The COO’s Design Table
ActiveFounder
A conversation space for current and future COOs designing organisations for scale, operational excellence and long-term resilience.
Fractional COOFounderStrategic AdvisorGuest LecturerAI & Blockchain AmbassadorEU Sustainability Reporting
Business Builder.
Organisational Designer.
Fractional COO.
I help ambitious organisations grow, scale and adapt by combining data, strategy, technology and operational design.
AI, blockchain, SaaS, sustainability reporting and international scale-up experience across EMEA and APAC.
©Photo by Laurence Vander Elstraeten, Buro Bonito
Trusted across industries
01 //
About Els
I am an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of international experience at the intersection of digital data, emerging technologies, business strategy, digital transformation, operational excellence and organisational design.
I started my career as a digital transformation manager, and over time moved from leading projects and programs into operations at C-level as a COO: building, scaling and reinventing businesses and organisations along the way, across financial services, public sector, marcom agencies, digital product companies, emerging technology ventures and global advisory environments.
That experience has shaped how I work today: I bring together strategy, technology, data, people and execution to help organisations create more value, without losing track of the people and culture that make it possible.
I am drawn to complexity: the moments when an organisation needs to rethink how it creates value, structures its teams, designs its operating model and translates technology into practical outcomes, that's when I thrive.
Operating principles
01.Visionary thinking, grounded execution.
02.Technology as a business design material.
03.Organisations should scale without losing their humanity.
02 //
What I do
01
Scale & Operating Models
Designing structures, teams, governance and processes that help organisations scale with intention.
02
People, Culture & HR Design
Building teams, leadership structures and inclusive cultures that let people and performance grow together.
03
Go-to-Market & Growth Strategy
Building pragmatic commercial strategies, value propositions and partner ecosystems for B2B, SaaS and technology-led businesses.
04
Internationalisation
Guiding market entry and cross-border scale-up across EMEA and APAC, from first hire abroad to multi-region operations.
05
Funding & Investor Readiness
Preparing the story, structure and stakeholder management organisations need to raise capital and grow investor confidence.
06
Data, AI & Emerging Technology
Turning data architecture, AI, blockchain and Web3 into understandable, valuable and executable business models.
07
Sustainability & Compliance Strategy
Helping organisations navigate CSRD, Digital Product Passport, ESG data models and sustainability-driven transformation.
08
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
I am a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator, using the methodology to help teams explore complex challenges, make ideas tangible, and create shared understanding. By giving everyone a voice and making different perspectives visible, I help organisations unlock insights and move from discussion to meaningful action.
Price for a one-day workshop (max. 12 people): 5000 EUR, ex. VAT
How I work
You can bring me in at any of these levels, across any of the domains above.
I Research
Running my own operational excellence (OpEx) research — surveying and interviewing operating leaders, benchmarking how organisations structure, measure and improve their operations, and turning the findings into practical insight the community can use.
I Review
Running OpEx reviews to check what could be improved in terms of operational excellence — mapping how work actually flows, where value leaks, and which changes deliver the most impact.
I Train
Sharing knowledge through presentations, workshops and training, so teams and leaders build capability, not just deliverables.
I Coach
Acting as a sparring partner for COOs and operating leaders working through a specific issue — including guiding and building out dedicated teams, and ghostwriting the strategies or plans of action that come out of it.
I Determine
Defining the strategy myself, including ghostwriting the strategy or plan of action, as a ready-to-use deliverable.
I Plan
Turning strategy into structured plans and programs — from digital transformation and operational excellence initiatives to full program and project management — with clear milestones, ownership and sequencing.
I Execute
Doing the work as a consultant or fractional COO — solo or embedded with a team — until it's operational.
03 //
Current roles
Harder Better Faster Stronger
ActiveFounder
Advising entrepreneurs, scale-ups and enterprises on data-driven strategies, new business and operating models, digital solutions and emerging technology adoption.
Guest Lecturer
ActiveVlerick · Solvay · EhB · UCLL
Lecturing at Vlerick Business School, Solvay Business School, Erasmushogeschool Brussels and UCLL on data, emerging technologies and sustainability regulations.
Keynote Speaker
ActiveInternational stages
Speaking internationally on digital data and emerging technologies, on organisational design and operational excellence, on entrepreneurship, women in tech and leadership, on Human Resources at the intersection of people, machines and technology, and on regulation around data and sustainability.
04 //
Selected impact
- International Scale-up
Scaled SettleMint from early-stage startup to international scale-up with offices in Dubai, Singapore, Delhi and Tokyo.
- Cross-functional Leadership
Led marketing, communications, partner onboarding, investor support and international expansion at SettleMint.
- Operational Leadership
Led engineering, customer success and internal operations organisations at Robovision.
- Client Impact
Built and launched go-to-market and operating models for clients including Fujitsu, PwC, Climapulse, Krane Labs, Vlerick Business School, Robovision and Spotable.
- Recognition
Selected as one of 10 International Women in Tech by US Market Access Center and SAP.
- Recognition
Nominated for Inspiring 50 Women in Belgian Tech.
05 //
Watch & listen
Dat is wel speciaal - Els Meyvaert
Videopodcast on entrepreneurship, innovation, data and technology.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY SPOTIFY →
SettleMint Blockchain Academy talks tech at TechXLR8 2017
Conference talk on enterprise blockchain adoption and the SettleMint Blockchain Academy.
OPEN ON YOUTUBE →
EY Startup Sofa: SettleMint
Conversation on scaling SettleMint and building enterprise blockchain ventures.
OPEN ON YOUTUBE →
Ondernemen als koppel: Roderik en Els (SettleMint)
On building and growing a company together as co-founders and life partners.
OPEN ON YOUTUBE →06 //
Topics I speak & write about
- Organisational design
- Fractional COO leadership
- Operating models
- Strategic execution
- B2B SaaS
- AI for business
- Blockchain and Web3
- Sustainability reporting
- CSRD
- Digital Product Passport
- Data architecture
- Go-to-market strategy
- International expansion
- Partner ecosystems
- Scale-up leadership
07 //
Experience timeline
08 // Contact
Let’s design what
comes next.
For advisory work, operating model design, go-to-market strategy, speaking, guest lectures or collaborations, get in touch.