Overview
Dorien leads Wintercircus as its CEO, overseeing one of the most important tech hubs in Ghent and the broader Flanders ecosystem. She plays a central role in connecting founders, investors, and corporates within the campus community.
As CEO, Dorien shapes the strategy and operations of Wintercircus, building programming, community, and partnerships that make the campus a destination for Belgian tech.
Dorien built her career in IT project delivery at Accenture across Belgium and India, then moved into tech ecosystem building at Wintercircus. She led Ghent's flagship FTI program before taking on the CEO role at Wintercircus Ghent.
Career history
- CEOApr 2026 - PresentWintercircus Ghent
- Head of Wintercircus CollectiveApr 2024 - Apr 2026Wintercircus Ghent
- Director FTI Gent by WintercircusJun 2023 - Jun 2024Flanders Technology & Innovation
- Head of Operations & ProjectsSep 2022 - Nov 2023Be-Mobile
- Technology ManagerJun 2021 - Sep 2022Accenture
- Technology Associate ManagerNov 2019 - Jun 2021Accenture
- Technology ConsultantDec 2017 - Nov 2019Accenture
- Intern: Production Planning & ControlJul 2014 - Sep 2014Daikin Europe
- WintercircusCurrent
Education
Master's degree, Business Engineering - Operational Management2013 - 2015Ghent University
In the news
- Dorien Van Steenberge , CEO of the Wintercircus, shared the bold dream with the Wintercircus family during the Community Season Opening: "Putting Europe back on the map as global leaders in technology and entrepreneurship. Out of Ghent, Belgium." Season is open ... join the Wintercircus Ghent Collective, that's where the music is playing!
- Dream so big you get uncomfortable telling small-minded people." - Pietro Terzini I shared our dream with the Wintercircus family last night during our Community Season Opening: Putting Europe back on the map as global leaders in technology and entrepreneurship. Out of Ghent, Belgium. We want to become the European Y Combinator. Ridiculously ambitious? Probably. Delusional? I hope so, because Stef Wynendaele would say it's the biggest compliment we could get. And through our dream, we aim to make yours reality. Big time.
- Well, that escalated quickly. On April 1st, my first day as CEO of Wintercircus Ghent, Dan Vandevoorde added something of his own professional bucket list to mine: Hang a 6 meter inflatable globe under the roof of Wintercircus. Five months later.. Here we are! And name a better week for doing so. 🎓 Wednesday: AI & the future of education. Together with Lode Lauwaert and Tom Van de Weghe, we're welcoming Zuhal Demir, Orhan Agirdag, Ruben Verborgh, Robbe Wulgaert, Sonja Teughels and everyone who cares for this topic. Because
- Last week, Wintercircus Ghent's board and leadership team discussed the future of Europe's most buzzing tech hub in a 2-day offsite. If you had been a fly on the wall, you would not have noticed any hierarchy or politics in our discussions, only the most passionate and dedicated people showing up for something that's much bigger than all of us. Startup mentality. I'm grateful to have been involved with the Wintercircus since 2018, when the building was still part ruins, part construction site. As a member of the board, I'm baffled at
- Vorige zomer deelde ik hier het boek dat ik toen aan het lezen was: The Founder’s Dilemmas. Om daarna heel wat mensen tegen te komen die zeiden dat ze het ook gelezen of besteld hadden. Een heel jaar door, tot vorige maand toen ze begonnen aan deze zomer. Super wijs! Dus we doen dat hier opnieuw! Deze staat al enkele jaren in mijn must read lijst, op sterk aanraden van Louis Jonckheere. Het goede is de vijand van het geweldige. Daarom is er zo weinig dat echt uitzonderlijk wordt. See you on the other page! 🫡 PS: Kies altijd voor
- If you know the song, let this be your reminder to listen once more. If you don’t, I think you should. If you know the lyrics by heart, close your eyes. If you don’t, read them carefully. Too many great quotes to choose from, but this one feels most suited for this platform: Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much Or berate yourself either Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Anyways, WEAR SUNSCREEN! ☀️
- Zondagen zijn voor reflectie en familie. En dus ook deze post. Tien dagen na de geboorte van onze dochter Coco kreeg ik de vraag om CEO te worden van het Wintercircus. Nu drie maanden in de functie kan ik alleen maar zeggen: Het is zonder twijfel de mooiste job. De impact die we met het Wintercircus mogen maken, de mensen met wie ik mag samenwerken en de bakken energie die ik daaruit haal... Elke dag voelt als een enorme eer. En dat ik als jonge mama in zo'n positie een voorbeeld kan zijn voor anderen, is de kers op de taart.
- At Wintercircus Ghent, we've always had a twofold mission, equally important. First, to help build the next generation of technology companies and solutions that strengthen our society and economy. Second, to make sure the conversation about technology belongs to everyone. Because technology doesn't just shape startups. It shapes how we learn, work, govern, care, and live together. That's why together with Louis Jonckheere and Lode Lauwaert, I’m on a mission to take the OverMorgen debates at Wintercircus to the next level.
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