About the award

Who became Sustainability Professional 2023?

In this eight edition, two professionals were awarded:

Jasmien Wynants,
Sustainability Manager, XANDRES

is the Dutch-speaking Sustainability Professional 2023.

Isabelle De Bruyne,
Chief Sustainability Officer, CFE

is the French-speaking Sustainability Professional 2023.

These finalists became Sustainability Ambassador :

  • Geert Aelbrecht, Chief People Officer Group Sustainability & ESG Officer, BESIX
  • Wouter De Broeck, Sustainability Manager, ALSICO
  • Pascale-Marie Barriquand, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy,
    Innovation & Business Development department,
    LUMINUS
  • Bruno Van Sieleghem, Sustainability & CR Manager, THE COTTON GROUP

Sustainability Pioneers 2023

For each language group we also looked for Sustainability Pioneers 2023: starters in the field of Sustainability who have realized a strong, inspirational project or best practice during the past year.
These titles were awarded to:

  • Mark Vandevelde & Greet Goegebuer, Founders, KOMRADS
    in the Dutch-speaking category
  • Raoul Nihart, CEO, LUMINUS SOLUTIONS &
    Monica Santalena, Co-fondatrice – Directrice, 100000 ENTREPRENEURS
    in the French-speaking category

An evolution from CSR to Sustainability

In today’s corporate world, sustainability has become increasingly common talking-point. This only makes sense since the enterprise of the future must be sustainable if it wants to continue on. After all, sustainability is no longer an option, but a necessity if you want to be able to grow in this ever-changing world. In fact, a modern way of entrepreneurship, one with respect for human and planet, is what it is all about.

On top of that, sustainability is not a clearly defined concept. It is a constantly evolving term. It is a way of living, of working, and continuously looking towards the future to help build a better and healthier society and world as efficiently as possible.

Evidently, companies with a sustainability-plan are better able to contribute to the realisation of the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals, a.k.a. the SDGs.

That is why from now on, we will elect the Sustainability Professional of the Year!


The timeline looked like this:

1 november 2022

Start of nominations

1 november 2022
6 januari 2023 at 12 noon

End of nominations

All nominees submit their dossier.

6 januari 2023 at 12 noon
10 januari 2023

Selection by core committee

The core committee of the jury makes a first selection of candidates.

10 januari 2023
11 – 26 januari 2023

Selection by jury

On the basis of the dossiers, the jury decides which candidates are invited to the jury defence.

11 – 26 januari 2023
26 januari 2023

Pre-selection results

The candidates are notified of the results of the pre-selection.

26 januari 2023
30 januari 2023

Presentation in front of the jury

The top 5 of each category presents its dossier in front of the jury. The jury reduces each top 5 to a top 3. The jury’s vote counts for 75% of the total points. The jury also determines who qualifies for the title of Sustainability Pioneer 2023.

30 januari 2023
31 januari – 16 februari 2023

Online voting round

We are calling for online votes for the finalists. Votes account for 25% of the total votes.

31 januari – 16 februari 2023
16 februari 2023

Event night
Sustainability Professional 2023

The winners will be announced at the Sustainability Professional event.

16 februari 2023

What is Time4Society?

Time4Society provides a link between the profit sector on the one hand and the social profit and non-profit sector on the other hand. It’s Time4Society’s mission to facilitate corporate engagement. This is realized through socially valuable projects, Sustainability-advice, Sustainability-coaching, and by sharing innovation and expertise in the field of Sustainability.

What is VBO FEB?

As the leading voice of the Belgian professional world, it is VBO FEB’s goal to achieve an optimal climate for entrepreneurs in Belgian. We represent more than 50 thousand enterprises in more than 50 sectors. A strong economy leads to sustainable progress that forms the basis for more welfare for everyone. Economic and societal interests are not only complementary but also connected. That is how we create value for everyone.