kan Liesbeth en Kris van Books&Bags niet op een andere manier omschrijven.
Als je de kans hebt, en je bent op zoek naar een product dat in hun expertise past, neem dan zeker eens de tijd om met een van hen (of allebei) een babbeltje te slaan. Ik garandeer u dat alles, wat hierboven beschreven staat, duidelijk zal worden.
Zo gaat dat nu eenmaal bij mensen die doordrongen zijn van datgene wat ze graag doen.
Ed S.
Toen we nog onderwijscollega's waren viel Liesbeth meteen op door haar enorme betrokkenheid bij het welzijn van de leerlingen. Verder was ze een uitmuntende lerares. Later bleek ook nog een ander talent op de voorgrond te komen binnen het domein van de handvaardigheid met het materiaal leder.
Kris was en is zo'n talentrijk man dat hij eigenlijk van alle markten thuis is. Hij is niet alleen de taalkundige en historicus maar eveneens een begenadigd muzikaal man en een computerwizard met daarnaast een meer dan gemiddelde in interesse voor stripverhalen. En last but not least ook meer dan een gemiddelde doe-het-zelver qua renovatiewerken. Beiden gaan ze steeds met volle overgave en passie ervoor om hun doelen te bereiken.
Lisa S.
Liesbeth was mijn (zeer gepassioneerde) leerkracht in het tweede middelbaar. We hadden meteen een klik en zijn steeds contact blijven houden. Tijdens mijn studies Journalistiek startte ze met haar prachtige Uit De Naad en interviewde ik haar hierover. Ze maakte ook een stijlvolle armband en sleutelhanger voor me, op maat gemaakt en met de grootste zorg. Liesbeth is super in alles wat ze doet en doet het vooral met 200% volle goesting. Bovendien is ze ook gewoon een enorm sociale en vlotte dame waarbij je je meteen op je gemak voelt.
Ivan M.
Ik ken Kris en Liesbeth nu ongeveer 17 jaar. Ik ontmoette Kris de eerste keer in de avondschool. Hij gaf er toen les in Adobe Flash. We bleven contact houden en in al die jaren heb Ik Kris, maar ook Liesbeth enorm zien groeien in hetgeen waar ze zo goed in zijn. Beiden zijn zo gepassioneerd en vol overgave met hun vak bezig. We zouden zeggen: Dat het niet normaal is. Het is een streling voor het oog om hen bezig te zien. Ze leveren dan ook prachtig werk. Het zijn niet alleen buitengewoon getalenteerde vakmensen, maar ook geweldig warme mensen.
Marc D.
In 2010 heb ik Kris leren kennen als webontwikkelaar voor mijn website. Deze werd door hem volledig op maat geprogrammeerd en was toen al zeer innovatief. Door zijn enorme ervaring, talent en passie voor het vak creëerde hij dan ook een meesterwerk voor ons bedrijf. Ook weten we zijn perfecte service en updates van het programma te waarderen.
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Het mag dan ook vreemd heten dat de Tiense politici tot op heden,
ondanks talloze beloftes, en aangekondigde verbouwingen (de stellingen voor het gebouw zijn ondertussen zelf reeds aan restauratie toe) niets ondernemen om dit stuk van het stedelijk verleden te conserveren. De berichten over “I love Tienen” die de sociale media sinds een paar weken opvrolijken, getuigen wel van een hernieuwd voornemen om de verkommerde stad te herleven… iets wat we vaker horen bij het begin van een nieuw jaar. Simultaan duiken echter persberichten op over het aanpakken van de leegstand en verkrotting.
Het oude vergeten Sint-Jansgasthuis dient daarbij opnieuw als coverbeeld
. Boetes op leegstand zullen verhoogd worden om dit probleem aan te pakken.
Was dit gebouw niet eigendom van de gemeente zelf? Hoe zit dat dan met die boete?
Het verleden mag geld opleveren, maar geen kosten? Het voelt vreemd dat politici in al die jaren van goede voornemens hun beloftes niet nakomen en echt werk maken van een degelijke conservatie. Ook hier lijkt, jammer genoeg, het
kortetermijndenkente primeren. Het lijkt een kroniek van een aangekondigde dood. In “The History Manifesto” schreven de historici Jo Guldi en David Armitage: 
The Future of Drones - Popular Mechanics
