Management Team
| Executive Directors | Non-Executive Directors | Regional Leadership | Client Partners |
Patrik Vandewalle – Founder and CEO
Patrik, an entrepreneur and senior executive, has over 25 years of professional experience in the EU and US IT industry. In 1987, he earned a Master’s degree in Engineering & Computer Science from the University of Leuven, Belgium. Prior to some early stage investments and founding Skelia, Patrik held international executive positions at Accenture, CSC, Logica, and Econocom. He was actively involved in corporate turnarounds, mergers, acquisitions, and divestments.
Olivier Istace – Founder and COO
Olivier received a Master’s degree in Engineering & Computer Science from the University of Namur, Belgium in 1993. He has 20 years of professional experience in the IT & financial services industry. Prior to co-founding Skelia, Olivier held several positions in software development, IT-transformation, operations management, and IT/BPO offshoring at large international corporations, such as JP Morgan, Clearstream, Mastercard Europe, and Cetrel.
Olivia Vandesande – Chief HR Officer
Olivia has over 30 years of professional experience as senior HR executive in international corporations. She earned a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Brussels, Belgium and gained specialized knowledge in outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, and change management. Prior to joining Skelia, Olivia held executive positions in multiple industries, including IT, telecom and interim services at several companies including CSC Computer Sciences, Bull, British Telecom and USG.
Ivan Ripka – Head of Operations Europe
Ivan graduated in 2003 from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine, with a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. With over 12 years of experience in IT industry, Ivan has worked as a Scrum Master, project lead developer, technical lead, and team lead. His solid technology background combined with his ability to meet complex business challenges helped Skelia build strong cooperation with its customers. Now, Ivan drives the development of the company’s strategic partnerships in Europe.
Jan Vorstermans
Jan has over 30 years of experience in Telecom and IT industry, marketing & sales, business development, technology, and operations. He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications from the University of Ghent, Belgium. Jan has broad experience in public company management, M&A, and innovation and has held international senior executive positions at Siemens-Atea, Telindus, Nynex (now Verizon), BT, and Telenet.
Jan De Schepper
Jan has over 30 years of experience in IT and Telecom industry. Jan was CEO of Telindus, one of the leading telecom integrators in Benelux, prior to being acquired by Belgacom. Next to board positions at Skelia, Inventive Designers and Crossroad, he is currently the president of ADM, a well-respected platform within the IT and business community with 150 member companies, offering knowledge exchange, activities, and networking opportunities to a broad professional audience.
Jan Picavet
Jan is a successful technology entrepreneur and investor with over 35 years of international experience. He has held senior executive positions in a number of global corporations such as Cullinet Software, Legent Corp, CSC Europe, MarchFirst, USWeb/CKS and BDO Atrio. Jan is actively involved in the investor community with early stage positions in different promising technology companies such as Skelia.
Rostyslav Shchepan – Managing Director, Skelia Ukraine
Rostyslav received a Master’s degree in International Law from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in 2002. He has over 14 years of business experience in banking, construction business, entrepreneurship, and IT. Since joining Skelia Ukraine in 2008, Rostyslav has played an important role in establishment and development of the organization. As a Managing Director of Skelia Ukraine, he ensures that the organization’s everyday activities run smoothly and efficiently.
Oksana Dyachyshyn – Client Partner, Skelia Ukraine
Oksana graduated from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv with a Master’s degree in International Economics. Oksana has over 14 years of administrative experience in IT industry. She had been leading Human Resources at Skelia Ukraine since its launch in 2008 and was responsible for HR and recruiting functions in the company. Now, Oksana, as an accomplished top manager, holds the position of Client Partner. She leads a pre-sales team as well as engagement activities and establishes long-term cooperation between Skelia and its customers.
Andriy Yakymiv – Client Partner, Skelia Ukraine
Andriy has over 15 years of professional experience in IT industry. His ability to think in opportunities, accept and meet business challenges in combination with strong technology expertise has helped him to lead and accomplish a number of successful projects. Andriy joined Skelia in September 2015 and his current role of Client Partner is focused on building and developing long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation with Skelia customers. Andriy holds a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.